The LWF scholarship program opens up new opportunities for those studying to contribute to the Lutheran communion. In this photo: participants in the 2022 Peace Messengers training in Kigali, Rwanda, included an LWF scholarship holder as a resource person. Photo: LWF/S. Sullivan
25 September is the deadline to submit requests for grants toward studies in theology and diakonia
(LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) invites interested individuals from among its member churches to submit applications for the 2025 scholarships in theology and diakonia. The deadline is 25 September.
A letter to all LWF’s member churches requests them “to share the information widely within their churches and wider communities, including the grassroots level.”
Through its Scholarship Program, the LWF grants between 100 and 120 scholarships annually, taking into account the communion’s requirement of gender, intergenerational and regional balance. Interested candidates can request support to pursue doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s and diploma studies in both theology and development-oriented fields, mostly in their home countries and regions. The program also supports short-term training including research to provide church workers with specific skills related to the daily work of the church or its related institutions.
“Education is a catalyst for positive change that extends far beyond the classroom, transforming not only individuals but churches and the world in which we live,” noted Rev. Katariina Kiilunen, LWF Program Executive for Capacity Building and Leadership Development.
Education is a catalyst for positive change that extends far beyond the classroom, transforming not only individuals but churches and the world in which we live.
Rev. Katariina Kiilunen, LWF Program Executive for Capacity Building and Leadership Development
Developing leadership capacity
Over the last three years, the LWF has initiated new activities and online platforms around the scholarship program, bringing together scholars from around the communion to reflect together and exchange ideas not only about their academic programs but also about being churches in the Lutheran communion. Emphasis is on developing leadership capacity among the students, linking them up for networking, and setting up an alumni group of scholarship holders.
Kiilunen said the engagement among students and with LWF staff has revealed how spaces such as the online “Coming Together” meetings strengthen global connections and broaden perspectives on faith and life in a cross-cultural and intergenerational environment. This involvement has also opened up new opportunities for scholarship recipients to contribute to the life of the Lutheran communion and to serve as resource persons for various activities and events.
Application portal
More than 4,000 women and men have been trained through the program since it began in the 1950s. Applications are submitted via the online scholarship portal, and each applicant requires a church endorsement.
More information is available on the Scholarship Program web page.
