Calling all preachers! Are you looking for some inspiration, something to stir your creativity and soul, a chance to gather with others charged with proclaiming the Word? Then come to The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia – yes, this is a shameless plug! – on Oct. 19-21 for Preaching Days. A staple of LTSP summers in the 80s and 90s, Preaching Days faded away over the last two decades but we are reviving it – dare we say resurrecting it? – at the request of our alumni and area leaders who have asked that we provide more opportunities for professional development with a particular focus on preaching. Toward...

Don’t worry, if you’re not familiar with the term “digital pluralism” you’re not behind the times, out of touch, or manifestly uncultured. Trust me, I should know, as I made this term up! 🙂 What I mean by talking of digital pluralism is to recognize that we live in an era when multiple stories, worldviews, traditions, convictions, and versions of reality now circulate, and even compete, with each other largely because of the advent of digital communication. Think about it in terms of this analogy: a generation ago we had “the Big Three” in television which, truth be told, mostly featured all the...

This past summer I ended up taking an unanticipated partial sabbatical from blogging. While I had taken part or all of the summer off in previous years, this summer I had hoped actually to catch up on writing in this space and a few others after a full, hectic, and blessed first year at LTSP. Alas, that wasn’t to happen. The summer was busier, and I was more tired, than I’d anticipated and apart from the weekly “Dear Partner” posts for preachers, I ended up writing exactly nothing. Once I realized that was the way things were going to roll, I intended to start up again after Labor Day. But then classes...

Note: Each month I write a short piece for our e-letter, P.S. Portions. While I won’t  normally republish that here, I think the story I try to share in that space this month – that the best way to learn how to lead is by being given the chance to lead now – is worth repeating. More than that, I think the video below about some of the leadership roles our students are playing is really, really cool. So even if you want to skip the column (I get it, you’re busy!), at least watch the video. 🙂   Hold this question with me for a moment: What is the best way to educate leaders for the future church? I promise...

I spent the better part of yesterday in a four-and-a-half-hour long faculty meeting. Yes, you read that right: 4.5 hours, 270 minutes, 16,200 seconds. But before you start feeling sorry for me (at least those who know faculty meetings well enough to generate sympathy), let me hasten to add…that I loved it. Why? Because the lion’s share of the work we accomplished was the review of every student at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Yeah, every…single…student – well over 200, btw, in case you’re wondering. Admittedly, we gave particular attention to those who were struggling in some way, so didn’t celebrate...