Questions Answered
The commenting on the blog has been broken since Christmas. Thanks to Dan @ NR for pointing this out. I hate those CAPTCHA things but they work. I hate blog spam more. I was asked the following question:
Glad to hear of your acceptance.  Does this also mean once you have completed your 5th year you will then be on the call list?Thanks! Yes, typically that is the case. In some cases, they continue into PhD work before taking a call. A few guys stick around to finish their dissertation with the aid of the seminary library. They usually have to work part-time to fund their extra time. So apart from the library, its advantageous to complete this work over a span of a few years while serving a divine call. The program "expires" at six years so the expectation is to complete the dissertation before 2015. I was also chided, tongue-in-cheek, that we need more confessional pastors. There is a little joke on campus that S.T.M. means "scared to minister." The taste of the ministry lingers from vicarage. I assure you I am super anxious to be completed and certified for ordination.  In my case, the gravity of the call into our Lord's ministry of Word and Sacrament compels me to study with as much rigor as possible. Our four-year curriculum is certainly adequate. Yet, I hope to gain additional skills, knowledge, and aptitude to be an even more confessional Lutheran pastor! I have the shortcoming of not being a "traditional" student with pre-seminary education. This program will help cultivate independent study skills, Biblical language proficiency, and teaching skill. In addition, it gives me the opportunity for scholarly study of a very specific theological field. It is most definitely a decision which is pro ecclesia. Some would argue we need to manufacture more pastors, more quickly, and more cheaply. Trust me, we don't need Walmart pastors. If the church is to remain according to our confessions, she will have well-trained clergy and scholars.
