About Richard Carter
Dr. Rich Carter has been teaching religion and theology full-time at Concordia since 1991. Before seminary studies he served as a DCE in suburban San Diego and then Appleton, Wisconsin (1968 – 1976). His first pastoral call was to teach in the seminary of the Lutheran Church of Nigeria (1981 – 1987). All together he has served in theological education on four continents; he brings global experience into the classroom as he helps students explore the connections between faith and life.
Journal articles give a clue to his professional interests:
-as an educator: “DCE Ethical Guidelines,” a chapter in Together: Preparing Christian Educators for the Future (Dean R. Hansen and Brent Alan Mai, editors, Concordia University, Portland, Portland, Oregon, 2011)
-as a theologian: “What Do the Simple Folk Do: A Lutheran Doctrine of Vocation as Mission Work,” (Missio Apostolica, Vol XIII No.2, November 2005)
-as a global, pastoral, mission oriented theological educator: “From Ignorance to Wonder: Pastoral Reflection on the Life and Work of Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg,” (Gurukul Journal of Theological Studies, Vol XVII, No. 2, July 2006)
ACADEMIC / PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
- Th.D., Historical and Systematic Theology Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Louis (1991)
- St. M., Yale University Divinity School (1981)
- M.Div., Concordia Seminary (1980)
- M.A.Ed., Concordia Teachers College, River Forest (now University, Chicago) (1971)
- B.A., Concordia Teachers College, River Forest (now University, Chicago) (1968)
- DCE Certification, Concordia College, River Forest, 1985
- Ordination: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, August 23, 1981
ACADEMIC FOCUS
Exploring with students the ways in which a Lutheran understanding of worship and Christian doctrine connects with daily life in a liberating way, in a global context: course offerings include Worship for Lutherans, Our Living Faith (doctrine), Lutheran Confessional Writings, and Religions of the World
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
"Recognizing that I could focus my 283-page dissertation on Christian vocation in an eight word phrase, 'Freedom in Christ for service to the neighbor.'"
"Teaching a Christian doctrine class in central Slovakia, watching a percussionist’s face light up when I capped the conversation by asking, 'Do you recognize that when you are creating music with your drums, God is at work creating?'"