LTSP

New Students, Fall 2001

A passion for ministry

Seminarian Aaron Klink's passion for speaking, church involvement and fascination with theology began a chain of events that brought him to LTSP. His first formal theological studies came in 1996 when he attended the month-long Youth Theological Institute (YTI) at Emory University. "A year after YTI, I returned to Emory with a double major in religion and political science," Aaron said. He co-founded Emory's Lutheran Student Movement program and was an active member of St. John's Lutheran Church. At Emory he was awarded an Undergraduate Fellowship from the Fund for Theological Education (FTE), which supports candidates with potential for excellence in the profession of ministry. "A summer travel fellowship from Emory's religion department took me to Northern Ireland to look at how churches have fostered healing deep political divisions," he said. "In Belfast, I saw churches working to overcome divisions through youth work, outreach and reconciliation. I thought about pursuing a Master's in theology and doctoral work. Much prayer and conversation convinced me that theology was about the church's life, and I entered my candidacy." Aaron has been recognized a second time by FTE by being accepted into its Ministry Fellowship Program. The award is granted to a small number of students throughout the United States entering the first year of the Master of Divinity degree program. The FTE looks for men and women who have the intellectual and spiritual gifts essential to becoming excellent ministers, including the ability to act upon the needs of others and demonstrate a capacity for leadership.