Awaiting the gift of new church workers

Seminarian Timothy Schneider receives his vicarage placement in 2010

As the academic year draws to a close, church work candidates, congregations and schools wait to hear who the Lord will send their way to serve.

This year eight LCC congregations asked for pastoral candidates; six in the ABC District and two in the Central District. Eleven congregations sought vicars. As Lutheran schools assess their needs at the end of the school year, LCC’s Placement Committee expects to receive requests for the two teachers.

The pastors and vicars from Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton and Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines will hear their placements during graduation exercises in Edmonton, Friday, May 27, 7 p.m. at Concordia University College of Alberta’s Tegler Centre, and in St. Catharines, Saturday, May 28, 4 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 140 Russell Ave, St. Catharines. Concordia University College will announce any teacher placements Sunday, May 8, 10 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.

There were no Director of Parish Services students eligible for placement or internship this year.

All the pastoral candidates have completed their four-year seminary preparation which includes a one-year vicarage (internship) usually during their third year. The men graduate with an MDiv degree and a working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek.

“Everyone needs to be on the look out for young men and women whom God may be calling into church work,” noted LCC president, Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee. “Sometimes it only takes a word of encouragement from a member of a congregation to help someone begin looking seriously at serving God’s people as a pastor or deacon.”

In Lutheran Church–Canada about 50 of 325 parishes are currently without a pastor, 37 have decided not to call a pastor and consider themselves a “permanent vacancy.” Thirteen parishes are either in the process of calling or have called a new pastor or candidate and are awaiting word.

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