ALC: Equipping people in and for ministry service
It used to be that the majority of students at Australian Lutheran College (ALC) were preparing to commence service in the church after they completed their theological studies and had graduated. This is no longer the case. The majority of ALC’s students are now undertaking study while already serving in congregations, schools or agencies of the church, in all districts of the LCANZ.
In the Victorian/Tasmanian District, Erin Grainger has been serving as Congregational and Migrant Ministry Support Facilitator in the District Office while completing her Graduate Diploma in Divinity, and Pastor Sue Westhorp has been serving the Box Hill congregation alongside Pastor Neville Otto, while she completed her Master of Theology degree. Both women have recently graduated, celebrating their achievements along with other ALC and University of Divinity students at a ceremony in Melbourne last month. Congratulations!
Pastor Sue Westhorp (left) and Erin Grainger (right) receive their degrees.
Juggling work, study, and family can be very demanding, but it can also be extremely rewarding, and ALC provides flexible pathways for those choosing to complete an award part-time.
On reflecting on her own learning journey, Erin said, ‘I’m so grateful to be blessed by working in a team at the District Office that honours God and endeavours to keep in mind both Gospel and service. Having recently completed my Graduate Diploma in Divinity with ALC, I’ve now enrolled in a Masters in Theological Studies, so I can keep learning. The studies lend depth, nuance, perspective and unity as we remind each other of the context of why we do what we do. Study has also given me confidence that it’s God honouring to struggle and wrestle, and that in doing so, you don’t just lose the energy of your own will trying to push back on God, you rediscover that God is absolutely bigger and better!’
‘For those of you who are currently working in an agency of the church and thinking of enrolling in study at ALC, I say, just do it! ALC staff are great and are both approachable and supportive! Talk to them. We at the District Office really want to support you too! Ask us questions…tell us what gets in the way of you wanting to study but not getting to it formally. It’s a conversation all the way.’
Enrolments for Semester 2 are now open, so now is the time to start that conversation: contact enquiries@alc.edu.au. And if it’s finances that are holding you back, ALC has scholarships and grants available, including a scholarship specifically to assist students who are already working in a congregation, school or agency of the church. To find out more about what types of scholarships are available, visit https://alc.edu.au/study/higher-education/scholarships/.
