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USA – From November 10-21, 2025, church leaders from four Lutheran church bodies in Africa and Asia travelled to the United States for another session of the Lutheran Leadership Development Program (LLDP). During this session, participants engaged two of the most important topics in the church today: issues in theological ethics, and biblical doctrine and hermeneutics.

The course on Issues in Theological Ethics helps participants form a disciplined and accurate analysis of key ethical problems confronting the church on issues like personhood, sexuality, marriage, technological advance, the beginning and end of human life, and vocation. Rev. Peter Brock, senior pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran (Bingen, Indiana) and First Vice President of the LCMS’s Indiana District—and also a theological capacity builder for the ILC—taught this vital subject. Rev. Brock discussed a variety of misconceptions contained in contemporary pluralistic approaches to ethics, modeling instead a Lutheran approach grounded in the doctrine of justification and trinitarian theology. Rev. Brock engaged in contemporary issues through key Lutheran themes like the Law/Gospel distinction, the three estates, and the two kingdoms. While teaching as a theologian and church leader, he also brought to bear his experience as a parish pastor who deals with these issues day in and day out.

“I learned many new things!” said Rev. Dr. Heinz Hiestermann, Rector of Lutheran Theological Seminary (Tshwane, South Africa), speaking on the course. “Many issues we discussed in class are not talked about in my church. We need to talk about these issues, and now I have the knowledge to do this. I believe I learned a lot that will benefit the church.” Dr. Hiestermann is a trained New Testament scholar, but attending LLDP sessions has inspired him to incorporate what he is learning in the program into the education offered at his own seminary; the seminary is beginning to offer, for example, courses on ecclesial leadership and pastoral administration.

The second course—Lutheran Hermeneutics—was taught by Rev. Dr. Charles Gieschen, Provost and Professor of the New Testament at Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne). This was his third time teaching the course for the LLDP. Dr. Gieschen taught the basics of hermeneutics in light of the confessional Lutheran approach to the Scriptures. His chief point was the Christocentricity of Scripture. His lectures covered essential points of the broad history of biblical interpretation from early, patristic, medieval, Reformation, post-Reformation, and modern periods, complemented by many readings, and helped participants evaluate the historical-critical method and reader-oriented trends in biblical interpretation. Much appreciated was his concrete demonstration of sound hermeneutics in response to challenges participants face in their own contexts such as the various claims of neo-charismatic and Pentecostal movements, millennialism, proponents of women’s ordination, and more.

Participants were thankful for this course because they knew that many people in their parishes and even some pastors are often ill-equipped on the fundamentals of a confessional Lutheran approach to Scripture and sound biblical hermeneutics. “The proper way of reading the entire Scripture with Christocentricity that Dr. Gieschen taught has made the scales fall from my eyes,” said one participant. And another: “That Dr. Gieschen took a lot of time to answer the questions of the students helped us apply the Bible better in our context.”

The International Lutheran Council (ILC) works with its partners The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), Concordia Publishing House (CPH), and Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana) to administer the LLDP under program director, Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki. “Participants studied day and night to read, attend lectures, and write for these two very demanding courses,” Dr. Masaki observed. “This program calls for serious study of theological topics and practical issues that are designed to assist participants in their ecclesial leadership in their context.” He went on to praise the participants for their hard work.

Of the instructors, Dr. Masaki said: “Once again, my colleague Dr. Gieschen exceeded my expectations through one-of-a-kind instruction and with deep respect and care for the participants. He knows how important the subject matter of proper biblical interpretation remains in world Lutheranism.” And again: “How often have I observed the way Pastor Brock teaches the subject of theological ethics in Tanzania in an incredibly masterful manner! He is not only a first-class scholar but also a competent instructor. It was my special joy to acknowledge that he is now a part of our LLDP teaching faculty!”

During the November session, LLDP participants enjoyed participating in campus life at Concordia Theological Seminary, including the institution’s annual Good Shepherd Institute, as well as the in-home hospitality of several seminary and ILC families. A distinct joy was when LLDP members were reunited for a visit with Concordia Publishing House’s President/CEO Jonathan Schultz and Vice President of Publishing Rev. Dr. Jacob Corzine. LLDP members expressed their thanks to CPH for the gifts of many essential resources this year to the seminary libraries and individual pastors of LLDP member churches.

The next session of the LLDP is taking place in Wittenberg, Germany, from February-March 2026, with a particular focus on the history of the Lutheran Church and the theology of the Lutheran Confessions. You are invited to support the work of the LLDP by making a donation online. You can also mail a donation by cheque to:

International Lutheran Council
P.O. Box 10149
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46850 USA

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