About Us
Welcome to Frontier School of Mission
Frontier School of Mission (FSM) is a mission-focused training and resourcing ministry of the Lutheran Church of Australia, NSW and ACT District. FSM was founded in Albury, NSW, by Dr David Grulke in 2016.
FSM offers a range of non-accredited and informal training opportunities, as well as through partnering with Melbourne School of Theology, students can undertake accredited units and courses of the Australian College of Theology.
FSM is approved to offer accredited units at four sites in NSW and ACT: St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie; the NSW and ACT District Office in Bella Vista; Warrambui Retreat and Conference Centre in Murrumbateman (outside of Canberra); and St Luke's Lutheran Church in Albury.
The financial administration and registrar functions of FSM operate out of the NSW and ACT District Office. The Academic Dean of FSM and the library are based in Port Macquarie, NSW.
Teaching Sites
Frontier School of Mission can come to your Conference, Organisation or Congregation and run short courses or training.
FSM in collaboration with Melbourne School of Theology have 4 accredited Teaching sites:
St Peter's Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie
St Peter’s is set on two and a half acres bordered on two sides by remnant rainforest. The site is within walking distance of the Hastings River and about 2.5kms from the centre of Port Macquarie. The site includes the FSM academic office and the FSM library, consisting at present of approximately 8,000 volumes.
LCA NSW & ACT District Office, Bella Vista
The LCA NSW and ACT district office is located in Bella Vista in north-western Sydney. The District Office is easily accessed from both the north and south via the M7 Motorway, and a short 400m walk from Bella Vista Metro station. The Administrative staff of FSM are based at Bella Vista.
Warrambui Retreat and Conference Centre
Warrambui is a retreat and conference centre located near Murrumbateman, about 40 minutes north of Canberra. Warrambui is set within 300 Acres of picturesque bush land. Warrambui can host groups of up to 210 people and includes on-site accommodation and meals.
St Luke's Lutheran Church, Albury
St Luke’s is located near the city centre of beautiful Albury in the NSW Riverina region.St Luke's was the initial hub of Frontier since its inception in 2016 and as such has been the regular Riverina host for intensives.
Our Team
FSM draws upon a variety of qualified people to teach our units.
Rev. Dr. Mark Worthing
ACADEMIC DEAN
Mark Worthing holds a Dr Philosophy in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Regensburg, Germany, and a Dr Theology in foundational and ecumenical theology from the University of Munich. He is currently pastor of St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie, NSW. His previous academic and research positions include: Lecturer in Theology and Church History at Australian Lutheran College (1996-2001), Dean of College and Head of Humanities at Tabor College Adelaide (2001-2010), Senior Research Fellow of the Graeme Clark Research Institute at Tabor College, (2010-2012), and Senior Researcher at the Australian Lutheran Institute for Theology and Ethics (ALITE) (2013-2015). He has served parishes in the Lutheran Church in the US, Germany and Australia.
His recent publications include The Sacred Life of Words: A Guide for Christian Writers (Morning Star, 2020); Unlikely Allies: Monotheism and the Rise of Science. (ISCAST/Nexus books, 2019); Iscariot (Morning Star, 2018); Martin Luther: A Wild Boar in the Lord’s Vineyard (Morning Star, 2017); Narnia, Middle-Earth and the Kingdom of God (Stone Table Books, 2016); Graeme Clark. The Man Who Invented the Bionic Ear (Allen&Unwin, 2015); God and Science in Classroom and Pulpit, with G. Buxton and C. Mulherin (Mosaic Press 2012); and When Choice Matters: An Introduction to Christian Ethics (Pantaeus Press, 2004).
His book God, Creation and Contemporary Physics (Fortress Press), won the international 1997 Templeton Prize for best science and faith book of the year.
Mark is a Fellow of the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (ISCAST), and a founding member of the International Society of Science and Religion (ISSR).
Russell Veerhuis
FINANCE OFFICER
