Adviser Norm Beck Professor Phone: 830-372-6066 E-mail: nbeck@tlu.edu

Professional Lay Ministry

Texas Lutheran offers a flexible four-year program for persons interested in professional, non-ordained service in the church. The program may be utilized to fulfill course requirements in theology for those who desire to serve in the public ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as an Associate in Ministry, or as a professional minister in other Christian denominations. Students interested in being commissioned for service as an ELCA Associate in Ministry must be registered with the candidacy committee of their home synod and must meet all of the requirements as set forth by the ELCA’s Division for Ministry.

The program may be taken with a view to a broad, general preparation for church service, or it may be taken with more particular career aspirations in mind. Possible academic majors include business administration, communication studies, music, psychology, sociology, and theology. Program details are worked out in consultation with the theology faculty.

For those in the ELCA Associate in Ministry candidacy process, basic foundational course work in theological education includes a minimum of 20 semester credit hours. At least one course must be completed in each of the following areas: Biblical Studies-Old Testament; Biblical Studies-New Testament; Lutheran Theology and Confessional Writings; Introductory Systematic Theology; and American Lutheran Church History. The candidate’s curriculum may include additional courses appropriate to a specialization.

Areas of service in the ELCA for an Associate in Ministry include education (director of Christian education, day school teacher or director, librarian), music and the arts (organist, choir director, teacher of music or drama), administration (church or parish office administrator, administrator in a synodical, churchwide agency, camp director), and service (campus ministry, camp ministry, counseling, parish worker, youth director).