Concordia announces a new training program for Lutheran School Teachers and Administrators

Concordia announces a new training program for non-rostered Lutheran school teachers and administrators, the Lutheran School Ministry program, with online classes beginning in January. 

Concordia Nebraska equips 33 percent of the current rostered Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) educators. However, there are currently more than 9,000 educators in Lutheran schools around the world who are not LCMS trained.

The Lutheran School Ministry program is Concordia Nebraska’s response to several significant actions. First, Resolution 8-01A from the 2016 LCMS national convention calls for the strengthening of the Lutheran ethos in all Lutheran schools. Second, the number of non-synodically trained teachers in Lutheran schools continues to increase. Finally, Lutheran colleagues from around the world are asking Concordia to provide opportunities for training teachers in the Lutheran school tradition.

“The Lutheran School Ministry Program is unique because it provides professional development in an online classroom setting to teachers who desire to learn more about integrating the faith in the classroom,” said Ken Sankey, program director. “The program concentrates on the four primary areas that make a Lutheran school truly distinctive: doctrine, ethos, the Lutheran classroom, and vocation.”

The Lutheran School Ministry program is designed for the working educators in Lutheran schools who require additional training to incorporate the Lutheran ethos into their classrooms. The program provides the foundational aspects of Lutheran education that’s built into a traditional Lutheran Teacher Diploma.

Beginning in January 2018, four 8-week modules will be offered online. All four modules are required to complete the training program. Tuition is $600 per module or $2,000 for the entire program.

Modules include: “What Lutherans Believe, Teach and Confess,” “The Lutheran School: Identity and Ethos,” “The Lutheran Classroom: Life Together,” and “The Teacher in a Lutheran School: Vocation.” The writers of these modules are synodically trained pastors and teachers with Lutheran teaching experiences in Early Childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education.

“The LSMP is a blessing to our schools and will enable us to strengthen and extend our Lutheran Ethos as described in LCMS Resolution 8-01A,” said Bob Ziegler, education and youth director of the Nebraska District. “We want our administrators to find ways to promote this professional development for themselves and their staff members and create professional learning communities at their schools. These four modules will help us keep the main thing the main thing.”

More information regarding the LSMP can be found at cune.edu/lutheranschool.