The Practical Side of ILT

The education of those who are going to be pastors is an important topic. There are many things a person who is going to fulfill the office of pastor must learn. Some of the important things a pastor must know can be learned from the classroom or books, but many of aspects of pastoral ministry can only be learned by guided experience. Many know the academic side of ILT. This side of the ILT education of pastors has been widely discussed. ILT students have a reputation of being theologians. While this is a wonderful thing, it should be noted that ILT students learn theology so that they can be better prepared to deal with the very practical concerns each pastor must face.

ILT students go through a rigorous study of Biblical theology, systematic theology, and history. These are the more traditional topics which Lutheran pastors have studied in preparation for pastoral ministry. ILT students must also study ethics and philosophy. These topics are always in relation to the theological and pastoral tasks. ILT students do not do theology for theology’s sake. While ILT students do become theologians, it is always for the sake of those who they will serve in the congregation.

ILT has 10 full courses focused on the practical matters of pastoral ministry. Beyond this, ILT students must also complete a 12-month mentored internship in a congregation. Because of the online format of the ILT classroom, students are not simply learning theory in the classroom, but they are putting theory to practice in the congregation as they learn. This internship model is particularly important for ILT students because it adds experience with academics in a powerful way.

Beyond this, ILT students must also take 10 courses (21 credits) to prepare them for the practical work they must do as a pastor. This includes the following courses:
  •          Three courses on pastoral care
  •          Three courses on preaching sermons
  •          A course on worship practice
  •          A course on teaching in the parish
  •          A course on parish administration
  •          An elective course of the student’s choice

In these courses, ILT students face the real word problems they must be prepared for when they graduate and take their first call. It is not enough to know what to preach, you must know how. It is not enough to know how to preach, you must know what.

ILT is a theological school and its graduates become theological pastors. But ILT’s curriculum is not theology for the sake of theology, but it is theology for the sake of those whom the pastors serve. ILT students participate in this level of rigor so that they can meet the challenges of shrinking congregations, secularization, moral issues, drug abuse, and so many more chaotic concerns in the lives of average North Americans. The pastor must be prepared to address all the needs of the people in the congregation and community. This is done by a combination of rigorous study and guided experience, making ILT students the most prepared to be successful in the congregation.


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