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Mentors to the church
Perhaps you know their names: Martin Marty, Paul Manz, Mary Nelson. Perhaps not.
But
our experiences as ELCA members, and those of a good many others, have
been influenced and shaped by each of the three. Through their
different contributions, each has been a mentor to people who have
become leaders and innovators in church and society.
Now in, or
near, retirement the three continue to play a part in our life
together. These profiles explore the ideas and actions that distinguish
their faith-filled lives and tell what Marty, Manz and Nelson each has
given to the church.
You'll see him on television. You'll read him in the newspapers and magazines. You'll find his books in every bookstore. If the Lutheran community has a "superstar" mentor, it's 76-year-old Martin E. Marty.
Marty is a mentor in two primary settings, and he moves easily between them. He mentors within the world of religion. And he teaches the secular world about religion.
His mentoring "within" also has two aspects. He is both a scholarly teacher and a pastorly teacher. Most teachers specialize in one or the other, but Marty has always refused to favor either. As he commented, "I am an ordained minister who spent 10 years full time as a pastor [before becoming a professor]. I've never turned my back on what pastoral life means."
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© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
