Well now there is. At Immanuel's house (of worship that is...)

You may not have known that while Pastor Acton was serving our congregation as senior pastor, serving on the NID district board of directors, and waging his own personal battle with lymphoma, he was also pursing his doctor of ministry degree at Fuller Seminary in California. As part of his curriculum he wrote countless papers, attended classes in Pasadena, CA, mentored a fledgling congregation outside Rockford, and wrote a dissertation on building healthy congregations. His course work was completed last year and his dissertation was accepted last month. 

On behalf of the Elders and Board of Directors of Immanuel, we are pleased to announce that Pastor Thomas Acton has been awarded the Doctor of Ministry degree. Pastor Acton's commitment to lifelong learning has benefited us all and we are grateful to have his ongoing leadership in our parish ministry setting. Please join us in recognizing this accomplishment. While an appropriate title is Reverend Doctor Acton, I'm sure he will still answer to simply, "Pastor Tom." Details will follow on formally recognizing this milestone in his long career.

In Christ,

Dave Mueller, Chairman of the Board of Elders
Jeff Berger, President of Immanuel