wfn.org | Wagner to Retire as Director of ELCA Division for Ministry

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

January 18, 2002

WAGNER TO RETIRE AS DIRECTOR OF ELCA DIVISION FOR MINISTRY
02-12-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Joseph M. Wagner will retire at the
end of May 2002 as executive director of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) Division for Ministry, a position he has
held since November 1987.  He informed the division's staff and board
of his decision on Jan. 16.
     "I am very grateful for the opportunities that I've had in the
last 14 years, in these beginning years of the ELCA," said Wagner,
64.  The ELCA was formed in 1988 from the American Lutheran Church,
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and Lutheran Church in
America (LCA).  Wagner said he appreciated being a part of bringing
the ministries of three churches together.
     "We've been through some important times together with studies
on ministry and on theological education.  We have strong cooperation
among our seminaries, and there's a developing strong sense of
teamwork across the church," said Wagner.
     From 1988 to 1993 the Division for Ministry conducted the study
of ministry, which proposed definitions for the official ministries
of the ELCA.  The study of theological education, 1989 to 1995,
developed a plan for a system of theological education among the
church's eight seminaries.
     "Many of us don't appreciate the strength and the cohesion that
we have in the ELCA," said Wagner.  "It's easy to see divisions, and
there are those problems, but we have a very cohesive, very strong
church from congregations through synods to the churchwide
organization.  To have been a part of helping to weave that fabric
together was a pure privilege," he said.
     The ELCA's 10,816 congregations are organized into 65 synods
across the United States and Caribbean.
     "Joe Wagner has served the Division for Ministry with vision
and skill," said Kevin J. Boatright, Lawrence, Kan., chair of the
ELCA Division for Ministry board.  Boatright is associate executive
vice chancellor for university relations, University of Kansas.
     "The division has done significant work in the areas of
candidacy, ministry in daily life, leadership support, multicultural
leadership development, and ministerial health and wellness," said
Boatright.  "The division has also played a key role in helping to
define our new ecumenical relationships," which often include the
possible exchange of ministers between denominations, he said.
     The division's work was carried out by "an outstanding staff"
that Wagner "helped shape and reshape to meet the emerging needs of
the church," said Boatright.  "Joe has been a role model for me in
terms of how to manage a strong staff and how to work effectively
with a diverse board," he said.
     "While I will miss working with him on the board, I am
confident that the work of the division, the mission of the church
and his personal ministry will all continue to go forward.  That's
part of his legacy to the ELCA: that he helped create a strong,
motivated, mission-centered organization that does not depend on him
for its ongoing success," said Boatright.
     "On behalf of the ELCA, I extend our profound gratitude for
Pastor Wagner's depth of faith and love for the church," said the
Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA.
     Under Wagner's "exceptional" leadership, "we have seen
increased collaboration among our eight seminaries as we prepare
leaders for this church in mission," said Hanson.  "He has helped in
the development of stronger support systems for new leaders and
greater partnership between synods and seminaries in working with
candidates for ministry."
     Born in Knoxville, Tenn., Wagner received degrees from
Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio; Lutheran Theological
Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.; and Princeton Theological
Seminary, Princeton, N.J.
     After Wagner was ordained in 1963, he served as pastor of St.
Timothy Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Va., and Trinity Lutheran Church,
Terre Haute, Ind.  He was an assistant to the bishop of the Indiana-
Kentucky Synod in the former LCA, 1971-73, director for
interpretation and guidance in the LCA Division for Professional
Leadership, 1973-80, and assistant executive director of that
division, 1980-87.
     Wagner and his wife Claudia are the parents of three grown
children -- two daughters and a son.
     The ELCA Division for Ministry supports all the ministries of
the church.  The division develops standards for ministry and
provides for the recruitment and guidance of candidates for church
occupations, through theological education and continuing education.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html