A Shared Partnership for Mission

2000 Western Mission Cluster Report to Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Submitted by James L. Boyce
Western Mission Cluster Coordinator
jboyce@luthersem.edu

The focus of the Western Mission Cluster and the institutions it represents is the shared commitment to mission. The cluster is just beginning to develop strategies for collaborative sharing of institutional resources. This collaborative process has been energized by a vision of lifelong learning for Christian vocation in the world. Your continued prayers are invited that together we will be faithful to the mission to which God calls us.

LIFELONG LEARNING FOR MISSION

In December 1999, the second annual Western Mission Cluster Consultation took place at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, Carefree, Ariz. More than forty participants, including representatives from seminaries, colleges and universities, synods, continuing education centers, teaching congregations, and from the ELCA churchwide offices, explored implications and possibilities for a growing partnership of the many institutions encompassed by the West- ern Mission Cluster. In his keynote paper presented at the consultation, Dr. Craig Van Gelder of Luther Seminary argued that the "church does what it is" as it is led by the Holy Spirit through developmental change. Mission depends on an integrity grounded in the Word of God, an identity shaped by the tradition, and a relevance focused by sensitivity to the changing context. Energized by this sense of mission, a single theme seemed to capture the imagination of participants: a commitment to enhancing lifelong learning that supports the baptized in their vocations in the world. The consultation was notable for the resources of persons and institutions represented and by the energy and commitment to a collaborative partner- ship for mission. Coordination of the next steps to grow out of this consultation will be continued under the guidance of a representative task force convened by the Western Mission Cluster Coordinator and the use of the Western Mission Cluster Web site: http://campus.fishersnet.net/wmcluster

FISHER'S NET

We also celebrate a milestone. A major collaborative project of the Western Mission Cluster, the Fisher's Net, has moved out of the pilot phase and in January 2000 became a new legal entity. The Fisher's Net is dedicated to online learning through which knowledge of the faith will be able to flow directly into the homes of learners everywhere, whenever they want it. It is the product of collaborative work between Luther Seminary, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS), Lutheran Brotherhood and Augsburg Fortress Publishers. During the last two and a half years students, faculty, pastors, members of congregations, judicatory officials, denominational leaders, business leaders, and many others have participated in experiments and discussions that now give rise to this new company. For more information about the Fisher's Net, including the online newsletter "AnchorDesk," see the Web site at http://www.fishersnet.net.

WHAT IS A CLUSTER?

The short answer is: a cluster is a moving target, constantly undergoing change. When the ELCA 1993 Assembly adopted its "11 Imperatives" for theological education, part of the visionary strategy was that the eight ELCA seminaries would form "clusters." These clusters would link potential providers of theological education in an interdependent network to enable cooperative planning and sharing of resources. The formation of the Western Mission Cluster linked Luther Seminary and PLTS in a strategic partnership that continues to grow. The two seminaries have partnered to seek better ways to assist the congregations of Regions 1, 2, and 3 in the fulfillment of their missions through the training and continuing education of effective leaders. Regular joint meetings of the Executive Committees of the Boards of Directors and joint meetings of the Boards themselves, such as the one in October on the campus of PLTS in Berkeley, Calif., have facilitated agreements to support cooperative planning and sharing of resources where appropriate. New governance structures have been limited to those necessary to facilitate collaboration in areas such as educational programs, development and admissions.