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“I am grateful for the extraordinary way that Moravian Seminary prepares leaders for ministry in the Northeast Pennsylvania synod,” stated Bishop Samuel R. Zeiser during his visit at Moravian Theological Seminary on November 19, 2009. The recently elected Lutheran bishop brought greetings and offered updates from the regional ELCA synod to about 40 Lutheran students and alumni, and Seminary faculty and staff.
The hour and a half long program was designed to foster dialogue between Bishop Zeiser and Lutheran students and alumni from Moravian Theological Seminary — or “Lutheravians” — as was the term used by Rev. Dody Fried Siegfried, a recent grad. During the current semester Lutheran students represent the second largest student population at MTS, next only to Moravians.
Bishop Zeiser explained that he was no stranger to Moravians and recounted his first connection in which a Lutheran pastor and educator, Rev. Dr. Walter Wagner, now an adjunct faculty member at MTS, advised him on his dissertation and encouraged him to consider for his topic the encounters between Muhlenberg and Zinzendorf, a patriarch of the Moravian Church. In order to do research for his dissertation, Bishop Zeiser enrolled at MTS in a Moravian history class taught by then dean, Dr. David Schattschneider in the late 1980s.
During the open forum, Bishop Zeiser fielded questions on a number of topics including the coordination of classes and internships of MDiv candidates at other seminaries during their Lutheran year, the training and utilization of non-ordained lay leaders, and the new CROSSROADS training program for lay leaders.
When asked to offer a general overview of where he sees the Lutheran church heading, Bishop Zeiser did state that the body of the church may look quite different than it has in past decades. There is energy surrounding a new Lutheran church body emerging from those that are leaving the ELCA due the legislation at the 2009 Church-wide Assembly which opened the door for gay and lesbian individuals in same-sex relationships to serve as ordained pastors. He also stated that the Conference of Bishops is committed to maintaining the unity of the ELCA and that none of the bishops are looking to join the new group.
Many participants continued in conversation well past the formal closing of the event. All agreed that the Dialogue with the Bishop program was extremely successful in deepening relationships and fostering open conversation between the “Lutheravians” and the bishop. |
