Concordia University Ann Arbor gives monthly updates on church work programs including Applied Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian Thought, Family Life Ministry, Lutheran Teaching Diploma, Parish Music, Pre-seminary, Pre-deaconess, and Theological Languages.
God’s grace and peace be to you! As we enter a new semester, I’m excited about what God is doing at CUAA and through our church work programs.
Let me be transparent. Our pre-sem program is small—we have 8 official pre-sem students and a couple others who are considering seminary after graduation—but though quantity may be small, the quality of these young men is great. They love God’s Word and are passionate about caring for people. Plus, they are jumping into our awesome STEPS program in which our students are learning and growing with mentor pastors in partner congregation while getting paid for it. Because of our STEPS program, our top-notch theology professors, and the great Christian community at CUAA, I believe that more students considering pre-sem would benefit greatly from our CUAA pre-sem program. If you think so too, please send them my way.
This is also the first year where I am the director of our revamped Family Life Ministry program. Professor Josh Kittleman and I have worked hard over the past 8 months to update the major to keep it robust, yet flexible for students, and I’m excited about the changes, Family Life Ministry trains students in what we all say really matters: relationships. First and foremost is our relationship with Jesus and his Father through the Spirit, but other relationships are also in focus: marriages, parent-child relationships, friendships, etc. Although Family Life’s traditional emphasis is on helping families grow in faith, its brand of relational ministry also opens the way toward evangelism and mission that cares about people and establishes welcoming communities. I hope you’ll consider sending students to this program and calling a director of family life ministry in the future.
Your brother in Christ,
Rev. Ted Hopkins, Ph.D.
Program Director: Pre-Seminary and Family Life Ministry
Previous CUAA church work updates:
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