Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is pleased to make available the audio file from a convocation address delivered on its campus on Wednesday, Nov. 7, by Dr. Ralph Geisler, mission and ministry facilitator and director of evangelism services for the Missouri District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The address, "Pastoral Ministry in Rural America," is available in RealAudio® format for online listening or as a free download for offline listening from the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Web site (www.csl.edu).

"We are delighted to offer this address to a worldwide audience since a great number of our churches exist in rural America," commented Rev. Glen Thomas, vice president for seminary relations at Concordia Seminary. "Dr. Geisler gave a great deal of practical advice to our students regarding rural ministry, and we are confident that the church at large will benefit from the wisdom he expressed in his address."

No Wednesday classes are scheduled on the Concordia Seminary campus from the time the daily chapel service concludes (approx. 10:15 a.m.) until 12:30 p.m. On many Wednesdays, special guest speakers are invited to address the Seminary community in an hour-long convocation. The speakers cover a broad spectrum of subjects. Most are Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod members and espouse positions in accordance with the doctrinal position of the Synod. Others are not LCMS members and may espouse positions which challenge the Seminary community. The goal of all convocations is to inform and to inspire further thought, study, reflection and discussion between faculty, students and others in the Seminary community.

The convocation addresses join many other audio, video and print resources available free of charge on the Concordia Seminary Web site. "We are eager to share the theological expertise and leadership that exists on our campus with the church and the world," commented Thomas.

For more information, contact Seminary Relations, Concordia Seminary, 801 DeMun Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63105; 314.505.7370; semrelations@csl.edu.