Rethinking the Ekklesia - with Donald Sjoberg
Episode 24, Apr 08, 05:02 PM
I am pleased to be joined by Pastor Donald Sjoberg for this on-going series of conversations on the Ekklesia.
Bishop Sjoberg was born in 1930 on a farm near Clanwilliam, Manitoba. His early life was shaped by the Swedish immigrant community and Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Erickson, Manitoba. He studied at Luther College in Regina and at the University of Saskatoon where he was a part of the Lutheran Student Movement. For a decade and a half, he served as National Bishop for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada, retiring from that position in 1993.
I met Bishop Sjoberg in the late 1970s when he was President of the Western Canada Synod. I was developing the Spiritual Life Sacred Ritual gallery at the Provincial Museum and sought him out for conversation on Lutheran worship. Our conversation ranged widely and I learned about various Lutheran initiatives including work between the ELCIC and the Lutheran Church Canada - Missouri Synod to produce a joint Service Book.
Bishop Sjoberg’s childhood formation, his broad ranging experience in Lutheran congregations throughout Canada and internationally and his work as National Bishop has given him a particular vantage point from which to reflect on the church over the last seven decades. It is a blessing to be given the long-view when it comes to the life of the church.
Bishop Sjoberg’s childhood formation, his broad ranging experience in Lutheran congregations throughout Canada and internationally and his work as National Bishop has given him a particular vantage point from which to reflect on the church over the last seven decades. It is a blessing to be given the long-view when it comes to the life of the church.