Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Scholarships in Theology, Diaconal and Development

What is the category of this opportunity?

Undergraduate, Masters, PhD/Postdoctoral, Research

How do I know if I’m eligible for the scholarship?

• Church affiliation of the candidate: Only applications from active members of LWF member churches are considered. All applications must be endorsed and submitted by the church. No applications submitted by individuals will be considered.
• Nationality of the candidate: Only candidates from developing countries are eligible for scholarships in fields of diakonia/development. The theological scholarships are, in principle, open to candidates from all regions and countries.
• Age limits: Only candidates up to a certain age are eligible for LWF scholarships, depending on the pursued degree:
  

  Degree	Maximum age at the time of application*
  Bachelor degrees	35
  Master degrees	40
  Doctorate	45
  Post-doctoral/research	50
  *Special considerations: For candidates who are church employees at the time of application, age limits may be exceeded by up to 7 years for female candidates and up to 5 years for male candidates. For candidates who are actively engaged in the church’s theological or diaconal work at the time of application, age limits may be exceeded by up to 5 years for female candidates and up to 3 years for male candidates. Relatively higher consideration is made for female candidates due to social and cultural factors which cause them to pursue studies later.

What are the selection criteria?

• HICD needs of the church: The proposed training field and degree has to respond well to the human and institutional capacity development needs of the church. The requesting church must demonstrate convincingly how a given application would meet a specific and crucial personnel need in its overall ministry in church and society.
• Current and future position of the candidate: All candidates are expected to have been in the service of the church and/or community as employees or volunteers. There has to be a clear commitment by the church to engage the candidate as employee or volunteer in an area related to the proposed training after completion of the candidate’s studies/training.
• Quality of the application: The candidate must demonstrate convincingly his/her commitment, ability and motivation to pursue the training and to support the church afterwards (good educational and professional qualifications, recommendations and certificates, convincing character).
• Study place. The LWF encourages candidates to study in their home country or home region. In case a study or training program abroad is proposed, convincing reasons must be given in the application.
• Gender and youth quota: At least 40% of the approved candidates will be female; at least 20% will be youth below the age of 30 years. These quotas will not only apply to the overall approvals, but also to each church and region.
• Regional balance: The LWF seeks to ensure that candidates from different regions, countries and churches are being supported.

What are the benefits of the award?

In total, 50-80 scholarships will be awarded for studies in diaconia and development and 20-25 for theological studies. Additional funding is available for short-term training of up to six months in the areas of diakonia and development. An endorsement by the respective LWF member church is required.

How long will the programme last? 

• Regular scholarships for study programs of at least 1 year: The candidates are approved for at least 1 year of support to take up or complete their proposed study program. For candidates who have already started with their study program, this means that the study program has to last for at least 1.5 years at the time of application, hence 1 year at the time of approval.
• Short-term scholarships for training of up to 6 months: The candidates are approved for a short-term training which may last up to 6 months. This may include training courses, workshops, exchange programs or research projects which respond to the needs of the applying church. Application forms and selection criteria are the same as for regular scholarships.

How to Apply for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Scholarships

• Application Form for LWF Scholarships: The application form has to be filled in by both the candidate, his/her congregational pastor and the head office of the endorsing church. The Step-by-Step Guidance on How to Complete the Application Form should be read carefully beforehand.
• Attachments to the Application Form: Applications are considered incomplete without attachments.
• Human Resource Capacity Profile of the Applying Church: Each applying church is supposed to provide information on its overall human resource needs by completing or updating the form.

A maximum of 5 applications per church may be submitted. They should be sent as a scan to [email protected]; the hard copies should be sent to:
The Lutheran World Federation
Department for Mission and Development
Diakonia and Development Desk
P.O. Box 2100 CH-1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland

Programme Webpage