EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome to our sixteenth issue of SIMUL, the journal of St. Paul Lutheran Seminary. We had an amazing conference this year from May 12th-14th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. This was our first conference since COVID and wonderful teaching and fellowship was enjoyed by all. The topic of the conference was the “Office of the Ministry,” and we thought that it would be helpful to publish the talks in this issue of SIMUL so that those who missed the conference might read these amazing articles at their leisure.

Julie Smith started the conference by explaining that pastors are “called to faith,” using the examples of the biblical figures Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Peter and Paul. The next day, she returned to the same biblical figures, but this time she demonstrated how they were also “called to go,” sometimes quite a distance from home, in order to preach God’s word. Brad Hales explained how visiting may be the most ignored, and yet most important ministry for any pastor. Randy Freund lamented the 18th and 19th Century transition from “pastoral care” to “pastoral counseling.” He offered a Hippocratic Oath for pastors to “do no harm” by espousing a “theology of the cross” over a “theology of glory.” Mark Ryman explained the benefits of lectio concordia, or “reading in harmony,” as a pastoral devotion. He even gave us a preview of his upcoming book on the same topic! And I finish off this issue with a review of Kennon Callahan’s classic book, Visiting in an Age of Mission.

This edition includes the talks from our annual conference which was held from May 18th-20th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC.

What’s Ahead?

Upcoming Issue - Our Fall 2025 issue will deal with the important subject of “Senior Ministry.” While the church places much emphasis on youth ministry, church planters and revitalizers have found that a focus on senior ministry is better tailored for church growth today. Senior ministry also attracts youth, since seniors often bring their grandchildren into the church.

Conference 2026 – Join us again for the St. Paul Lutheran Seminary Theological Conference which will again be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, tentatively scheduled for May 18-20, 2026.

SPLS now offers the Th.D. – We are excited to announce that St. Paul Lutheran Seminary is partnering with Kairos University in Sioux Falls, SD to establish an accredited Doctorate in Theology (Th.D.). The Th.D. is a research degree, preparing candidates for deep theological reflection, discussion, writing, leadership in the church and service towards the community. The goal of the program is to develop leaders in the Lutheran church who are qualified to teach in institutions across the globe, to engage in theological and biblical research to further the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to respond with faithfulness to any calling within the church. Those who are accepted into and complete the program will receive all instruction from SPLS professors and will receive an accredited (ATS) degree from Kairos University.

The general area of study of the Th.D. program is in systematic theology. Specializations offered within the degree include, but are not limited to: Reformation studies, evangelical homiletics, and law and gospel dialectics. The sub-disciplines within the areas of specialization are dependent upon the interest of the student provided they have a qualified and approved mentor. Other general areas of study, such as biblical studies, will be forthcoming. For the full description of the program, go to https://semlc.org/academic-programs/ If you are interested in supporting our effort to produce faithful teachers of Christ’s church, contact Jon Jensen jjensen@semlc.org. All prospective student inquiries can be directed to Dr. Marney Fritts mfritts@semlc.org.

Giving - Please consider making a generous contribution to St. Paul Lutheran Seminary at: https://semlc.org/support-st-paul-lutheran-seminary/.

I hope you enjoy this issue of SIMUL! If you have any questions about the journal or about St. Paul Lutheran Seminary, please shoot me an email at dennisdimauro@yahoo.com