Ministry Pathways
Like every other Christian church, we value those servants of God who are set aside as pastors for the unique ministry of word and sacrament. But that is not the only ministry to which God calls his people. In his letter to the Ephesians, St Paul says that God calls people to serve in all sorts of ministry roles 'to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ' (4:12). We're developing pathways for people to serve wherever and however God is calling them.
Ordination Pathways
There is not one exclusive pathway to ordination in the LCANZ. In fact, the 'Candidacy Pathways' document outlines four pathways:
1. General Ministry Pastor
2. Specific Ministry Pastor
3. Entry from outside the LCANZ (eg overseas or other denomination)
4. Case by case.
If you had thought ordination is not a ministry pathway for you, think again.
See also Midlife Masters below.
In an effort to address the church's ongoing ministry challenges, including an increasing pastoral supply shortage, the LCANZ's College of Bishops established the Ministry Future Project in 2022, with the support of the General Church Board. The Ministry Future project aimed to help the church respond to these changes in ways that, according to Bishop Emeritus Pietsch, ‘still lets the word of the Lord flourish among us today, for it is the word of God that brings us Christ and all his benefits’.
The report and its recommendations were submitted to the 2024 Convention of General Synod, where it was resolved that the LCA establish a Training and Accreditation Authority 'to collaboratively understand ministry personnel learning needs across the church and to facilitate appropriate responses'.
Midlife Masters
With the support of the College of Bishops, Australian Lutheran College has developed a one-off accelerated pathway to the ordained ministry that aims to prepare a cohort of candidates aged 40 to 55 for possible ordination as general ministry pastors in 2027.
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