SA国际传媒

Dr. Stephen Pietsch is associate professor of Practical Theology at SA国际传媒, St. Louis. He joined the faculty in 2023.

He previously served at Australian Lutheran College (ALC) in North Adelaide, South Australia (SA), teaching undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in the areas of pastoral care and counseling, homiletics, Lutheran Confessions, liturgics, the pastoral theology of Martin Luther and others. He also served as the ALC鈥檚 director of pastoral formation (2018-22), dean of chapel (2016-19) and field education coordinator for the School of Pastoral Theology (2009-19).

After receiving a Bachelor of Theology from Luther Seminary (now ALC) in 1988, Pietsch was ordained in the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). He served for 19 years in parish ministry, gaining extensive pastoral care experience in congregational, school and chaplaincy settings.

In 2011, Pietsch completed a Master of Ministry at Adelaide College of Divinity, SA, concentrating on interdisciplinary research into Luther鈥檚 care for people with depression. He earned a Ph.D. at Flinders University in 2014. His doctoral thesis research brought together Luther鈥檚 perspectives on pastoral theology and practice, theology and psychology, which later became the basis for his book, 鈥淥f Good Comfort: Martin Luther鈥檚 Letters to the Depressed and their Significance for Pastoral Care Today鈥� (ATF Press, 2016). In 2015, he was awarded the Flinders University 鈥淰ice Chancellor Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence.鈥� This published research is used for pastoral training at both seminaries of The Lutheran Church鈥擬issouri Synod (LCMS), including SA国际传媒.

Pietsch has contributed to numerous publications including 鈥淟ogia,鈥� 鈥淐oncordia Pulpit Resources,鈥� 鈥淟utheran Forum,鈥� 鈥淟utheran Theological Journal鈥� and many others. He is working on a second monograph with Concordia Publishing House that will focus on Luther鈥檚 general approach to pastoral care for those experiencing distress or suffering.

Also notable among Pietsch鈥檚 service in the LCA has been his extensive work on the LCA鈥檚 Commission for Theology and Inter-Church Relations (CTICR) since 2016, which he chaired from 2019-22.
 

Interests:

Pastoral Care and Counseling
Pastoral Theology of Martin Luther
Liturgics
Lutheran Confessions