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New Dean Philip Krey sees the Seminary as a powerful, mediating influence across the church The newly elected Dean of LTSP sees the Seminary as ideally positioned to be a mediating institution for the wider church across a region that spans urban, suburban and rural communities. It's a Seminary unique across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Krey believes, because its students and faculty come from such dynamically diverse backgrounds. Dr. Philip Krey, officially elected Seminary Dean at the fall meeting of the Board of Trustees, was born into a family strongly rooted in Lutheran tradition. His father, the Rev. Rudolf Krey, was a pastor serving congregations in Germany, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. And three of his brothers are ordained. In addition, his mother, Gertrude Krey, and his other brothers and sisters have always been leaders in their congregations. Yet two factors in his background accent his views toward the modern and future church. He grew up in Massachusetts where Lutherans played a minority role in church life. (He is a member of the New England Synod.) And his academic concentration in early church history tempers his perspective about what it means to be part of a pluralistic society. He compares the societal setting of today's church to that of the late antique world of the Second and Third centuries. "We are in a pluralistic, multicultural time much like that of the Roman Empire of that period," Krey says. "People have many choices about religion. They see a secular government failing to deliver programs and institutions that society needs to be civil. This kind of time calls upon many traditions and institutions - religious, non-profit and public -- to be able to collaborate and combine their resources to bring about a better world." In such a complex time, Krey believes, "Traditions that cling too rigidly to their identity may actually lose it -- and their mission to effectively evangelize." "In this climate we need to continue to prepare professional leaders who are firmly grounded in the Scriptures, the Lutheran confessions, worship, church history and the practical disciplines. But we especially need to prepare them to be socially aware, well-organized, disciplined and risk-takers. They need to understand what they have to contribute while being in relationship with others across a complicated society. "Lutherans have much to be confident about," Krey says. "We are gifted with enormous theological and spiritual resources. We can be confident about being in dialogue and partnership with other church traditions. We have much to contribute to these relationships, and we will always have much to contribute. I'm so happy to have the opportunity at this Seminary to help make students conscious of the place Lutherans have in the wider communion. Other key points by Phil Krey: -- "I'm humbled and honored to find myself in the company of such a long line of academic deans at this place, including Jim Echols, Faith Rohrbaugh, Gerhard Krodel, Robert Hughes, Jack Reumann and William Lazareth...This Seminary has a wonderful academic record of teaching about the Lutheran Confessions and Biblical identity in a complicated context which includes the City and suburbs and a wide context of student backgrounds. I have enormous respect for our gifted and committed faculty and for what it means to be affirmed by my colleagues." -- "I'm excited about where we are going, about how we are working strategically to be increasingly responsive to the ministry needs of the church. We have a mission to meet these needs without sacrificing our values." -- Regarding the Seminary's student body, which featured a record number of new enrollees in the first professional degree program this past fall: "I've just read the mid-terms of the junior class, and I feel they were fine, fine mid-terms. Our academic program is rigorous, and I have been impressed about the amount of work and insight into early church material our students have offered. They have a clear sense of how this material relates to them and their future church work. They are a multicultural and diverse group with so much spirit to discern the context of the mission field before them. I see clearly that they have so many gifts. Our task is just to mold them into theologically reflective teachers, aware of their skills, feeling positive and critical about themselves." -- Regarding the future of denominational identity: "Denominations may lose their identity over time, but Lutheran theology will always have something to contribute (in new configurations God shapes). We can see that in the dialogues that have been taking place with Anglicans and the Reformed Church and elsewhere." Phil and wife, Rene, are parents of Jessica, 21, a junior at George Washington University contemplating a Seminary education in her future; Lindsay, 19, a sophomore at the University of Chicago considering a future in urban public policy; Jordan, 16, Noah, 12, and Micah, 6. Caption: Dean Philip Krey: "I have enormous respect for what it means to be affirmed by my colleagues."