The leaves are beginning to change color on Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary grounds, students are back in the classroom, and the temperatures are getting cooler. There’s no doubt that fall is in full swing. However, reflecting back on the warmer days of summer and Summer Quarter on campus in Mequon still provides reason to give thanks for the pastors who attended the annual event.
For over 45 years, Summer Quarter courses have been offered to WELS pastors on campus in Mequon. Many pastors enjoy the time spent in the classroom on seminary grounds. Pastor Jasper Sellnow shares, “There is something unique about daily visiting with your brothers in ministry, attending chapel, and going to class on campus. It was refreshing spiritually and professionally. I’ll definitely be going back in the future.”
This year, nine courses were offered on campus, including five new courses. The new courses that gained the most attention included Adult Education as Communication led by MLC Dr. Mark Paustian and Developing a Mission Philosophy of Ministry taught by Dr. E. Allen Sorum.
In addition to staying relevant and serving our pastors through new courses, Grow in Grace also provides online courses and on-location (satellite) courses for pastors. These types of courses allow for pastors to participate in continuing education if they cannot make it to seminary campus for Summer Quarter.
Due to the growing popularity of satellite summer quarters, on-campus Summer Quarter will now take place only in even-numbered years. Beginning in 2019, we will seek to bring Satellite Summer Quarter to all other synodical districts with multiple professors and multiple course choices at each location. We hope to create a bit of an “on campus” feel to these satellite events. By hosting multiple professors and offering a variety of courses to the outlying districts, we aim to better serve our pastors. Satellite Summer Quarter will begin in 2019 and continue this pattern in odd-numbered years. Summer Quarter will remain on campus in Mequon during even-numbered years.
Although the plans for the Satellite Summer Quarter are already underway, we still celebrate and thank God for the blessings of Summer Quarter 2018. Our prayer is God will continue to grow Summer Quarter enrollment with the hope of reaching more pastors once Summer Quarter is taken “on the road.”
