How Lutheran Pastors end up where they do…

At least once or twice in the last few weeks, I’ve been asked about how one gets a job as a Lutheran Pastor.  What happens when you graduate seminary?  Do you have to find your own job?  Do you get assigned?  How do you know where you’ll end up?

Ironically, just last week was the annual ELCA assignment meeting, where representatives from the nine regions of the ELCA got together with information about all of the seminary students preparing for graduation.  Over the course of 2-3 days, each individual was discussed and assigned to one of the larger regions, and will, eventually, be assigned to a synod (a smaller geography region).

Fortunately, there are a lot of people who have done a MUCH better job at explaining this process than I could, so I’m simply going to point out these resources as reading for those of you who might be interested in how it all works out.

• Beginning (of the end of) the journey to first call – This three-part blog post describes how the assignment process works from the perspective of a seminarian preparing for graduation and ordination.  It describes a lot more about paperwork, but the paperwork is one of the most important parts of it all.
• From the Seminary to the Parish – This gives a bit more detail about the actual assigning to regions from the perspective of someone who attended last year’s assignment meeting, sometimes lovingly referred to as the “Bishop’s Draft.”
• ELCA Regions – This cool little map (I am after all a geographer, and love maps) gives a bit more information about the regions of the ELCA and the synods (sub-regions) that make up each region.  It’s a great way to learn a bit more about the ELCA as a whole.

Jono becomes an internet CELEBRITY

Two notes that didn’t get included in my last post, one because I simply forgot, another because it didn’t happen until today.

First and foremost, I wanted to mention that I recently learned that the candidacy committee meeting in which I am scheduled for entrance (to begin seminary education) is scheduled for May 18th in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Knowing this is a mixed blessing.  On one hand, it’s cool to know the deadline I’m working toward, AND to know that this important meeting which so heavily has an effect on my life is not scheduled over top of some other crucial thing I might need to be at.  On the other, it’s slightly terrifying knowing that if I for some reason get denied or deferred that I’ll have a very limited amount of time to figure out what my other options might be for the following year.  I’m confident that I won’t have any problems, and that if I do, other opportunities will present themselves, but it’s always a good idea to think about those “what if?” situations.

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On a completely different note, I’d like to direct your attention to the screenshot I took off my computer included below:

You’ll notice 60 page views on the busiest day for this blog, with the busiest day being TODAY.  The second busiest day, just for reference was 53 views, and that was the day I posted my “Why the Summer Intern Called the Cops” blog post.

Here’s what happened…

Julie Stecker, Associate Director of Admissions at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg received a google alert email about my most recent post regarding my decision to attend LTSG.  (Ironically enough, she’ll also undoubtedly get an email notifying her of this one as well, since I’ve mentioned LTSG).

From there, she got in touch with me via Facebook.  I quote her here without her direct permission (Julie, you know how to get in touch with me if you DO for some reason want your comments removed) because I think it adds an essential piece to this story.

We’re really excited that you’re going to be joining our community! And the blog post was great. I mean, obviously, we think so, but it presents a lot of fair and balanced view of why you chose the seminary you chose, which I think could be helpful not only for those looking at LTSG, but people discerning in general.  Would you mind if we shared it from the seminary’s facebook page?  We really do mean it when we say we want people to go to the seminary that’s best for them, even if it’s not ours, so that “feeling right” part is perfect.

In the 2 hours or so since she shared a link to my blog post, I’ve jumped from 20ish views for today to 60 and climbing.  I’m honored to have my story shared with so many different friends of the seminary, and as I told Julie during our conversation, I’m excited at the possibility that someone, somewhere along the line might benefit from reading the comments on my blog.  Furthermore, this blog is a major tool for MY continued discernment; being able to compose my thoughts in written word helps me to organize and understand them that much better.

For anyone exploring a vocation in ministry, I think you’ll all understand the idea of certain things just feeling right or clicking in just the right way.  It’s likely how you ended up starting to look at ministry as a career.  I hope that as you explore your options for seminary, you’ll take the time the find the seminary that clicks and feels right for you.

Where I’m Going, And Why…

One week ago, I received my official offer of admission from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.  Today, completely ignoring the fact that there is no mail service due to it being President’s Day, I returned a signed acceptance of my admission along with a deposit.  As I’ve mentioned before, seminary admission and candidacy entrance are parallel processes.  Candidacy is much more intensive, but seminary relies on candidacy, technically, any admissions decision I received from LTSG will be provisional, waiting on a positive entrance decision from the candidacy committee.

One thing that is important to note is that for seminary, it’s fairly common to only apply to one school.  This stems from the understanding that seminary is a calling, not merely a decision made on a whim.  For the ELCA seminaries, and many others, it’s not a matter of competing for a certain number of spots in any given class, it’s moreso showing that you have taken the effort to prepare yourself for theological study.

Having decided on attending seminary at Gettysburg, I wanted to take the time to discuss some of the things that I think affected that decision and helped me find LTSG to be a good fit.  The list is is no particular order, just what came to mind as I was writing.

• Family – Family has always been extremely important to me growing up.  While I tend to be pretty independent, being close to people I care about is a pretty big strength. Gettysburg is around 3 hours from my parent’s house, and just an hour from where my brother, sister-in-law and two nieces live.
• Location – Gettysburg, PA is an awesome little town.  I can’t even count the number of times I made my parents take me there growing up to see the battlefield and town.  There’s just something really cool about how it is so historically significant but still such a bustling place.  Furthermore, anything they don’t have in Gettysburg is as easy as a drive to half a dozen much larger cities nearby.
• Lutheran Context – While Lutherans the world over can find commonality in our faith, there’s still a pretty decent amount of variety.  It’s kinda like this: if you’re comparing law schools, typically it’s ultimately best to select one in the state you hope to some day practice.  Me going to Pacific Lutheran Seminary in Berkeley, CA would be kinda silly considering that I’ve been born and raised a Lutheran in Pennsylvania and hope to at least stay somewhere within this region.
• Personal References – I know a pretty decent number of Pastors and current seminarians, and have been able to hear first-hand about the Lutheran seminaries in Gettysburg, Philadelphia and Chicago as well as Trinity (in Columbus, OH) and Southern (in Columbia, SC).  I made it a point to talk to people I respect about their choices in deciding on a seminary.  No one said anything bad about any of the seminaries, but the good things I heard about Gettysburg certainly served to reinforce my own thoughts.
• Hipstoric – LTSG’s associate director of admissions Julie Stecker used this word on twitter a few weeks ago to describe LTSG’s vibe.  Both the town and seminary are historic, but also hip and innovative.
• Volunteer Opportunities - A while back, I detailed my involvement with emergency services throughout the last 4-5 years of my life, and my interest long before actually getting involved.  It certainly didn’t hurt my decision toward LTSG that it is the only seminary served by a volunteer fire department (along with volunteer EMS), giving me the opportunity to find some time to volunteer during my education.
• Lack of Distractions - Standing on Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg is quiet.  While several of the things listed above may serve as distractions to some extent, I still believe that Gettysburg is a good place for me to focus on my studies during seminary.

And the most important reason:

It just feels right.  Many of the reasons above are somewhat superficial.  Several of them are things that you could probably find at ANY seminary.  Alone, none of these reasons are really sufficient enough to be a well-formed argument suggesting LTSG over any other seminary.  Even together, the logic isn’t entirely solid.  That’s where the pathos comes into play with emotional appeal.  I spent a lot of time praying about my decision, and something about the time I’ve spent AT Gettysburg, the time I’ve spent THINKING about Gettysburg and the time I’ve spent THINKING about being AT Gettysburg just feels right.

Up next:

• I’ll be doing my initial interview with Pastor David Gleason, a member of my candidacy committee next Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
• Also, I should receive notification about my financial aid award from LTSG sometime between now and the end of the month, which will give me a good idea of where I stand as far as what I need to do to finance my education.

Thank you everyone who has shown support up until this point.  It means the world to me.