Help Equip Seminary Trained Leaders

On June 3, 1994 I graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, located on the north side of Chicago on the campus of Northwestern University. Commencement was still a few hours away. Senior Chapel was just beginning, and I had been asked to preach. In my three years I had never seen so many people in that large hall of worship. As the grand procession moved down the center aisle, I looked into the many faces and felt the fervor rising in me.

The sermon started with a prayer that God might breathe life into my words. And then when I put my hands to the plow, I never looked back. At times when I was preaching I felt like I had taken a step back from the pulpit, as if I was watching myself preach. In that hour I felt the power of God’s Spirit surging through that place of worship as it surged through me.

In a speech to a group of teachers, Martin Buber once said that if he ever met the great Christian theologian Karl Barth, there was only one thing this bearded Jewish scholar would like to teach him. Buber wanted to teach him to dance the ecstatic dances of the Hasidic Jews.

Preaching on that day of graduation, I felt as though I was dancing an ecstatic dance of the Hasidim. The Spirit lifted me to the mountaintop.

On Sunday, September 27, during worship I was honored by the seminary for my twenty-one years of pastoral ministry since my graduation. Dr. David Heetland, Vice President of Development offered a sermon, proclaiming the text from Romans 10:13-15, How shall they hear without a preacher?

Afterwards, Dr. Heetland presented me with a certificate indicating a scholarship had been established in my name. When I was first approached about this, I was a little hesitant. But I decided it was perhaps the best way I could help other students pay for a seminary education.

In the 1930s, the Church paid 90% of a student’s seminary education. Today, the church pays less than 10%, and it costs well over $100,000 for a three year degree. That financial burden has transferred to individual students.

When I went to seminary, I received the Hutchinson Fellowship. At the time, it was the top award and completely paid for my education. When I left graduate school I had no debt. That was an amazing blessing, because the salary at the first church I served was $23,500. There was no room to pay back debt in our budget.

At that time, I had friends who graduated from seminary with $50,000 of debt. I have friends today who completed seminary more recently with even more debt than that. In fact, a year ago the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry reported that the average educational debt for United Methodist seminary graduates had reached $49,303. That’s now the average for all students! 

Therefore, I appreciate this opportunity to help support the depth of training that a seminary education provides. Garrett started the scholarship fund with $1,000. It has already doubled because of the generous giving from people in the church. For that I am humbled and grateful. Thank you.

Ultimately, the goal is to reach $25,000 so it can become a permanently endowed scholarship. There is no pressure, but if you feel led to help prepare preachers to be sent, please send your gift to “the John Louk Scholarship” at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, 2121 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60201. You can also give online. And if you do, thank you!