Phyllis Anderson
- President
- (510) 559-2731
As President, I am engaged with the Faculty in the delicate art of forming leaders who will be able to connect the deep resources of the Christ faith in a Lutheran key with the questions, challenges and deep hurts that people struggle with today. We envision the work of ministry from our vantage point on the Pacific Rim, in the heart of a great metropolitan area, in an area of diverse cultures and religions and pervasive secularity. How do we make the good news of God’s love relevant to the people in our congregations and the many more beyond? We teach all of our courses with these questions and this context in mind.
This kind of formation for ministry happens in the classroom and beyond in internships and cross-cultural experiences, in chapel and formation groups, in projects that promote service and justice, in mentoring relationships and personal reflection, in rich community life and the kind of deep personal friendships that flourish on a campus like this. Theological education at PLTS affects the whole person. As we say in our mission statement: “we prepare leaders for the church by deepening faith, challenging minds, expanding hearts, and energizing for mission.”
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Systematic Theology: Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, 1984; Master of Divinity: Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, 1977; attended Princeton Theological Seminary, 1970–1975; Bachelor of Arts with major in English: Sacramento State College, 1966; attended Concordia Teachers’ College, Seward, Nebraska, 1961–1963
Brief Professional History
Current President of PLTS; Associate Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry, Seattle University 2001–2004; Director of the Institute for Ecumenical Theological Studies, 1998–2004; Director for Theological Education of the Division for Ministry, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 1988–1998; Director of ELCA Study of Theological Education for Ministry, 1989–1995; Director of Pastoral Studies and Instructor in Theology, 1985–1987; Assistant to the Bishop of the Iowa District, American Lutheran Church 1983–1985; Co-Pastor Tri-Lutheran Parish, Epworth, Earlville, and Dyersville, Iowa 1979–1983
Select Special Service
GTU Council of Presidents; ELCA Conference of Seminary Presidents; Presenter, Association of Theological Schools (ATS) Presidential Leadership Intensive Week, 2007; Member, ATS Task Force on Theological Education and the Church, 2004–2008; Director of ELCA Study of Theological Education (1989–1995); Warren E. Deem Institute for Theological Education Management, 1990; Member, ATS Commission on Accreditation, 1994–1998; International Lutheran-Baptist Dialog, 1984–1989; Children of Abraham Interfaith Dialogue, 2000–2004; Seattle Area Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic (LARC) Dialogue, 1999–2004.
Select Publications
- “Call to Ministry in an Ecumenical Context”, Seattle Theology and Ministry Review, Volume 3, 2003.
- “Why Should We Care About Ecumenism?”, Seattle Theology and Ministry Review, Volume 1, 2001.
- ELCA Study of Theological Education (1989–1995); Narrative Analysis of the Process, published as a special issue of Theological Education; the Journal of the Association of Theological Schools, Fall, 2000.
- Primary author of three major reports of the ELCA Study of Theological Education:
- Theological Education for Ministry in the ELCA: A Resource for Discussion, 1991.
- The Study of Theological Education for Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Report to the 1993 Churchwide Assembly, 1993.
- Faithful Leaders for a Changing World: Theological Education for Mission in the ELCA, ELCA Study of Theological Education, Report to the 1995 Churchwide Assembly, 1995.
- “Lutheran Women in Theological Studies: Headway, Hard Work, and Hope,” in Lutheran Women in Ordained Ministry, 1970–1995, edited by Gloria E. Bengtson (pp. 129-136). Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1995.
- The Bible As Liberating Word; An Introduction to Liberation Theology. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1986.
