I had the joyous privilege this past Sunday of preaching for the Feast of All Saints and the 175th Anniversary of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Decatur, Indiana. Such occasions and celebrations are always a blessing, and I am grateful for every such opportunity. This particular case was all the more significant for me, personally, because it was at Immanuel that I did my seminary field work, beginning thirty-five years ago (in the fall of 1989). It was a profound thing to return to a place that was so integral to my theological education and pastoral formation.
My field-work pastor at Immanuel was Rev. Peter Ledic, who served there in rural Decatur from 1987 until 1999. I know a number of the other men who did their field work under Pastor Ledic, and all of us agree that he was an outstanding mentor and father in Christ. My own gratitude for what I learned from him – from his preaching and teaching, from our one-on-one conversations, from his gracious patience with me, and from his steady pastoral example – would be difficult to express adequately. He not only echoed what I was hearing and learning in my seminary classes, but he embodied in actual practice what my professors were teaching.
In retrospect, I have long since realized how green and naïve I was in those early years of my seminary education. I had a solid Lutheran background from my parents, a conservative outlook and approach to life, and certainly a desire and commitment to be a pious Christian and become a faithful Lutheran pastor. But I had so much to learn, beginning with a humble recognition of how little I actually knew and understood at that point! Along with many other things, I had a long way to go in grasping the connection between doctrine and practice. Not that I’ve mastered those things yet – that is a lifelong process, accomplished largely by the experience of trial and error. But the example that I observed in Pastor Ledic, week after week for those field work years, and the consistent pastoral mentoring that I received from him throughout that time, contributed as much or more than anything else to the pastor I was to become, by God’s grace.
Pastor Ledic was one of the first pastors I knew to have a regular and lively practice of Individual Confession and Absolution. He offered regular opportunities for that practice within the life of the congregation, and I was aware that he went to Confession with his own father confessor, as well. So it was that I learned from him to be a penitent and to receive Absolution “from the pastor, as from God Himself,” as I had been taught from the Small Catechism. And in doing so, I learned a great deal about what it means and what it looks like to be a pastor.
My point in reminiscing and reflecting on these experiences is not simply to express my thanks to Pastor Ledic for the mentor he was to me, but to highlight the blessing, benefit, and enduring legacy that such pastoral mentoring offers to the future pastors of the Lord’s Church on earth.
While it is a relatively small percentage of pastors who will have the opportunity to serve as field work supervisors (and thank God for each and every one of those men!), there are opportunities for every parish pastor to demonstrate and exemplify the theology and practice of the pastoral office for the young men in their congregations. As the Synod’s “Set Apart To Serve” efforts have verified, the influence and encouragement of pastors is one of the foremost factors in prompting the boys and young men under their care to pursue becoming pastors in turn. As a case in point, the young man who served as acolyte at Immanuel this past Sunday has clearly been well-catechized by the current pastor, Rev. David Koeneman (who has served since 2007), and he eloquently expressed to me his desire and intention to become a pastor. Christ be praised that He continues to raise up faithful pastors and teachers for His Church! Soli Deo Gloria!