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 Three decades ago, I arrived here at Gettysburg as a first-year seminarian. How soon I fell in love with the place and the people! How quickly I joined the conversations that had been taking place on this hill for a century and a half! And a quarter century after my graduation, what a privilege it was to rejoin the hilltop conversations in this historic place as I became the Seminary’s 12th president! As the Seminary clarified its mission as a school of the Church for the 21st century, we declared that what we are about is bearing witness at the crossroads of history and hope. The most important conversation here at the crossroads is the divine conversation. Soaring high above everything else for miles around is the steeple of the Chapel of the Abiding Presence. That steeple marks the divine conversation that members of this community enter daily as we hear God’s word and answer with our praise and prayers at worship. Above all else, this Seminary is a community of God’s people engaged in proclamation and prayerful conversation. Leadership in Christ’s church requires keen minds as well as warm hearts. The Seminary, therefore, is also a community engaged in multiple never-ending classroom conversations. This is a rigorous academic institution where standards of excellence in scholarship are upheld by a first-rate faculty. Here in the classrooms, library, computer labs and coffee shop, we engage in conversation with the comprehensive intellectual traditions of the faith. Firmly grounded in Scripture, we also learn from the great theologians of the ages, with particular focus on the Lutheran confessional witness. We are known for our integrative approach to theological education rooted in a pedagogy of praxis–the continual interplay of active ministry engagement and critical reflection. Then too, in keeping with the Gettysburg tradition, we are a community in prophetic conversation with the world. Through our “outpost” in Washington, D.C., our partnerships in the Washington Consortium and Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries, we learn and grow and contribute to the broader ecumenical conversation. The aim of this continuing holy conversation goes beyond just talking. Here we are about doing ministry, engaging with the world and growing strong and courageous outreach-focused mission leaders for the Church of the 21st century. Whether you the reader are a prospective student considering the “Gettysburg experience,” a current student pondering your next registration selections, or a rostered or lay leader contemplating some continuing education, this catalogue can serve as a discussion-starter. Many folks here–our staff, faculty members, the dean and I–are eager to help you learn more about us. From the crossroads where you too will find yours a welcome voice, I bid you come to the conversation! Michael L. Cooper-White |
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