Former Concordia Seminary classmates Dr. Bruce M. Hartung and Rev. Leroy B. Joesten are the LCMS recipients of what the Inter-Lutheran Coordinating Committee (ILCC) calls the Lutheran church’s highest honor for service in m
inistries of chaplaincy, pastoral counseling and clinical education.
They received the “Christus in Mundo” (Christ in the World) Award, after being nominated by their professional peers and selected by the ILCC, a cooperative organization of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Hartung serves as dean of Ministerial Formation and associate professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and is a diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and the association’s past president. He was nominated as “a major contributor and advocate seeking to strengthen and improve ministry service and education in pastoral care and counseling among Lutherans and ecumenically.”
Joesten is former vice president for Mission and Spiritual Care at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Ill., where he has served since 1972 and now works part time as a chaplain. He was nominated for his “long history of ministering to grieving persons as well as serving as a CPE (clinical pastoral education) supervisor.” He is a board certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains and certified supervisor with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
Both men are 1967 graduates of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
“Bruce and Lee have demonstrated exemplary leadership in the LCMS’ specialized pastoral ministry and within their respective professional pastoral care organizations. They are well deserving of this distinction,” said Rev. John Fale, who serves on the ILCC and is interim executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care. “More importantly, perhaps, is the positive influence they have had on countless students throughout the years as they modeled the value and joy of caring for the souls of those who are living through very painful and vulnerable moments in life. Bruce and Lee have faithfully served the Gospel through institutional chaplaincy, pastoral counseling and clinical pastoral supervision.”
The Christus in Mundo Award recognizes specialized pastoral ministries as a reflection of the care Jesus gave to people with lives in turmoil. The men were honored Oct. 22 in Atlanta as part of Zion XIV, a national continuing education conference held every three years and coordinated by the ILCC.
Posted Feb. 16, 2011
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