Higher-powered education

Young Chang

Gretchen Passantino wanted to offer adults a higher education in

theology without the requisite of a master’s degree, or the

requirement that you’d have to end up with one.

Having graduated with a master’s in June from the Faith

Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, which is based in Washington but

offers extensions in South Central Los Angeles and other parts of the

world, Passantino decided to bring her three years of knowledge about

Christianity to her own backyard.

The Costa Mesa resident started the Orange County extension

program for the seminary last spring at the Prince of Peace Lutheran

Church, which is in her own city. Because she was a couple months shy

of actually having a masters, she taught the first classes under the

direction of a supervisor. Since the summer session began last week,

the fully qualified Passantino has been teaching on her own.

“As the head of parish education for Prince of Peace, I was

looking for a program that would offer adults in the church a

challenging opportunity to learn just for their knowledge as

Christians or toward an actual degree,” the former adjunct instructor

for Biola and Concordia universities said.

There are reading assignments and homework and even papers.

The summer session, which meets at 7:30 p.m. every Friday at the

church, teaches students about ancient church history. The spring

course focused on the book of John, from the New Testament. The Fall

session will offer two classes -- one in New Testament Greek and one

about the Old Testament book of Isaiah.

Two-thirds of the students who started classes last week are

working toward a master’s degree, using credits from the fully

accredited Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary program to transfer to

their respective seminaries. The other third is taking the class for

their own personal interest. Half of the students are members of

Prince of Peace.

“Rather than having to go out to someplace else now within this

small little church, we’re able to virtually offer someone their

education all the way,” said Keith Kerslake, administrator at Prince

of Peace.

Passantino said that the Costa Mesa church invited the seminary to

begin an extension with them because leaders wanted to provide

everyone from the littlest preschooler to the graduate level student

an appropriate level of learning.

“So no matter what your learning level, there’s something for you

at Prince of Peace,” she said. “We think it’s essential for a

well-rounded Christian life.”

Passantino, who is also the director and founder with her husband

of a nonprofit educational organization called Answers in Action,

said some of the features of modern day churches were actually

inherited from the first century synagogue churches of Jewish

Christians. Having a scripture reading and then a message explaining

the reading comes from this tradition. So does the prayer of

confession, a prayer similar to the Lord’s Prayer and the practice of

singing psalms and praise.

“It helps them understand the roots of their faith and helps them

to understand how some of the beliefs of Christianity were first

explained in the early Christian church,” the 48-year-old said. “To

appreciate some of the suffering that some of the early Christians

endured.”