Opening pathways to follow the call

The changes in Australian Lutheran College’s (ALC) learning model and the widening of ordination pathways are making studying to become a pastor more accessible and appealing, say members of the current student cohort.

Josh Hauser serves as a chaplain and head of ministry at Good News Lutheran College at Tarneit and Mambourin, Victoria. He studied at ALC in 2014 for a Graduate Diploma of Theology, but this year has returned and hopes to become a Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP), now that the option is available for part-time and off-campus students.

‘I see this as a potential pathway for chaplains to study and become SMPs,’ he says. ‘For me, this is a special and valuable calling that I do not take lightly.’ For Josh, the more diverse cohort of people discerning a call to ordained ministry at ALC is ‘a wonderful thing’. ‘I think ALC is implementing a culture that is respectful, supportive, inclusive and full of God’s grace. Much like a person who lived 2000-plus years ago, perhaps!’

The option of becoming a pastor in the LCANZ only opened up for Brisbane-based Anastasia Kim after last year’s General Synod decision on the ordination of women. She had completed a Bachelor of Theology through the Anglican Church, because the LCA did not ordain women. Now serving in aged-care chaplaincy within a Lutheran congregation, she is now pleased to be studying a Master of Theology Degree.

‘Returning to Lutheranism feels like returning home, where I have discovered both theological integrity and liturgical depth,’ she says. ‘My experience at ALC has been deeply affirming. It’s a space where Scripture, tradition and lived faith are held together with care.’ Her prayer now is to serve in word and sacrament ministry, particularly in congregational and chaplaincy settings.

Like Josh, Ben Lyons is a school chaplain, at St Peters Lutheran College Springfield, Queensland, where he also teaches. In 2014–2015, Ben studied pastoral ministry full-time at ALC. In 2016, he left to do youth work at Immanuel Buderim, which aligned with his call, but later completed his Bachelor of Theology externally. In 2025, he is studying a Graduate Diploma in Divinity part-time and hopes to become an SMP or a General Ministry Pastor. ‘My first stint at ALC required me to conform to a specific model,’ he says. ‘I wanted to work in a school or youth space, but (the pastoral ministry program) didn’t have space to explore that call within the then framework. Now, the flexibility to participate in ministry in my context is a huge plus!’

Australian Lutheran College has launched its annual appeal, and your support can make a real difference. Your donation helps equip and encourage the next generation of pastors, teachers and church workers, beginning with the 35 students already responding to God’s call this year, with more to come in Semester 2. Click here to donate. Find out more at alc.edu.au/connect/annual-appeal