Concordia Seminary Newsroom
The Faculty Assistant Program
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38 ESV). These words of Jesus are a refrain among the community of Concordia Seminary, from chapel to campus events to conversations with Seminary faculty and leadership. Prayers are offered daily that the Lord would raise up more church workers. And He does!
And as these laborers — pastors, deaconesses, missionaries — graduate and go forth from the Seminary each year, the Seminary reflects on its mission of continuing the vital work of forming future church workers. Who will teach and educate the next generation of pastors? Who are they who will prepare more laborers?
In the Seminary’s 2022-26 Strategic Plan, the first strategic priority, “Faithful and Full-Person Formation,” emphasizes and recognizes the church’s need for well prepared, well formed pastors. As part of the commitment to meeting this great need of the church, the Seminary must intentionally seek to cultivate future faculty — those who will continue proactively to prepare and form pastors to serve for generations to come. The Seminary’s faculty assistant program is designed to feed the future faculty pipeline.
At the directive of President Dr. Thomas J. Egger, this program began in the 2021-22 academic year. “In my own student days at the Seminary, I served as a faculty assistant,” says Egger. “That experience kindled in me a deeper appreciation and understanding of the vocation of ‘professor’ in the life of the church and opened for me the path of eventual service as a professor at the Seminary myself — which has been a wonderful and fruitful labor, as I look back over the last 20 years.”
Since he himself had worked assisting faculty during his Seminary studies, Egger recognized the value for both professors and the student workers. He tasked Dean of Faculty Dr. David Peter with developing the program, which initially was funded to provide eight faculty members with student workers for five hours per week in that first year. Currently, there is funding for 12 of these unique student worker positions.
This program is a great benefit to both the student and professor. Student workers provide general support to faculty by assisting with research projects, grading, tutoring, editing, clerical work, media projects or other assigned tasks. While this enables professors to be more efficient, effective and productive, it also benefits the students by enabling them to work closely with a professor on specific projects or research areas, deepening their theological knowledge and providing the special experience of collaborating in ministry. “Serving as a faculty assistant, I had the opportunity to work for Dr. Jacob Preus III, helping him in the academic dean’s office; for Dr. Won Yong Ji, helping with his ‘Theology of Missions’ course; and for Dr. Charles Arand, helping him with research for his book on Luther’s catechism,” recounts Egger. “These were enriching and formative experiences for me and a chance to really get to know my professors as scholars, churchmen and mentors.”
Yet, in addition to serving professor and student, this program also serves as a great benefit to the Seminary and the church as a whole, naturally encouraging students to consider a future in academia, pursue advanced degrees and perhaps positions as professors themselves someday. This not only fits into the “future faculty pipeline” priority for Seminary administration as they anticipate future department needs, but it also is important for the larger church looking ahead to years of scholarship, research and church worker formation at all academic levels.
Planting the seed
So how does this program prompt a student to consider a career in academia? “It starts with inspiration,” says Provest Dr. Ron Mudge. “Our faculty does this somewhat informally, saying to a student they might make a good professor, planting the idea in the mind.” Inviting a student to participate in the faculty assistant program helps in that process.
“Faculty have the privilege and responsibility of recruiting their own student assistants,” says Peter. Those who request a student worker have specific tasks in mind and intentionally ask students with the aptitude to complete them.
“I’ve had four student assistants and have benefited from each one,” shares Dr. Philip Penhallegon, professor of Exegetical Theology. “They have assisted by performing assignments that would have taken me hours, freeing me up to do other work. While some of it is tedious and repetitive, it is important work and requires certain skills that not everyone has.”
Recognizing these skills in students and inviting them to consider this assistantship role may open students’ eyes to something they had not seen in themselves before. “It’s a way for them to get a ‘first-taste’ of things related to teaching and academics in a way that’s helpful for the professor as well,” explains Mudge.
Nurturing gifts
Not only does the faculty assistant program plant the seed for the possibility of one day being a professor, it also naturally nurtures the gifts an institution may look for in their future faculty. Students gain experience, develop skills and get a feel for what classroom management is like. “Faculty have a tendency to seek out students who may eventually serve well as faculty someday,” observes Mudge. “The possibility grows in their minds a little bit, just because they’re closer to the activity — they’re imagining class more from the professor’s point of view than the student’s.”
Through mentoring and applying a student’s abilities, faculty may very well foster a teaching mindset in their students that leads them to pursue an advanced degree. “Mentoring can play a lot of different roles as part of the student assistant program,” says Mudge. “Mentoring that includes both content and presentation — pedagogy, how you present ideas to a class — which is very much mentoring toward teaching, if the Lord should lead them down that path.”
“I know the students have benefitted from the work,” observes Penhallegon. “The tasks sharpen the skills they already possess and open their eyes to the kinds of work that goes into preparing materials for their instruction and other academic endeavors.”
Cultivating for the future
Serving as a faculty assistant doesn’t automatically make a student a future professor, but the encouragement to contemplate the potential can be exciting. As faculty consider who would be a good fit as an assistant, they look for wise, competent students, naturally selecting those who could be budding faculty material — whether for Concordia Seminary or other higher education institutions.
“There is an interpersonal aspect,” comments Penhallegon. “I enjoy getting to know these students more closely, and I see them growing through our work and conversations — personally, academically and professionally.”
Encouraging students in this way not only fills needs for faculty today who appreciate the extra help, but it cultivates a mindset that keeps future needs in mind as well, seeking to steward well the resources that God provides.
“Having pastors, deaconesses, teachers and lay leaders with advanced degrees is a great gift to the world,” says Mudge. “When we have these scholars serving in this way, focusing on salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, the truth of God’s Word, the Sacraments, biblical preaching — these are things we want people talking about all over the world. What a gift to have these scholars giving substantial time and energy to teaching in other institutions beyond our own.”
But what of the vacancies the church’s congregations currently face? Does a professor serving at the Seminary mean another vacancy in the field? “It’s true when a professor serves at Concordia Seminary full time, he is not serving full time in the parish, even though we’re in the middle of a pastoral shortage,” explains Mudge. “Yet, Lord willing, we’re sending dozens more pastors per year from our M.Div. Program. And then we add those from the Specific Ministry Pastor, Ethnic Institute of Theology, Center for Hispanic Studies and other programs. So we’re multiplying the leadership!”
One professor serving at the Seminary for 10 years could potentially help form 700 or more future church workers. Using the professor strategically as a resource to form more pastors, the Seminary can continue to meet the needs of congregations into the future. “And we’ve got room for more!” adds Mudge. “We’d love to have more students.”
“I ask everyone to be praying every day that the Lord supplies workers for the harvest,” encourages Mudge. “Pray that He also supplies those who do the teaching: faculty, vicarage supervisors and pastors who are bringing people up as well. Pray for our faculty assistant program! Pray for the whole process, and as the Lord leads, consider giving financially to help with these important endeavors. Any financial gift helps us aid those students who decide to pursue advanced degrees and be able to serve faithfully as scholars and professors wherever the Lord leads them.”