Cross-Cultural, Local Christian Missionary Practice through ILT.org

 

Ray Grabanski founded Progressive Ag in 1992 as a risk management firm with branches in insurance, marketing, and law. Ray Grabanski has supported many charities and organizations over the years, including pledging $1.1 million for scholarships at the non-ELCA Institute of Lutheran Theology, or ILT.org

ILT.org is an online seminary where interested students can learn about Lutheran theology from anywhere in the world. Students from ILT’s Doctor of Ministry program recently met with pastor Roland Wells from St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Minneapolis to learn about his research into a form of missionary service that works locally rather than globally.

Christian missionary practice is a tradition of traveling the world to bring the philosophies and ideals of Christianity to various populations. As the world changes, however, more and more people are immigrating to the United States, including many from countries that do not allow Christian missionaries to visit. Pastor Wells provided the ILT students with a five-day course on reaching out to people of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds living in the United States. The course fulfilled one of the Doctor of Ministry program’s two required “Missionary Journeys” to learn about Christian outreach.