By Dr. Debbie Arfsten, DCE Program Director

Concordia University Chicago’s Director of Christian Education program is a 5 year program. For their final year, DCE students are placed as DCE interns with a church or ministry.

At the convention of the Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod in 1959, a resolution was passed to include Directors of Christian Education (DCE) as commissioned ministers on the Synod’s roster, and thus the profession was formally established. In 2019, DCEs will celebrate 60 years of official status in the LCMS, and nearly as many years at Concordia University Chicago.

Individuals had been serving as DCEs before it was official, but it was the resolution by the Synod that legitimized the vocation, followed by the establishment of the first specific training programs for DCEs at Concordia, Chicago and Concordia, Nebraska in 1962.

A DCE in a congregation serves in a variety of ministries including Christian education, youth, and children/family ministry. Over the last several years, Concordia, Chicago’s program has made changes to keep up with the needs of congregations and changes in culture. Today the importance of building relationships is emphasized, not just planning activities.

Directors of Christian Education and other Lutheran leaders of faith from across the synod collaborate with one another to organize the five days of the Gathering where “youth spend time together in God’s word, worship, service, and fellowship with others from across the synod.”

Originally, DCE students were required to complete a teaching degree in addition to their DCE coursework, but that is no longer the case. Today, DCE students can pursue single certification as a DCE, or dual certification as a DCE and Lutheran teacher. DCE students are very active on campus and very involved with spiritual life and Concordia Youth Ministry teams. Dr. Debbie Arfsten, DCE Program Director, and Dr. Kevin Borchers, DCE Assistant Program Director, diligently keep in contact with their students after they graduate. When a student leaves Concordia, Chicago, there’s a big DCE community in our church body so there are always ways to get our graduates connected to where they’ll be serving. Looking to the future of Concordia, Chicago’s DCE program, it seems as if more incoming students want to be innovative in how they undertake ministry. While they are trained be in parish ministry, it’s not unusual to have some who want to take it in a new direction, which offers the Church more places where DCEs can serve such as missions, non-profit work, and more specialized ministry. Today’s students now have a broader, more complete picture of the world.

 

Concordia University Chicago’s DCE Program Celebrates the Profession’s 60th Anniversary