Concordia Seminary Newsroom
The Timothy Project
That was Provost Dr. Ron Mudge’s reply when asked what is the most promising aspect of the newly launched Timothy Project, a broadly scoped initiative seeking to strengthen the future of the church as its objectives of recruiting, evangelism and continuing education are implemented.
Concordia Seminary launched The Timothy Project earlier this year in collaboration with Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., Concordia Seminary’s sister seminary in serving to prepare pastors, missionaries, deaconesses and other leaders for service to congregations and other ministries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).
“It is indeed hard to choose the most exciting possible outcome, but this would be at the top of the list: Through The Timothy Project, the whole sum of skills and habits of the LCMS will be at work serving the Lord in His mission,” says Mudge, who also is providing leadership oversight of the project.
“This project recognizes that people from a wide variety of backgrounds are shaped for the Lord’s service. He’s worked in them, prepared them, given them gifts, helped them develop habits. Each person has a unique background and variety of skills that helps them to serve the church well — everyone brings something that can be implemented for the sake of the Gospel. And ultimately, the Lord will use our graduates to take the Good News of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus to people at home and around the world.”
Three central objectives
The three primary objectives of The Timothy Project include:
1. Recruitment of future pastors and deaconesses
The Timothy Project will expand the combined recruitment efforts of Concordia Seminary and Concordia Theological Seminary. The seminaries’ admissions teams will increase their work together under the theme “We are Your Seminaries” to engage more prospective students at events nationwide and through on-campus visits.
Focus also will be on growing a coordinated, grassroots recruitment network, including an expanded “Army of Volunteers” comprising individuals who are prepared to connect with prospective students on a local level where seminary staff cannot always be present, and intensifying the “Called to Serve” program, whereby representatives from the seminaries speak at host congregations or schools to prospective students.
“The Timothy Project is a bold response to the church’s need for pastoral and diaconal leadership for the 21st century,” says Mudge. “Our approach includes plans with Concordia Theological Seminary to expand joint recruiting efforts nationwide as well as plans for even greater collaboration with the Concordia University System, the LCMS “Set Apart to Serve” initiative and other strategic entity partnerships, such as LCMS campus ministries, in support of these increased recruiting priorities.”
Mudge exclaims, “I am eager to see the evangelized become evangelizers! Seeing those who step up and step out to invite others to come to the Seminary to study to become pastors and deaconesses is exhilarating. The Lord wants all people to be saved. Together, and intentionally through The Timothy Project, we’re working to accomplish so much!”
2. Enhanced pre-seminary, seminary and post-seminary education
Focus will be on developing shared online learning platforms between Concordia Seminary and Concordia Theological Seminary, innovative curricula in biblical languages and theology, and leadership and administration programs.
“Our pre-seminary resources will offer prospective students a taste of theology and the biblical languages,” says Mudge, explaining the goal is to whet their appetites for pastoral or diaconal formation and aid in preparing them for success in their studies.
“Also, as this project brings about opportunities to enhance seminary curricula, we are putting more focus on better preparing our students for church revitalization and for leading their congregations in evangelistic outreach,” says Mudge.
Post-seminary ongoing continuing education offerings will focus on developing leadership and administrative skills for serving the Lord’s work in the field.
3. Expanded multiethnic and deaconess ministry
The Timothy Project will strengthen existing initiatives like the Center for Hispanic Studies and the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology by redesigning curricular offerings, adding additional confessional Lutheran Spanish-language resources and strengthening the vicarage program to give vicars even more practical experience.
Also as part of this project, emphasis will be placed on deepening the understanding across the church of the role of deaconesses and enhancing the coordination of the pre-deaconess and deaconess studies programs at the church’s institutions.
As The Timothy Project gets underway, Mudge says he is particularly optimistic about better preparing graduates for church revitalization and evangelistic outreach. “That’s about the Lord’s desire that all be saved. We’re preparing our graduates to do what the Lords wants — to take the Gospel to all people so the Holy Spirit may bring them to faith.”
Collaboration is key
Collaboration is at the core of The Timothy Project. Alongside Concordia Seminary and Concordia Theological Seminary, key partners include the LCMS Offices of National Mission and International Mission, the LCMS “Set Apart to Serve” initiative, LCMS districts, the Concordia University System and ethnic ministry organizations.
“The Lord has given the LCMS lots of resources, especially human resources, and the more we can work together the better. That’s good for the church and that’s good for the world,” says Mudge. “Both Concordia Seminary and Concordia Theological Seminary have excellent theologians who have great depth of pastoral experience and many connections across the church. We want to deepen those relationships and amplify the key messages of The Timothy Project and its objectives — to enhance recruiting, outreach and continuing education to give our graduates the tools they need to serve our Lord in this changing world.”
As Mudge described the kick-off of The Timothy Project, he says the planning and collaboration among key partners already has skyrocketed. “The project has been a catalyst to people talking together. Meetings with LCMS district presidents have been held. The deaconess program directors from both seminaries have met and are working with the program director at Concordia University Chicago. In fact, 30 people from both seminaries came together for the project launch meeting earlier this spring. There has been and will continue to be a great idea exchange taking place.”
Collaboration supports future church workers
The Timothy Project is being funded in part through a grant awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc. this past November as part of its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. This initiative is designed to help theological schools across the U.S. and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare ministry leaders for Christian congregations now and into the future.
By design, this is a large-scale collaboration to strengthen the recruitment, formation and long-term support of pastors and deaconess in the LCMS. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for its sup-port, as it will help both us and our sister seminary to deepen our collaboration especially as we launch The Timothy Project and seek to recruit more students and better equip our graduates to serve faith-fully as pastors and deaconesses.”