Archive for category: April

‘Like a piece of knitting, we hold in tension what is already there and what is emerging … who we are and who we are becoming.’

Principal of Australian Lutheran College (ALC) James Winderlich has used a knitting analogy to explain the two guiding principles for the college’s new direction: its identity deeply embedded in the history and life of the LCANZ, and the need to embrace and respond to the diverse needs of a 21st century learning church. Explaining the vision of ALC’s recently unveiled strategic plan ‘Towards 2028’, Pastor Winderlich said, ‘We are not always who we once were, and we need to balance this with who we are becoming and need to become’.

The ‘new ALC’ has been shaped by feedback from members, congregations, leaders and agencies, gleaned from various churchwide surveys in 2021. One key theme was the need to focus on being gospel-centred and knowing how to minister to people. There was also widespread reluctance to move to Adelaide to receive training; this was seen as a ‘deal breaker’.

‘We’ve listened to you, we understand your training needs, and we are responding’, Pastor Winderlich said.

The change of name from Luther Seminary to ALC in 2004 was a major step in promoting the college as the LCANZ’s training institution for not only pastors and teachers but for all people of the church. The new direction builds on progress made in creating learning hubs that equip LCANZ people for mission and ministry wherever they are serving or will serve. A stated aim of the plan is to ‘affirm people in their vocation and reflect the diversity of the contemporary, missional church’.

The days of teaching exclusively via classroom lectures at the North Adelaide campus are long gone. Under the new plan, ALC is embracing practice-driven learning and experience in the field, while ensuring that the college is ‘a safe place for learners (staff and students) to wrestle with questions of theology and faith’, Pastor Winderlich said.

Digital learning capability will be enhanced to engage with learners as they remain connected to the community in which they live, worship and serve. Flexible and responsive learning programs will be key components of the new ALC.

Increasingly, the staff team will reflect the diversity of the communities in which LCANZ people serve.

Cheryl Bartel, vice-chair of the ALC Board, said the changing profile of the church ‘is triggering a need to understand what it means to be inclusive’. ‘We need to visualise what a connected, intercultural learning community looks like, and to value the richness that this brings to our church’, she said.

Reflecting on the recent ALC Festival of Learning, which was held under the theme ‘Speaking Many Languages, Hearing One Voice’, Mrs Bartel said it presented ‘a rich and diverse opportunity to engage with practical theology and contemporary issues’.

‘We need to be proactive and initiate opportunities to be visibly present in the life of the church as it grapples with what a contemporary missional church looks like’, she said.

Pastor Winderlich and the ALC Board encourage congregations, schools and other agencies to discuss their training needs and to share them with ALC.

A copy of ‘Towards 2028’ can be downloaded from the ALC website at https://alc.edu.au/about

The LCANZ welcomes experienced insurance manager Lucinda Osborne as the new manager of LCA Insurance.

Lucinda succeeds Graeme Tscharke, who is transitioning to retirement after managing LCA Insurance for 37 years. Graeme will work alongside Lucinda until at least 30 June this year to facilitate a smooth handover.

‘Graeme is renowned for his outstanding service to our insurance members and the knowledge he has built up will be missed, as will his kind and friendly nature’, Lucinda said. ‘The church gives thanks for his amazing contribution!’

While she said Graeme’s were ‘big shoes to fill’, Lucinda is looking forward to her role managing insurance and risk for the LCA. ‘I am excited to have the opportunity to further serve our LCA community on this new journey and look forward to getting to know everyone further’, she said.

Lucinda has worked for the LCANZ for the past five years, firstly as project officer for the NSW Website integration project and, most recently, as Local Mission Coordinator. She worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years, holding roles including state manager, and has qualifications in insurance, management and governance. She is also vice-chair at Our Saviour Lutheran Church Semaphore in suburban Adelaide.

LCA Insurance has served the church since 1983 by administering a comprehensive insurance portfolio, assisting congregations and church agencies by sourcing suitable policies and premiums, and helping with claims. With LCA communities working as a collective, LCA Insurance is able to negotiate a broad range of tailor-made policies which minimise costs and safeguard the church and its auxiliaries, including schools, colleges, aged-care facilities, churches and community care services. LCA Insurance is now within the Churchwide Office at 197 Archer Street North Adelaide. Contact them by phone on 08 8267 7330, or via email at insurance@lca.org.au