Visiting professors help Asia Lutheran Seminary share the gospel
Filed Under: Asia, BWM, China, Chinese, Hong Kong, MLC, Seminary, WLS, World Missions
Prof. Paul Zell, who teaches New Testament and homiletics at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, is the latest in a series of professors traveling to Hong Kong to teach at Asia Lutheran Seminary.
Thirty-six students are currently enrolled at Asia Lutheran Seminary, established in 2005. “Our seminary effort to the Chinese-speaking people is one of the foremost priorities of our entire world mission program,” says Dan Koelpin, administrator of WELS World Missions.
Dr. E. Allen Sorum, New Testament professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, just returned from teaching a six-week course in Hong Kong on Oct. 27. Future courses will be taught by Prof. Ken Cherney and Dr. John Brug from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and Prof. Keith Wessel from Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn.
“Our stream of visiting professors give a warm, evangelical, firm, and consistent witness, even though they are not Chinese,” says Dr. John Lawrenz, president of Asia Lutheran Seminary. He says a future goal is to have Asia Lutheran Seminary staffed by Chinese professors; in the meantime, however, the visiting professors are a welcome addition to the current three-man faculty.
Sorum says this collaboration of professors is important for the brothers and sisters in Hong Kong. “They see that in spite of our different institutions, in spite of our different ages, we all have the same perspective on the Scriptures,” he says. “And they see, again and again, the same commitment to, love for, and enthusiasm about the unconditional gospel.”
