LCA calls new principal to ALC

The Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) has called a versatile parish pastor with governance and leadership experience to lead Australian Lutheran College (ALC) as its next principal.

This morning, at the conclusion of events marking the commencement of ALC’s academic year, LCA Bishop Rev John Henderson announced that the General Church Council (GCC) has called Pastor James Winderlich, the senior pastor of St Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Adelaide.

‘The GCC prayed earnestly and deeply before extending this important call, engaging in intense and searching discussions with the ALC Board of Directors, which has governance oversight of the college’, Bishop Henderson said. ‘We are confident that Pastor James has the God-given faith, skills and ability to play his part in leading our tertiary college into a strong vibrant future.’

Pastor Winderlich has been a pastor of the LCA for 22 years. After ordination in 1991, he served the Southport-Ashmore parish, Queensland, for six months, and then, further north, at Maryborough for four years. During this time he was also a part-time police chaplain.
In 1995 he moved to South Australia, where he served the Riverland parish of Paringa/Meringur and the Magill congregation in Adelaide, before accepting the call to St Stephen’s in the heart of the city. There he has served side by side with Sudanese special ministry pastor Peter Deng and now with Chinese pastor Wing Tso.

Pastor Winderlich’s cross-cultural experience comes also from the LCA’s ministry with Aboriginal people in central Australia. As chairman of the Finke River Mission Board, he was instrumental in advancing the effective delivery of theological education to Aboriginal pastors and lay leaders.

As chair of the LCA’s national Safe Place Committee, he steered the review and development of policy and procedures.  He is an ambassador for White Ribbon, an organisation campaigning to end violence against women.

He has credentials in Human Resources and in Workplace Training and Assessment, and has recently been admitted to the doctoral program of the University of Divinity (Melbourne) through ALC.

Pastor Winderlich is Second Assistant Bishop of the South Australia/Northern Territory District.

‘ALC has a major role in the mission and ministry of the LCA’, Bishop Henderson said. ‘Like the church itself, it has many joys but also many challenges.Should God guide him to accept this call, Pastor James knows that a high level of service and leadership will be asked of him. As he considers his response and listens to the Holy Spirit, I ask church members to pray for him, and for ALC, that God’s will may be done.’

ALC Dean and Vice-Principal Dr Stephen Haar has been Acting Principal since June last year when former principal Pastor John Henderson left to take up the position of LCA Bishop.

The regular rules of the church allow a pastor four weeks from receipt of a call to give his response.