Under The Radar: A Redshirt Diary

Two Hearts

December 14, 2021

Marc and Sarah were in Bexley on the campus of Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University, meeting initially with The Reverend Dr. Kathryn Kleinhans, Dean of TLS, before going on a tour of the campus with Assistant Director of Seminary Admissions Monica Lowe. As the three of them made their way around the grounds, Marc quizzed her about the various pathways to the roster he might take.

Marc: I am looking for a means of getting onto the ELCA roster as a Churchwide Diaconal Minister. I am currently working on a Master's degree in School Counseling, which Capital also offers. If the memorial on diaconate reform passes at Churchwide Assembly in August, I would need only the 21-credit tack-on to be eligible for ordination. Which institution would be the better one to get that education through? 

Monica: Capital will begin offering an undergraduate certificate in Practical Ministry in the Fall due to that memorial coming before Assembly. We felt it was necessary to have something available within our curriculum that would meet the educational requirement for consecration as Synodical Deacons while also opening the door for our graduate students to pick it up in pursuit of joining the Churchwide roster. As your degree would be considered a professional one, you are correct in that you would only need 21 credits of religious study to be ordained, and the certificate would cover twelve of those.

Marc: So similar to what Trinity Lutheran University put in place two years ago.

Monica: That would be correct. Their chaplain was instrumental in helping us build the necessary courses to offer the certificate as they were meant to be equivalent to the two-year Diakonia program.

Marc: Deacon Schmidt is great at his multi-faceted job, especially the way he handled the trauma which invaded the campus community due to COVID and its aftermath. On to my next question. Why would you recommend Trinity at Capital over a place like ULS (United Lutheran Seminary) or PLTS (Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary)?

Monica: I'm not sure I can answer that. Every seminary has its advantages and disadvantages. Here, you have graduate and professional degree options under the same roof and the ability to cobble together an individualized degree plan from the course offerings at all of Capital's schools of higher education. PLTS is part of the Graduate Theological Union, a 19-school consortium which encompasses nearly all the mainline denominations. At Gettysburg, your focus would be on the "old church" and bringing into the 21st century, while Philadelphia would emphasize urban ministry.

Marc: My partner is working on a Master's of her own in Sport and Recreation Leadership. What are the job prospects in the Greater Columbus area for someone with that background and how are non-seminary partners or spouses involved in the broader campus religious community?

Monica: I'm going to circle back to your first question because I can now better answer it given your expected life circumstances at the time you'd enroll. Regardless of which side of College Avenue you would take your courses, apply to and enroll as a Trinity student as it will give you access to its Student Life components, which are more in line with post-graduate study and the family dynamics associated with it. As for your, I would guess, future wife, Columbus is home to several colleges and universities, three professional sports franchises, and a wide number of school districts, all of which would be places where her degree could prove useful.

When the pair and their guide returned to the admissions office, Monica gave Marc a packet of information along with a voucher for lunch at Cosi, which was located across Main Street from the seminary. Marc and Sarah chose to hang onto it and returned Downtown so they could pick up their Convention packets and prepare for their dinner date.