This year, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary’s Commencement Service was recorded and can be viewed below, or by clicking this link.
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Commencement Video
Assignment Report-2013
The Commencement Service for Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, which included both the assignment of calls and graduation of students, occurred on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 7 p.m. in Trinity Chapel. The Rev. Paul Welke (St. Matthew, Winona [WELS]) served as preacher, Pres. Gaylin Schmeling served as liturgist, and the Rev. Dr. J. Kincaid Smith represented the Board of Regents. The sermon was based on 2 Timothy 3:14–17 with the theme “God Has Equipped You for Service.” Both pastoral candidates graduated with Master of Divinity degrees. May God bless these servants of the church.
Pastoral Assignments
- Jesse DeDeyne – Messiah Lutheran Church, Omro, Wisconsin
- Benjamin Wiechmann – King of Grace Lutheran Church & School, Golden
Valley, Minnesota
Teacher Assignment
- Thalia Pollard – Scarville Lutheran Church & School, Scarville, Iowa
Graduation/Call Day Date Change
Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mankato, Minnesota, is pleased to announce Wednesday, May 15, 2013, as the date for this year’s Commencement Service. This service will include both the graduation of students and the assignment of calls to candidates. This is different from previous years when Graduation and Call Day were held on separate dates. Vicar Workshop will begin at 9:00 a.m. The Commencement Service, including both graduation and assignment of calls, will take place in Trinity Chapel on the Bethany Lutheran College campus at 7:00 p.m. The Rev. Paul Welke (St. Matthew, Winona [WELS]) will serve as the guest speaker with the Rev. Gaylin Schmeling conducting the liturgy and the Rev. Dr. J. Kincaid Smith representing the Board of Regents. The seminary graduates will be Jesse DeDeyne and Ben Wiechmann.
Spring Open House 2013
On Sunday, February 24, 2013, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mankato, Minnesota, held its regular Spring Open House. The Seminary Open House is held twice a year, once in fall and once in the spring, to let men who may be interested in becoming pastors learn what Bethany Seminary is all about. This fall, the presenter was Pastor Paul Fries, Director of Communication for the ELS, who gave a presentation titled, “From Big City to Small Town: Looking At Ministry Througth A Diferent Lens.”
Fall Open House
On 
Sunday, October 14, 2012 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mankato, Minnesota, held its regular Seminary Open House. The Seminary Open House is held twice a year, once in fall and once in the spring, to let men who may be interested in becoming pastors learn what Bethany Seminary is all about. This fall, the presenter was Pastor Richard Wiechmann who gave a presentation answering the questions, “Could I Be a Pastor?” and “What Skills Do I Need?”
Reformation Lectures 2012
The 2012 annual Reformation Lectures were delivered October 25–26, 2012, in Mankato, Minnesota. These lectures are sponsored jointly by Bethany Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. This was the forty-fifth in the series of annual Reformation Lectures which began in 1967. This year the name of the Reformation Lectures has been changed to the Bjarne Wollan Teigen Reformation Lectures. Dr. B.W. Teigen was instrumental in the establishment of these lectures. The format of the Reformation Lectures has always been that of a free conference and thus participation in these lectures is outside the framework of fellowship.
The theme of the lectures was “Bible Translations for the 21st Century.” The first lecture, given by Dr. Cameron MacKenzie (Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN), was entitled “Battling Over Bibles: Episodes in the History of Translating the Scriptures.” The second lecture, presented by Pres. Paul Wendland (Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, WI), was entitled “Formal and Functional Equivalency in Bible Translation.” The Reformation Lectures consisted of an historical study of certain Bible translations and the principles involved in the proper translation of Holy Scriptures. All faithful translators of the Bible must adhere to a high view of the Scriptures, maintaining the verbal inerrancy of the original autographs. The theory of translation may be seen as a spectrum or a continuum moving from formal equivalency (word for word) to functional equivalency (thought for thought). No translation is purely formal or functional, but each translation tends in one direction or another.
New Academic Year 2012-2013
Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary began its new school year with an opening service on August 27 in Good Shepherd Chapel. Prof. Michael K. Smith based his message for the opening service on John 10:1–5. He explained that of all the voices we may hear in our heads, the voice of Jesus deserves our utmost attention. Even though we may periodically listen to the voice of Satan, who tries to mislead us into sin, Jesus is our true Shepherd who assures us of the forgiveness of our sins and guides us with His comforting voice. We hear His voice in our Baptism, in His Word, and in His Holy Supper. Prof. Smith encouraged the future pastors to serve as the voice of Jesus for the flocks they will serve because His voice is the only one that leads people to heaven.
The teaching staff for the seminary this year is as follows: Thomas Flunker, Adolph Harstad, Thomas Kuster, Dennis Marzolf, Michael Smith, and Gaylin Schmeling. Professor Flunker is teaching Hispanic outreach; Professor Harstad is teaching in the areas of Old Testament and homiletics; Professor Kuster is teaching communication; Professor Marzolf is teaching hymnology; Professor Smith is teaching in the areas of New Testament and homiletics; and Professor Schmeling is teaching dogmatics, church history, and homiletics.
The seminary enrollment this year numbers eleven. There are two vicars, one senior, two middlers, and six juniors. The vicars are Ben Wiechmann at King of Grace Lutheran (Golden Valley, Minnesota) and Michael Willitz at Christ Lutheran (Sutherlin, Oregon).
Graduation 2012
The seminary graduation was held on Synod Sunday, June 17, 2012, at 7 p.m. in Trinity Chapel. President Gaylin Schmeling was the preacher, Prof. Adolph Harstad served as liturgist, and Rev. Joel Willitz represented the Board of Regents. The sermon was based on Psalm 121 with the theme “Maintain and Proclaim.” The following graduated from the seminary with a Master of Divinity degree: Nathanael Abrahamson, Timothy Grundmeier, Peter Heyn, Matthew Moldstad, and Luke Willitz.
Call Day & Assignments–2012
On May 10, 2012, the annual Call Service of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary was held at Trinity Chapel on the Bethany Lutheran College campus. The Rev. Gaylin Schmeling, seminary president, served as liturgist for the service, the Rev. Joel Willitz of Frankenmuth, Michigan, preached the sermon, and the Rev. John Moldstad, synod president, presented the calls.
Candidates:
- Nathanael Abrahamson– Associate Pastor, Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
- Timothy Grundmeier – further education
- Peter Heyn – to be assigned
- Luke Willitz – to be assigned
Vicars:
- Paul Webber– vicarage delayed
- Benjamin Wiechmann– King of Grace Lutheran Church, Golden Valley, Minnesota
- Michael Willitz – Christ Lutheran Church, Sutherlin, Oregon
2012 Pastors’ Institute
The annual pastors’ institute of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary has been held in various locations throughout the country in order to make it possible for more of our pastors to attend. This year the institute took place at Grace in Vero Beach, Florida, on March 2.
The first portion of the institute was a presentation entitled “The Divine Liturgy and Its Use.” This presentation included a summary of the development of the liturgy throughout history, with special emphasis on the divine service in the Lutheran Church. The divine service is first and foremost God’s service to us. Here God serves us with Word and Sacrament, and secondarily, we serve Him with praise and thanksgiving. There was a discussion of present-day worship forms. A beneficial guideline in considering worship forms is that we follow the historic outline of the divine service because it has served and continues to serve as the preeminent means to present properly the Word and Sacrament.
The other segment of the institute was an assessment of the liturgical movement, proper Lutheran art and architecture, and an explanation of the various parts of the divine service. These presentations were delivered by Prof. Gaylin Schmeling.
