Set Apart to Serve hosts deaconess program leaders

(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

On Dec. 4–5 at The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) International Center in St. Louis, LCMS Deaconess Ministry (LCMS Office of National Mission, Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor) and Set Apart to Serve (LCMS Office of Pastoral Education, Rev. Dr. James Baneck) co-hosted a gathering of leaders from Synod institutions that certify LCMS deaconesses: Concordia University Chicago (CUC), River Forest, Ill.; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL); and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW).

Leaders representing each institution were:

CUC — Deaconess Kristin Wassilak, Rev. Dr. James Lee, Rev. Dr. Chad Kendall

CSL — Rev. Dr. Timothy Saleska, Jessica Thompson, Dr. Gillian Bond, Dr. Kevin Armbrust

CTSFW — Deaconess Amy Rast, Rev. Dr. James Bushur, Rev. Matthew Wietfeldt

The purpose of the gathering was to have mutual conversation and collaboration concerning the formation and recruitment of LCMS deaconesses. Baneck shared an update on Set Apart to Serve (SAS), the Synod’s church work recruitment initiative, which includes the formation and recruitment of women for the deaconess vocation. Manor shared the work and responsibilities of LCMS Deaconess Ministry, which includes partnership with districts, calling deaconesses from the field, and the role of deaconesses as they support the Office of the Holy Ministry.

Leaders from each of the three institutions presented on their respective deaconess programs, including their history, theology, curriculum, degree, enrollment and placement.

The deaconess vocation has a rich history in the Christian church, with roots that reach back to Phoebe in Romans 16. In the mid-19th-century, the Rev. Wilhelm Loehe of Bavaria trained deaconesses to give mercy care to God’s suffering people. In recent history, the vocation of deaconess has been shaped in the LCMS by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Korby (1924–2006), LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, the Rev. Dr. Arthur Just and others.

In a presentation on the deaconess vocation, Bushur said any mission of the church is driven by two theological forces. The first is love, which comes out of the Holy Trinity. God’s love for the world is embodied in Jesus Christ. Bushur said that as the people of God hear His Word, are baptized and receive Holy Communion, the Holy Spirit moves and shapes His church. God’s people now embody God’s love for them in their interactions with their neighbors.

The second theological force consists of the needs of mankind. Through His people in vocation, the Holy Spirit is acting through the needs of our neighbor.

Baneck said, “It is good for the church to know that CUC and our Synod’s two seminaries form deaconesses as women fed by God’s Word and Sacrament who are then formed to serve their neighbor with a keen awareness of the needs of the community — in and outside of the congregation. Foundational in deaconess formation is the imparting of knowledge and skills in what it means to be a woman, a Christian, a Lutheran and a deaconess.”

Posted Dec. 18, 2023/Updated Dec. 19, 2023