How do I know Pastoral ministry is right for me?
The Holy Spirit can use an inner compulsion in your heart that God wants you to proclaim the Gospel and to shepherd a congregation of believers as the first step to lead you to be a pastor. Yet such inner compulsion may come from false motivations so it is hazardous to place great stock in such an “inner call.”
Since we believe that the Holy Spirit works through other people and other physical means, a better indicator that God wants you to “aspire” to be a pastor is the objective assessment by other believers that you have the gifts from God for this “noble task” (1 Tim. 3:1).
Affirmation by other believers should be supplemented by your own self-evaluation to recognize that you can serve the need of God’s people and the humility to realize that you need to be taught the skills to effectively carry out the tasks of the ministry.
Ultimately, you will want those entrusted with this task to affirm that you have the necessary skills and welcome a formal call from God through a particular congregation of believers to serve them with the Word and Sacrament as a servant of Christ.
While Concordia's primary focus is to prepare men for the pastoral ministry of Lutheran Church-Canada and beyond, we do offer an number of other programs and sessional workshops aimed at equipping followers of Christ to be leaders in their church community.
Men who wish to become a Pastor in a Lutheran-Church Congregation need to complete our four-year Master of Divinity program and meet all the requirements of a Theological Diploma. These two programs are offered concurrently and are generally completed by candidates in a four year program of studies.
Concordia Lutheran Seminary has a program designed to prepare men and women to serve as deacons in congregations of Lutheran Church-Canada. Deacons are individuals who work alongside pastors and support them in the work of caring for God’s people. While deacons do not preach or administer the sacraments, they serve in countless other ways, including teaching adults, children and youth, visitation, evangelism, and, where their talents allow, congregational music.
Those who wish to become deacons in a congregation of Lutheran Church-Canada must complete the two-year Graduate Diploma in Parish Services and meet all the requirements of a Vocational Certificate in Diaconal Ministry that certifies them for diaconal ministry in LCC.
Concordia also offers learning opportunities for students who do not wish to enter a degree program. "Open Studies" permits students to take credit courses that are not part of program leading to a degree or diploma.
If you choose to later enter a degree or diploma program, open studies taken at Concordia may be credited.
Upon completion of 24 credits in the Open Studies program students can qualify for a "Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies"
Concordia also seminars and workshops to professional ministry staff and interested congregation members in Christian churches in a variety of topics presented by permanent and sessional faculty.
Pastoral Studies
Diaconal Studies
Men who wh to become a Pastor in a Lutheran-Church Congregation need to complete our four-year Master of Divinity program and meet all the requirements of a Theological Diploma. These two programs are offered concurrently and are generally completed by candidates in a four program of studies.