R7 L L N N IVER FO400 AUG UTHER UTHERA Forest RU A N EST, ILSTA ST N EDU EDUC A O River LINOREE CAT ATIO ty, IS 6T ION N R I ersi 03 JO v 0 i 5 U T n -1 R U 4 N 99 AL E dia r A o c n o H C C f o y V t O l L u U T c M U a E F 1 4 e 2 h , N t O U D f o . 2 al n r u L E o J A CONTENTS VOLUME 142, NO. 2 In This Issue: P 75 Raising Boys In the Faith Ne aprio 87 Called to be Single: Issues and Concerns of Single Women in Ministry pd aic na 97 Making Policy in Washington: Growth and Refreshment of a Sabbatical Term eel P , IN 4ostag 105 BTrhied gVianlug et hoef ICnotemnmtiounnaicl aPtoiosnit iGvea pTe: acher-Initiated Communication 6e 55 P 20 0a 0 id 8 LEA Events Plan now to attend … Inspiring faith, learning and leadership.® LEA National Administrators Conference The Call to Serve Where: Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel Atlanta, Georgia Since 1864, CUC is privileged to have When: March 12–14, 2009 prepared thousands of professional church Details at: www.lea.org/nac2009.htm workers for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. While we nurture individuals for lives LEA National DCE Conference Christian service and leadership in all Where: Marriott Quorum Hotel vocations, our mission remains steadfast Dallas, Texas to prepare people of all ages to serve in our When: April 16–18, 2009 Lutheran churches and schools as: Details at: www.lea.org/ndce2009.htm ✠ Pastors (beginning with Concordia’s Pre-Seminary program) LEA Online ✠ Lutheran Early Childhood, Elementary & High School Teachers ✠ Directors of Christian Education Were you at LEA in 2008? ✠ Deaconesses ✠ Do you look forward to the next Convocation Directors of Church Music in 2011? Do you know someone with a heart for Three years is a long time! service and great personal integrity? Concordia University Chicago may hold the Did you know that you can go to LEA every day? key to the answer they’re seeking. Enjoy all your benefits of For more information about these and membership at www.lea.org. other programs, contact us at: The Office of Undergraduate Admission Lutheran Education Association … A professional organization that 7400 Augusta Street links, equips, and affirms educators in Lutheran ministries River Forest, Illinois 60305-1499 1-877-CUChicago (1-877-282-4422) [email protected] CUChicago.edu Visit us on the Web at Lutheran Education Association, 7400 Augusta Street, River Forest, Illinois 708.209.3343 Photo by Tasha Schalk. ©2008. All rights reserved. Lutheran Education Published Since 1865 by the Faculty of Concordia University Chicago Volume 142; Number 2 Publisher: Dr. John F. Johnson, President Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill. Editor: O. John Zillman, Department of Psychology Contributing Editor: Ed Grube, Lutheran Education Association Associate Editors: H. Robert Hayes, Department of History and Political Science William Duey, Department of Human Performance General Editor: Peter E. Pohlhammer Graphics: Denise Jacob Regular Departments: Go…and Teach! Jane Buerger, Dean of the College of Education DCE Expressions Debra Arfsten, DCE Program Director Administrative Talk Glen Kuck, St. Paul Lutheran School, Chicago, Ill. Today’s Lutheran Educator Jonathan Laabs, Executive Director, Lutheran Education Association Secndary Sequence Kevin Dunning Executive Director, Faith Lutheran Junior and Senior High School, Las Vegas, NV Multiplying Ministries Richard Bimler, past president of Wheat Ridge Ministries and Ambassador of Health, Hope, and Aging for Lutheran Life Communities. Cover Design: Del Klaustermeier Lutheran Education Journal (ISSN 002407488) is published four times per year. Subscriptions are $10 a year, and are available from Lutheran Education Journal, Concordia University Chicago, 7400 Augusta St., River Forest, IL 60305-1499. Periodical postage paid at Nappanee, IN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Lutheran Education Journal, 7400 Augusta St., River Forest, IL 60405-1499. Lutheran Education Journal is available on microfilm. Write to University Microfilms, North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Printed in USA. Lutheran Education Journal has been selected as the professional journal of the Lutheran Education Association (LEA). Members of the LEA receive the journal as part of membership benefits. Inquiries regarding membership may be addressed to LEA, 7400 Augusta St., River Forest, IL 60305-1499. The Journal and LEA remain independent entities. Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 65 In This Issue . 75 Raising Boys In the Faith Examining the differences between boys and girls is not limited to how they are socialized but reaches into aspects of the emotional and physiological level as well. The article examines how this extends to the teaching and learning of the Christian faith and how the awareness of some unique aspects of maleness can be utilized to do this in the most effective ways. by Steven Arnold 87 Called to be Single: Issues and Concerns of Single Women in Ministry At the invitation of the Journal, Co-authors Britton and Rapp reprise their pre- sentation at the 2008 LEA Convocation on this topic. What unique perspectives, challenges and opportunities come to those serving in congregational settings who also happen to be single? The article is based on the authors’ research and also on the processing of these kinds of questions through discussion at the convocation. by Sarah Britton and Kerri Rapp 97 Making Policy in Washington: Growth and Refreshment of a Sabbatical Term Dr. Guidera goes to Washington and offers an insider’s view on the process by which policy is made, the role of those “special interest groups” and some reflection on the role of the Christian in civil affairs. by George Guidera 105 Bridging the Communication Gap: The Value of Intentional Positive Teacher-Initiated Communication In a study conducted with school faculty members, administrators and parents, the article presents some findings that speak directly to the need for proactive and intentional bridge-building between school and home. The article reviews previous research on the topic as well as presenting the author’s own findings. by Richard W. Schumacher, Jr. Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 66 Departments 69 Here I Sit…A Stranger In a Strange Land Debra Arfsten 127 Go …and Teach! The Teacher as Competent Problem Solver. Part 3 Basic Skills Jane Buerger 135 Administrative Talk…And Forgive Them Their Trespasses Glen Kuck 139 Secondary Sequence…Technology’s Price Kevin Dunning 141 Multiplying Ministries… “Spokes” Persons of Hope Rich Bimler Editor’s Note: The Journal is very pleased to present the contributions of two new authors in their inaugural columns. Deb Arfsten serves as the director of the DCE program at Concordia University Chicago and in this first special editorial piece, offers some thoughts in the context of being out of context, a visitor in a country to which she has never traveled. By analogy, how much different is it, she asks, for a newly commissioned DCE to serve in a new congregational “culture?” Deb will continue her contributions in “DCE Reflections” in future issues. Kevin Dunning, Executive Director of Faith Lutheran Junior and Senior High School in Las Vegas, NV launches his “Secondary Sequence” column with obser- vations on the necessity of preparing students for their future—rather than our past—with some observations on the crucial role and differences in learning brought about by the inexorable forward progress of technology. We welcome both Deb and Kevin as members of the editorial staff and trust that they, along with our “veteran” columnists, will be a blessing in wisdom shared out of their own experience as a thought-provoking support for many others in their own educa- tional ministries. Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 67 Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 68 I t was a Sunday morning in early June, and after more than a year of eagerly anticipating my first trip to Japan; instead I woke up with a great sense of anxiety. This was not a vacation trip, but a trip to visit one of my DCE interns, Carol, who was spending 2½ years as an intern/missionary in Tokyo. Therefore, this meant I was traveling alone. The questions I had were many: “What do d I pack?” “What will the food be like?” “Will I get n lost?” “What have I gotten myself into?” a After a 3-hour flight delay out of Chicago, I L finally heard “This is the boarding call for United e Flight #883 to Tokyo. All passengers must now be g n on board.” Okay, here I go… a I had prayed that I would sit by someone who r t spoke English on this long 13-hour flight so that S at least some conversation would help pass the a n e time. I had hope when I noticed my seatmates n t s were clearly not Japanese, but instead were two i Arf r blond-haired young women…until I heard them e a g r speak French and discovered they were Canadian. b n e Sigh… D a I had assumed that Tokyo, being a major city, y r t b would be fairly tourist-friendly. As I arrived at Narita S Airport, I was pleased to see signage and airport A personnel who efficiently and pleasantly guided … passengers through customs and immigration. After t i meeting up with Carol, we set out on what would S be the first of many train rides in this city. It was I e at this point that I realized that my assumptions r e about this city were not correct. All of a sudden, I H no longer recognized any words on any signs, nor could I understand any words spoken by those around me. I was the token American in the midst of an Asian culture…indeed a stranger in a strange land. My week was filled with many discoveries about the Japanese culture…the delicious food (with rice and/or noodles at most meals), the permission to “slurp” the soup as that was a sign Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 69 of appreciating it, the large number of people who sleep at any opportunity (in the train, the theatre, the park) due to their hectic lifestyles, the quietness on the full trains since it is considered impolite to talk on cell phones in public, the high expectations and work ethic that cause people to work extremely long hours, the beauty of Kabuki (Japanese theatre), the curiosity of the Japanese people who want to know about my life, the grocery stores with long aisles of rice and soy sauce and yes, plenty of live seafood to choose from, the toilets with “options” and the list goes on… Yet in the midst of all of the activities and the amazingly large population of people, I often felt a sense of isolation unlike I have never known. I kept asking myself how I could possibly feel so alone when surrounded by so many people? After all, I travel a great deal in my work and have never felt this way before. As I pondered and prayed about this, I realized that I was truly homesick for all that was familiar to me—my family and friends, my home, food that I could recognize, and people I could understand and communicate with. With the exception of occasional email, I was without a cell phone and unable to talk to anyone on the streets because of the language barrier. Indeed I was a stranger in a strange land. What was I supposed to learn from all of this? What was God trying to show me? How was he going to possibly use me in this place? In my role as DCE Program Director at Concordia University Chicago, I have the privilege of training young college students in their preparation for being full time church workers. It is pretty typical in the early part of their senior year to start hearing questions and comments like, “Debbie, where am I going on internship?” “What will I be doing?” “I’ll go anywhere.” “I feel totally ready for this.” However, it’s not long before those same comments turn into, “Debbie, I don’t think I’m ready for this.” “Are you sure I should go?” “Where are you sending me?” “Did I really say I’d go anywhere?” Placement day arrives with much excitement in the air. Soon it is time for the supervisor orientation where the teammates come together for the first time. There is a bit of anxiety in the air, but mostly just excitement for future ministry plans. The U-Haul is packed, the installation service happens, and then the early days in the office, which is when I get the phone Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 70 calls that say, “Debbie, what do I do now?” After a sigh and a smile, I reassure them and guide them…and let them go. It is not uncommon in those early months to get emails and phone calls with questions not just about ministry, but more so about concerns with living alone for the first time, managing a small budget, being without friends indeed, feeling like a stranger in a strange land. After all, they have just left their “country” (the college campus) surrounded by all that was familiar, and have now entered a “foreign country” (the new church) and having to learn new faces, new “language,” new territory and essentially starting over. So for those of you just starting out in ministry, let me encourage you and challenge you. First of all, remember that in this new ministry, there is one thing that is always familiar and that is our Lord Jesus. Regardless of where you live, your job description, or your teammates, the one thing that never changes, and never will, is God. After all, He is the reason you are there to begin with, and He has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6). This is His promise, and God keeps all His promises. When the unfamiliar overwhelms you, go to God in prayer and in His Word, looking for His comfort and reassurance that you are following His will for your life. Second, when fear seems to surround you, again look to God: Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” He will provide all you need in material possessions, but even more importantly God will provide relationships and friendships that will allow you to fully experience the support of a church in amazing ways. Seek out other church workers in the parish who know and understand what you’re going through. Network with other DCEs, interns or teachers in the area and you’ll soon realize you are not alone. Get out and explore your new community. Enjoy the adventure! Before long, you will look around and see all that God has provided and be amazed at how much this “strange land” has become home for you. For those of you who have been out for a while, think back to your early days in ministry, and then look around and see how you can help support one of those new church workers in your area. Is there someone who just needs an encouraging Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 71 word? How about a good meal? Maybe someone to pray with? Or just a night out for fun? I encourage you to reach out, allow that person to see Jesus in you so that they can truly feel His presence in their life and ministry. Remind them that they are no longer in a strange land, but among people who love and care for them and support them in following God’s call. So, how did I overcome my anxiety and loneliness on my trip? Well, first of all, I openly expressed my fears to a couple of very close friends who not only prayed with me and for me, but also encouraged me with e-mails on my journey. The words of Scripture and reassurance meant so much to one who felt so alone. Second, I kept asking God to show me how He wanted to use me on this trip, and I found open doors in my conversations with not only some of the missionary volunteers, but particularly with a young Japanese woman in her search for deeper Christianity and looking for support from other Christians. Indeed, in my sense of struggle on this trip, God found a way to use me for His purposes. So don’t be afraid to ask for what you need, and always be seeking out how He will use you on this journey of faith. Just be patient as His plan always is right. You now have the opportunity to be the light of Jesus not only to those who already know Him, but also, even more importantly, to those who don’t. Rest in the assurance that God has called you to serve Him in this time and place, and He will work through you to enable other people to see Jesus in you. LEJ Debra Arfsten, Associate Professor of Leadership and Director of the DCE program at Concor- dia University Chicago may be reached at [email protected]. Lutheran Education Journal • Volume 142, No. 2—Page 72