Endowed Faculty Chair in Leadership Open Rank, Tenure-Eligible

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) welcomes applications and nominations to fill a newly endowed faculty chair, the Damm Chair in Leadership, to promote education in leadership within congregations, religious organizations, and nonprofits for LSTC students, alumni, pastors, deacons, and lay leaders in the church. This position is tenure-eligible with open rank.

We seek a practitioner scholar with a record of inspiring teaching who can (1) prepare master's students for ministry and other vocations by developing skills in change management, conflict transformation, operations and finance, resource development, and other key organizational areas, (2) integrate leadership cultivation into all forms of curricular and cocurricular formation to enrich the formation of students in all six of LSTC's degree programs, and (3) envision additional audiences for initiatives to enhance pastoral, diaconal, and other forms of leadership including alumni, contextual education supervisors, LSTC faculty and staff, and lay leaders.

We understand the characteristics of leadership today in terms of three categories that merit reflection for applicants, including (1) personal character and grounding, the distinctive bearing one brings into a situation (e.g., integrity, vision, flexibility, wise judgment, adaptability), (2) general skills and capacities, the broad things one should be able to do anywhere (e.g., organizing, observing, mentoring, critique), and (3) specific attunement and ability, the contextual insight one has at hand to be effective (e.g., local knowledge, current challenges, special tools).

In a theological seminary whose mission includes vocational formation, responsibilities of the Damm Chair in Leadership include:

• Teaching courses (1) at the master's level of our Public Church curriculum, including introductory courses in pastoral, diaconal, and other forms of leadership and advanced courses on particular leadership topics; (2) graduate courses, including introductory and advanced seminars in our strongly international and ecumenical DMin. Programs; and (3) cultivating an understanding of leadership on a theological and scriptural basis that may be integrated into all forms of curricular and cocurricular formation.

• Mentoring students at all levels, engaging with (1) the formational processes of candidates preparing for (ordained and lay) ministry, as well as (2) accompanying and advising DMin students and (3) expanding audiences for pastoral, diaconal, and other forms of leadership through strategic initiatives offering continuing education and lifelong formation.

• Participating in and contributing to the life of a publicly engaged community of learning as it leans into the future of Lutheran theological education in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and throughout the world.

• Partnering and working collaboratively with other teachers, schools, and institutions to enhance leadership instruction.

Requirements
Candidates should hold an academic doctorate or comparable terminal degree and demonstrate capacity for research and publication, as well as teaching. Skills and enthusiasm for teaching online and hybrid courses and expertise in using pedagogical media are necessary. Strong preference will be given to candidates who are ordained pastors or ordained/consecrated deacons (diaconal ministers and equivalents) in the ELCA or other full communion partners. Candidates should demonstrate an explicit commitment to antiracism and openness to prioritize training in antiracism.

LSTC is committed to produce culturally competent ministerial leaders for the public church. We affirm that diversity is necessary in all components of the school, including its theological curriculum and faculty. Active involvement in the church, including the worship life of the seminary, is an essential criterion. LSTC seeks to foster gender, racial-ethnic, and international diversity within its faculty. We welcome candidates fluent in languages other than English that may enrich our mission in the highly diverse Chicago metropolitan area.

Please submit a letter of application, CV, names and contact information for three references, and a statement of up to 1,000 words describing: 1) your understanding of how education for leadership contributes to today's church and world; 2) your pedagogical convictions in forming leaders for the church, the academy, and the world and how they intersect with LSTC's Public Church commitments and diverse learning community; 3) your own publication and research trajectory, thus far and anticipated.

All materials should be submitted via the application portal at https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/762311/Endowed-Faculty-Chair-in-LeadershipOpen-Rank-Tenure-Eligible.

Any questions may be addressed to Dr. Benjamin Stewart, chair of the search committee, at DammChair@lstc.edu.

Applications are due 29 November 2021.

About the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, forms visionary leaders who bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. It provides high-quality seminary and graduate education in a community that is global, multicultural, ecumenical, interfaith, and urban. LSTC faculty members provide resources for church and academy through their research, writing, and workshops and presentations around the world. Graduates serve in every type of ministry setting as they work to realize the gospel vision of peace and justice. To learn more about LSTC, visit www.lstc.edu.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The Chronicle of Higher Education. Keywords: Pastor, Location: Chicago, IL - 60615