Message from Pastor Kelsey Fitting-Snyder

Formation and Community: A Visit to Wartburg Seminary

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, where I spent time connecting with faculty, staff, and students. It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the life of the seminary and reflect on how we, as a synod and candidacy committee, can continue to support those discerning and preparing for rostered ministry.

One of the highlights of my visit was a conversation with the Department of Vocation and Formation. We reflected together on how the synod and seminary can best partner with one another on behalf of our candidates. At the heart of our conversation was the understanding that both seminary education and the candidacy process are about formation. Neither is simply a series of requirements to complete or boxes to check. Rather, both are opportunities for individuals to grow in their faith, deepen their understanding of their call, develop gifts for ministry, and be shaped by the communities accompanying them along the way.

I also had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of hybrid classes, with some students physically present in the classroom and others joining via Zoom. I was particularly eager to experience this because it was a learning environment I had never encountered as a student, but most of our current candidates experience theological education in this way. What I experienced was a seamless integration of those in the room and those online. Students joining via Zoom were actively engaged in class discussions and participated in small-group conversations, just as those gathered in the classroom did.

That same sense of connection extended into chapel. Students joining via Zoom were not simply watching worship but actively participating by reading lessons and leading prayers. It was a reminder that community and shared worship do not have to be limited by physical distance. In both the classroom and chapel, meaningful learning and community were happening regardless of where students were physically located.

I left Wartburg grateful for the faculty and staff who are so deeply invested in the formation of future leaders of the church. My visit was also a reminder that preparing people for ministry is never the work of just one institution or committee. It is a shared responsibility, rooted in relationships, conversation, and accompaniment.

As a synod, we have an important role in walking alongside our candidates, along with the seminaries. Whether through offering opportunities for ministry, words of encouragement, or simply including our seminarians and candidates in the prayers of the congregation, we all have a part in their formation. These acts of support remind those preparing for ministry that they are accompanied by the wider church throughout their journey. Together, we help form and support those whom God is calling to ministry and service in Christ’s church.

Together in Mission, 

Pr. Kelsey 

---

NT-NL synod staff are excited to engage in-person on Sundays for worship. As good stewards of time and travel dollars, we will be utilizing online meeting formats in our new hybrid reality when possible. If you would like to schedule a meeting with the bishop or Synod staff please contact them directly.

Bishop Gronberg:

November 10-11: ELCA Churchwide Resource Development Committee Meeting, Chicago
November 14: Parish Lay Ministry Academy
November 15: King of Glory, Dallas
November 16-18: Region 4 Bishop’s Retreat, Galveston

Pastora Bañales:

November 11: Migration Justice Webinar
November 12: NT-NL DEM Advisory Team Meeting
November 12: Region 4 DEMs Meeting
November 13-15: Ministry Site Review, Grand Canyon Synod
November 16: Stewardship of Life Institute Meeting
November 17-20: Ecumenical Gathering “Healing and Leading”, Sandy Spring, GA
November 23-27: Vacation and Thanksgiving

Pastor Fitting-Snyder:

November 12: Boundary Training with Region 4, Zoom
November 14-15: Wedding, Madison , Wisconsin
November 17: NT-NL Discernment Cohort, Zoom
November 22: Trinity, Wichita Falls
November 29: St. John, Gatesville