TEEM was an appealing option presented to
Steven Renner at an opportune time. “I have felt a calling to ministry since I was 8 years old,” he said. “Because I’m gay, I knew [ordained ministry] wasn’t going to happen.” Instead he became director of customer service
at the Kentucky Center for Performing Arts. He also has filled various leadership roles at Third Lutheran Church in Louisville, Ky., for more than a decade. By 2009, Third was in need of a new pastor, and
Renner was eligible for ordination in the ELCA. But he was at a point in his life where attending seminary full time wouldn’t be feasible or practical, with the closest school a three-hour drive. Instead, Third became a TEEM site, and Renner
Leaders from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkley, Calif., gather at graduation.
Each ELCA seminary has continued to adapt
to familial and economic needs, Strandjord said. Beyond bridging the clergy gap, he said creating a sustainable future for the church will require increased seminary support and emphasis on eliminating student debt. “Yes, this is a real issue,” he said. “It’s also a
real opportunity for people considering ministry.” Straw agrees, saying the clergy gap may present
the church with opportunities for innovation. “The ELCA has 3.7 million members. If you remove the ordained and lay professionals, you still have about 3.7 million members,” he said. “The resource and solution for the shortage lies in that membership.”
Lay leadership a must Straw believes lay leaders can close the gap: “In some ways, it seems we may have gone back to this understanding that only professionals do ministry,” he said. “If the ELCA truly supports that, laypeople have to be part of the solution.” Existing programs
ease the strain, he said. The Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program places lay leaders in congregations that wouldn’t otherwise have dedicated leadership. TEEM participants are trained through ELCA seminaries and fulfill candidacy requirements, receiving ordination, not a degree.
CONGREGATIONAL LIFE •
LIVINGLUTHERAN.ORG 39
entered a joint program offered by Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif., and Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Under the arrangement Renner continued working full time while serving Third part time (with a local pastor as his mentor) and attending seminary. Typically, congregations eligible as TEEM sites
are plateauing or declining in membership. Many that implement this solution reverse those trends. TEEM allowed Third to improve its finances by saving half a clergy salary for six years. “If it wasn’t for the TEEM program, I wouldn’t
have been able to become a pastor—not at my age or with my financial situation or my work situation,” said Renner, who was ordained and is now Third’s full-time pastor. “And the fact is [TEEM] let a congregation grow that might not otherwise have grown.”
Karris Golden is a writer and member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Cedar Falls, Iowa. She writes the “On Faith” column for The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.
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