Partnership Equals Progress

Above photo: Rev. Carlos Schumann presents books to IELB President Geraldo Schüler and LCMS President Matthew Harrison

Story by Deaconess Cheryl D. Naumann, VDMA Project Director
Photos by Jana Inglehart, Shara Osiro and Johanna Heidorn

In 1984, Dr. Robert Preus, president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, initiated the creation of the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series, to supplement Francis Pieper’s Christian Dogmatics.  The 13-volume series was then produced by Luther Academy, an organization that promotes confessional Lutheran theology and research through conferences and publications designed to assist the church in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

 Rev. Carlos Schumann

Pastor Carlos O. Schumann, originally from Argentina, serves as the director of Luther Academy conferences for LCMS missions and partner churches is Latin America and Caribbean (LAC).  In tándem with the VDMA Project, Schumann and other LAC scholars have been translating the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series into Spanish. Once a volume is translated into Spanish, it is distributed as an eBook via the VDMA Project and also available for use as a textbook for Luther Academy conferences taught by Schumann.

Hard copies of Christology and Baptism in Spanish

Now, for the first time, two of the Spanish volumes – Baptism and Christology, both written by Rev. Dr. David P Scaer – are also available in print. It was a joy for missionaries at the LCMS regional mission office in Santiago, Dominican Republic, to witness Pastor Schumann presenting a copy of these volumes to Rev. Geraldo Schüler, President of the Lutheran Church in Brazil, and LCMS President Matthew Harrison.

 IELB President Geraldo Schüler (Left) Receives books from Rev. Carlos Schumann

In a further partnership, Lutheran Heritage Foundation, an organization that focuses on introducing people to Jesus in languages that they can understand, has committed to providing the funding for 300 printed copies of the first three Spanish volumes of the Confessional Dogmatics Series. These will be placed in the Lutheran seminaries, Bible institutes, and other Lutheran institutions in LAC, as well as in the United States, where more and more Spanish speakers are attending LCMS seminaries and universities. 

From the left: IELB President Geraldo Schüler, Rev. Carlos Schumann, LCMS President Matthew Harrison, and Luther Academy board members, Rev. James Krikava and Rev. Dan McMiller, LCMS OIM Executive Director

We give thanks to God that through these partnerships, pastors, seminary students, and all with an interest in confessional Lutheran theology will continue to benefit from this series – now being produced in Spanish as well as in English! 

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    Jana Inglehart

    Jana Inglehart serves the Lord through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) as the Regional Communication Specialist for the Latin America and Caribbean region, based in the Dominican Republic.