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By means of LutheranWiki, publications and seminars, the Institute for Lutheran Theology provides pastors with up-to-date theological resources for sharing, discussing, teaching and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pastors within the United States today, whether they are fresh from the seminary or long in the field, are faced with a world which not only is changing, but is changing at an ever-increasing rate of speed. Fueled by a revolution in information technologies as well as a tidal-wave of immigration from non-Christian countries, today's pastors are confronted by theological, cultural, social, and ethical issues that pastors of decades past did not face. No longer is the parish he serves, whether in the middle of Nebraska or New York City, a culturally homogenous enclave of post-reformation Protestants of lesser education and ability, united around a common confession of faith, shored up by decades of traditions, and fed only by the Bible, a hymnal and a weekly sermon. Instead, the American congregation with which today's pastor is confronted is a hodgepodge of the well-educated, educated and uneducated, the religiously trained, self-trained and untrained, the rich, the middle-class and the poor, who are all bombarded daily by a myriad of theological, cultural, social and ethical ideas and who may or may not even know what a pastor is supposed to do.

Arriving at such a parish, the pastor quickly is confronted with the question: What really am I? Am I here simply to preach, teach, baptize and commune the members of the congregation, or is there something more I should be doing to make my ministry more observably effective? If I should be doing such a thing, if I should be something else, what should it be? A religious counselor to indivuals who are each on a unique faith journey? A theological consultant to a non-profit corporation? An inspirational leader of a group of Christians?

This last model seems to be the one emerging as the common understanding of pastoral ministry in the United States today. Riding on the wave of two decades of economic expansion, churches have turned to leadership models developed in the business world to equip pastors --at the expense of their traditional tasks that, in keeping with these leadership models, are delegated to the laity--with the psychological and managerial skills needed to head larger and larger congregations which are viewed as increasingly complex organizations. The manager-pastor is then seen as the inspirational leader who enables individuals to achieve full potential, and encourages individuals collectively, as a congregation, to accomplish feats of greatness. This usually means the building and maintaining of massive church complexes and electronic ministries.

The appeal of such an understanding of the pastoral ministry is obvious. There is a definite shape to the office with a clearly definable goal, prescribed methods for achieving that goal, and an outcome that is clearly measurable. As for the troublesome, challenging and confusing theological, cultural, social and ethical issues that are traditionally the realm of the pastor, these all are set aside, or moved down the priority list, or delegated to others, as all energy is spent reaching the one great goal.

The Institute for Lutheran Theology was founded to help pastors return to the realm of theology, culture, society and ethics. By providing a solid theological framework in which all of today's issues can be addressed by the Word of God, the ILT encourages pastors wherever they would find themselves, whether in Nebraska or New York, to seek not to be leaders, but "servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." As servants of Christ, clearly definable goals may not be apparent, and outcomes may not be measurable, but the means by which the Christian life is lived are certainly sure and definitely effective.