Christ Academy 2003

By Seminarian Brian Kachelmeier

The Fifth Annual Christ Academy was a huge success. This year there was a record-breaking attendance with 52 students. Every year at the end of June, high school-age young men interested in becoming pastors gather at the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary. Students who attend the Academy are given the chance to explore the possibility of some day becoming an ordained pastor. The Academy has grown to full capacity filling two dormitories with students and proctors. These students came from 23 different states including both the East and the West coasts. The proctors came from the Concordia Universities in River Forest, Seward, and Mequon. The First Christ Academy took place in 1999. There were 16 students at this inaugural Academy.

Although these students came from different parts of our country, they quickly bonded because of their common beliefs and desire for learning more about the Pastoral Office. It was amazing to see the friendships that were so quickly created over the course of the Academy. Such friendships can last through college, into the seminary, and end up in the parish. What an incredible journey these young men have before them. Just think, some day, I could end up working with these students side by side as fellow pastors of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. When I observe the desire and passion these youth have for the Faith, I am truly encouraged about the future of the Church.

At the Academy, students received an incredible opportunity to experience seminary life. They received the chance to study under some of the same professors that I am studying under as a seminary student. Each day consisted of theology classes taught by pastors and faculty of the seminary, daily worship in Kramer Chapel, eating meals with fellow students and faculty, choir practice, and recreational time. In addition to the daily routine, students attended special events such as a trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio, a tour of local church architecture, and a Concordia University information night.

The dates for next year's Christ Academy are June 20-July 3, 2004. The cost will be $400, which includes housing, meals, and entrance into Cedar Point Amusement Park. Each year the curriculum is different, so students can come for multiple years and study new topics. Registration for the Sixth Annual Christ Academy will begin on January 1, 2004. You can find more information about Christ Academy at www.ctsfw.edu, and you can send e-mail to ChristAcademy@mail.ctsfw.edu if you have questions.

Brian Kachelmeier is the Director of Christ Academy. He will be vicar at West Portal Lutheran Church in San Francisco, California.

A Parishioner's Perspective

By Abigail Just

Today, as always, the Church is thirsting for pastors. The need for men who will feed God¹s people through His Word and Sacraments is more urgent now than ever before. In the last 30 years, the relativism of our culture has influenced the Church in profound ways, emptying it of meaning. When the culture teaches that truth is determined by individuals, and all individual truths are acceptable, there is little room for a church that preaches one Triune God.

There is, however, a rebellion rising, a reaction to the empty culture in which we live. There is a generation of young people searching for the truth and hope found solely in the Gospel of Christ, who are turning to the Church to teach them that truth and sustain in them that hope. This generation not only needs pastors now, but is the flock out of which God is calling pastors to shepherd His Church in the future. Christ Academy, a two-week program at Concordia Theological Seminary, seeks to acquaint these searching young men with the pastoral office.

As a high school teacher, I see many godly young men who are never encouraged to consider attending the seminary. Those who do consider it are often unaware or uninformed about what the seminary is actually like. For this reason, it is exciting to see the high school and college age men who come every summer to Christ Academy to explore seminary life and meet others who share their desire to learn more about becoming a pastor. They truly experience life on the seminary campus through classes, worship, meals and community living. They also meet pastors and professors willing to answer their questions and share their own experiences.

As a layperson, it is also encouraging to see the future pastors of our Church maturing in their faith through study, enriching their faith in worship, and living their faith in fellowship with one another. The Christ Academy experience emphasizes for them the importance and necessity of pastors for the life of the Church and the extreme responsibiltity that they will face as pastors. They leave strengthened in their faith and love toward one another, equipped to discern God¹s call and serve His Church.

Abigail Just will be an English teacher at Martin Luther High School in Maspeth, New York, in the fall.

A Word from the Professors

Rev. Chad Bird
Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary
Exegetical Theology
"Studying the Scriptures with these young men was truly invigorating. Their insightful questions and serious reflection upon the biblical text bear witness to a maturity beyond that of most of their peers. What a blessing they will be to the church when the fruit of their pastoral formation ripens in the coming years! With young men such as these setting their sights on the Holy Ministry, one cannot help but be filled with hope for the future of the LCMS."

Dr. Peter Scaer
Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary
Exegetical Theology
"Teaching the class was a pure pleasure. Christ Academy offers good evidence that the young people of our Church are hungry for good, solid Lutheran theology. If these students are any indication, the future of our Church is in good hands. We have much for which to be thankful to God."

Dr. Cameron MacKenzie
Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary
History
"Christ Academy is an enriching experience for teachers as well as participants. The students are enthusiastic about learning more about their faith, their Church, and their God. And that enthusiasm is catching! I look forward to their being on campus each summer and have enjoyed teaching them. This program has been a real blessing to our Seminary community!"

Rev. Lawrence Rast
Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary
History
"Christ Academy was a transformative experience for all involved ­ students and teachers! Centered in the life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the participants focused in on the one thing needful for the abundant life: our really present Lord. With young men like these ­ qualified and committed ­ considering and beginning their preparations for the Office of the Holy Ministry, the future looks bright for the Church."

Rev. Peter Cage
Campus Pastor at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muncie, Indiana
Pastoral Ministry and Missions
"Fifty-two normal, energetic, high school-age men traveling to the seminary campus in Fort Wayne for two weeks in the middle of summer vacation to pray Matins, Vespers and Compline each day with the worshipping community, and to engage in a vigorous study of God¹s Word and Gifts. Recipe for failure? Hardly! I still can¹t believe how much fun I had with these guys. Being invited to teach this eager group was a delight for me, but even more, an exciting prospect for the whole Church."

Rev. Brian Mosemann
Head of Pre-Seminary Program at Concordia University, River Forest
Pastoral Ministry and Missions
"Christ Academy was a delight for me not only to be able to teach the Word of the Lord but to watch that Word change the lives of young men and send them on their way rejoicing in their Savior. I strongly encourage more churches to send young men to Christ Academy to consider the vocation of the Holy Ministry and to continue to grow in faith as they study the Word of the Lord. They will return to their home congregations with renewed zeal and love for their Lord and their neighbor. As such they will better serve where the Lord has placed them."

Rev. John Dreyer
Admission Counselor at Concordia Theological Seminary
Systematics
"The Academy offers an atypical program for high school-age young men. They take at least four theology classes and attend chapel four times each day. In this day of contemporary entertainment, these young men long to cut through the religious mirage of our time and learn who they are in the life they have received in Christ. This past Academy not only displayed exceptional young men with interests in theology but also a distinctive integrity to their baptismal life and their faith and confession of the Lutheran Church."

Kantor Kevin Hildebrand
Associate Kantor at Concordia Theological Seminary
Choir Director
"I was pleasantly surprised with my first ever Christ Academy choir. There were young men of all levels of musical skill and interest, yet they took their responsibility seriously and responded remarkably well. Several students even organized an ad hoc brass quintet that was quite good."