New world mission assignment for seminary graduates
Filed Under: Asia, assignment, graduation, Seminary, WLS
Of the 41 assignments for this year's graduating class at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, one was for a graduate mission associate—a new category of mission assignment. It allows graduates to serve for two years in a world mission field and gain cross-cultural experience with the option of returning home when the assignment ends.
Jonathan Bare of Owosso, Mich., was assigned to Southeast Asia. "I'm just really excited," he says. "I got the call on Tuesday (May 20). I had until the next morning to decide, and by God's grace I decided to do it." Bare is leaving in early July. While in Asia, he will study the Mandarin language and provide spiritual care for American volunteers teaching English as a Foreign Language.
"When we send guys out on permanent calls, that can be a heavy choice to make in a short space of time," says Rev. Paul Wendland, seminary president. "This [short-term assignment] gives men the option of saying, 'We'll do this and gain the experience that the Lord has to give, and if the Lord should lead in another direction at the end of two years, fine.' On the other hand, if everyone is blessed and both the calling body and candidate think this can continue, then perhaps the call can be extended."
Rev. Dan Koelpin, administrator of WELS World Missions, says the length of the call also provides flexibility in the calling process. "It cuts down on lag time," he says. "Even if it doesn't work out, at the end of the two years the [mission associate] is assured of being placed like all the graduates are—and we might be able to get another replacement right away from the graduating class."
Koelpin, who is also an advisory member of the Assignment Committee, says that although there won't be graduate mission associate assignments every year, WELS World Missions will continue to fund these important positions. "Most of the ripe harvest fields that exist in the world today are cross-cultural—and we need to get people into it," he says. "We'll continue to send graduates [to these fields] and hopefully they will train others and help raise up the church."
