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Educational Ties and Heartfelt Thanks

Education is at the heart of this issue — especially institutions which are developing close ties to the ministries of local churches.

The main features cover the educational gamut from early childhood centers to the ivy-covered halls of a university.

Marlene Lund, who is executive director of the Lutheran Schools Association in New York, examines how both school and congregation will benefit from having a clear idea of what their joint mission is and how to maintain that mission over the years.

Pastor Laura Wind is one of the pastors of a Winston-Salem, North Carolina congregation which has a “congregation-based campus ministry” with students from Wake Forest University. Since 1964, this congregation has invited and nurtured university students into the life of this congregation/campus ministry.

Richard Rouse and Ernest Tonsing provide two examples of how church-related colleges and universities are helping the laity in their surrounding regions to grapple with issues of faith and life. They see this outreach as vital to their understanding of how a college of the church can effectively connect to the faith life of laity and pastors in congregations.

This issue also features a special advertising section for ELCA colleges and universities and continuing education events, as well as a listing of the many ELCA Lifelong Learning Partners. Columnists and other writers deal with funerals, organizing and managing Web sites for ministry, the development of an ELCA social statement on education, Grace Matters, the radio ministry of the ELCA (formerly known as Lutheran Vespers), newly hosted by Peter Marty, and how to sustain congregational relationships with ministries sponsored by social ministry organizations (SMO).

Heartfelt Thanks
In 1992,the magazine began a new column reviewing video programs which have appeared three times per year. Anne Lee has very capably reviewed many video programs as our first editor and writer. Anne, an associate in ministry, worked in the area of Christian education, from pre-school through adult, including an emphasis on social ministry, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Charles, Illinois.

Her final review column appeared in the September/October 2004 issue. Earlier that year, she retired from her position at Bethlehem, having worked on the staff since 1979.

Former Lutheran Partners editor and pastor, Carl Linder, retired from his work in church publishing in October 2002. Carl continued as the magazine’s interim book review editor, providing snap-shot “In Brief” reviews of books pertinent to the ministries of pastors and rostered lay ministers. Carl’s last column is published in this issue.

My heartfelt thanks to both of these colleagues for their years of work with Lutheran Partners, their love of the gospel of Christ and his church, and their commitment to a publishing ministry for rostered leaders. God’s grace and peace be theirs always.

New book and video review editors will be announced in our May/June issue.

William A. Decker is editor of Lutheran Partners magazine, Chicago, Illinois.