The Center for Missional & Pastoral
Leadership Formation
Serve God’s Mission
Biblical. Reformational. Missional. Affordable. Global.
Theological education to help you bring God’s Word to His People and His World
A rigorous degree program applied directly to your ministry context
Your Application Journey Starts Here
Online learning doesn't have to be. alone learning.
Through the Center, you will learn in your community,
taking live classes, with real instructors,
and engaging in real conversations.
About the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership Formation
The Center was created in response to requests from congregations and church leaders for a quality, affordable, effective online degree program that would equip potential pastors and church workers for missional ministry in areas that are not currently being served. The focus is on contextual learning, where students can apply what they learn directly to their ministry training setting. The desire is for a program that enables students to study while continuing their work and careers.
The Institute for Lutheran Theology is the perfect home for this program, with a highly-respected and affordable M.Div. program, excellent faculty, an emphasis on speaking the Gospel into a post-Christian context, and almost 20 years of successful online education.
About the Formation Program
This program acknowledges the challenges of a post-Christian culture, preparing students to share the Gospel and the enduring truths of Scripture with a secularized world that may be skeptical. The curriculum includes courses in the traditional disciplines of Exegetical (Bible), Systematic, Historical, and Practical Theology. These courses are taught with a missiological lens, equipping students to understand their contexts and bring the Good News to their communities. Classes are conducted online, featuring weekly live sessions with instructors, supplemented by readings, videos, hands-on projects, and ministry training. The program is designed to accommodate students' current employment and can be completed in about four years while gaining valuable experience in their home congregations.
Rev. Dr. Todd Jones
Director of
Formation
at
The Center for
Missional & Pastoral Formation
The Pillars of the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership Formation
Center Contributors
for the
Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership Formation
Rev. Dr. Tim Ahlman
Rev. Dr. Tim Ahlman – Current Senior Pastor of Christ Greenfield, Arizona and leader of the United Leadership Collective (uniteleadership.org). You can hear him weekly on his Lead Time and The Tim Ahlman podcasts, where he interviews leaders from across the nation and shares his positive vision for the Church. Ahlman’s leadership goes far beyond his work in his congregation – he is a national speaker on pastoral formation and building successful circuits. In particular, Ahlman focuses on developing pastors and lay people to become the leaders God created them to be. He consults on developing a leadership culture within congregations, the strategy and practical finance management issues to grow congregations, developing operational leaders on the local and regional level, and communicating the vision Christ has for the local church reaching out with Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness offered in the cross. Ahlman has 18 years of practical parish experience. From that experience he has developed a vision for our LCMS future focused on the congregation. Ahlman is excited to be working in partnership with The Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership!
Rev. Dr. Ben Haupt
Ben Haupt became the Global Executive Director of Pastoral Leadership Institute in 2024. Previously, Ben served as Associate Provost and Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He also served as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Boca Raton, FL and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gainesville, GA. A few of Ben’s interests are the history of the New Testament and the early church pre-Constantine, the intersection of church and society, the history of mission, and pastoral/congregational leadership. Ben and his wife Celina, who works in elementary education, have two sons and make their home in St, Louis, MO.
Rev. Dr. Todd Jones
Todd Jones is the Director of Product Development for Concordia Market and The Center. Prior to his move to The Center, Todd was the Mission Strategist for the Michigan District Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. He was an Assistant Professor and Director of Field Education at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He has served as a Mission Executive for the Mid-South District, a parish pastor, and a church planter. He has provided in-person and online training for pastors and church planters in the U.S., Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. He is married to Susan. They have two adult children, Tim and Jessica, and five grandchildren.
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kloha
Dean
Jeffrey Kloha previously served as Chief Curatorial Officer of the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. (2017-2024). He was responsible for the overall artifact collection, exhibitions, educational programs, and research projects offered by the museum. Prior to then he was Provost and Professor of Exegetical Theology (New Testament) at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1999-2017). During his tenure as provost, he led the revision of all program curricula, transitioned the institution from quarters to semesters, and led two strategic planning processes. He served as Associate Pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Lakewood, OH, and currently also serves as Associate Pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Arlington, VA. Kloha has contributed to 31 scholarly published books and articles as well as supervising 13 student theses and publications.
Rev. Dr. James Marriott
Rev. Dr. James Marriott is Pastor at Faith Lutheran in Georgetown, TX, and Associate Professor of Theology and Music at Concordia University Texas. Holding undergraduate and graduate degrees in Parish Music from Concordia Nebraska and Concordia Wisconsin, respectively, he earned a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, with an emphasis in liturgical inculturation. He was also ordained into the pastoral ministry through Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He frequently lectures and performs across the United States, using workshops and hymn festivals as an opportunity to demonstrate the cultural diversity of the church. Jim and his wife, Kristi, have been married for twenty-one years and are blessed with two children, Joel and Kirstin.
Frequently Asked Questions
The center was created in response to requests from congregations and church leaders for a quality, affordable, effective online degree program that would equip potential pastors and church workers for missional ministry in areas that are not currently being served. The focus is on contextual learning, where students can apply what they learn directly to their ministry training setting. The desire is for a program that enables students to study while continuing their work and careers. The Institute for Lutheran Theology is the perfect home for this program, with a highly-respected and affordable M.Div. program, excellent faculty, an emphasis on speaking the Gospel into a post-Christian context, and almost 20 years of successful online education.
The Lutheran Church has always value high-quality pastoral formation, including study of the Bible in the original languages, systematic theology, and church history. All these are included in the program, incorporating the biblical emphasis of the Mission of God along with tools and skills for ministry in our post-Christian, multi-cultural context. Course are taught by experienced theologians, pastors, and missionaries using the best online educational methods.
The program is designed for students who are seeking to grow in service in their local ministry context, perhaps eventually to become a pastor or church leader. The classroom instruction is coupled with a contextual formation component, where student learning happens in context with their congregation and a local mentor pastor. Individuals who plan to serve in co-vocational settings, or new church starts, or those who simply want an outstanding theological education to enhance their current work will benefit from this program.
The program results in both a fully accredited Master of Divinity degree, as well as practical, contextual learning that applies directly to their ministry context. In addition to the traditional theological disciplines, students are equipped to serve in our unchurched and de-churched culture, able to connect biblical truths to the people and communities whom they serve.
Students will study the traditional theological disciplines of biblical theology (using Hebrew and Greek), practical theology, historical theology, and systematic (doctrinal) theology on the basis of the Ecumenical Creeds and the Lutheran Confessions. The content will, in large measure, be identical to a traditional residential Master of Divinity program. Particular emphases of this program include the contextual application of theology and the congregation’s participation in God’s mission.
All of the instructors have served or are currently serving congregations. They bring their experience in pastoral and spiritual care to every class session. In addition, the Pastoral Formation Path seminars that accompany the academic coursework bring a holistic approach involving mind, body, and spirit, helping students grow in faith and life as well as knowledge. The faculty of ILT and CMPL have years of experience teaching at Lutheran seminaries and universities, serving as pastors, missionaries, and church planters, with PhDs from respected universities, and an impressive record of publication.
Congregations in every tradition, and in particular Lutheran congregations, are struggling to find pastors to serve them. In some cases, congregations go without a pastor for three and four years. This program will help raise up more pastors and leaders for congregations that need them, and especially congregations in settings where maintaining a full-time pastor is a challenge. Students are equipped not simply to occupy the office of pastor, but with tools to engage their congregations and communities with the Gospel, so that the Lord of the Church might call even more people to himself.
Courses are delivered live in three-hour blocks once per week. Two regular semesters run for sixteen weeks each and a summer term is available for more intensive study. Students may take as many courses per semester as their personal workload and situation permits; completing seven courses per years allows a student to complete the program in four years. Courses are scheduled for mornings and evenings.
This program is perfect for anyone who desires to serve a congregation and community and be equipped with a thorough and impactful theological education without needing to leave their current work or community. They might want to serve as a pastor, a missionary, church planter, youth worker, or in a team or multi-site ministry.
Students can apply to the Institute of Lutheran Theology and the Center for Pastoral Ministry at the same time. They should talk with Center staff to determine how the program can benefit them and how the contextual formation path works. We are able to customize the program to meet a wide range of students and contexts.