CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, FORT WAYNE For the Life of the World
Faithfully Forming Servants: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
PRESIDENT
This issue of For the Life of the World highlights the many ways in which the Lord blessed Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, during the presidency of Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. As you take in these pages, you may be moved, as I have been, to marvel at God’s grace in maintaining our seminary for 178 years as a place where God’s Word and Luther’s teaching have been faithfully explored, studied, and propounded. You may also note how the good Lord used Dr. Rast to bring strength to strength. For this, not only our seminary community, but our entire church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), must be moved to prayers of thanksgiving. Praise be to God alone!
I must add my own thanks. When I was elected the seventeenth president of Concordia Theological Seminary in May, I came into office with a strong, capable, knowledgeable administration in place, significant improvements to our campus and buildings, a seasoned faculty that, by God’s grace, remains committed to bringing our students both in and out of the classroom into a bracing encounter with the Word of God and our blessed Confessions, and a student body committed to teaching and practicing in all ways, in season and out of season, according to that Word of God and those Confessions.
Ponder that for a moment. In the face of what the pundits call the decline of American Christianity, and after 178 years, the good and gracious Lord has made this moment possible.
And with this moment comes an explicit and implicit charge: to do everything humanly possible to advance our confessional Lutheran theology at every opportunity, to continue to add strength to strength on the legacy of those who came before us to make our seminary the center of confessional Lutheranism in the U.S. and throughout the world.
It’s an enormous task. And surely, without our gracious Lord’s blessing and the support of His faithful people, it will fail. But I’ve long thought the LCMS harbors a hidden strength: the unbending, unwavering desire of people in the pews to have God’s Word preached in its truth and purity, His Sacraments administered according to His command, and “every thought made captive in the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). While Jesus Christ
is and must be the chief cornerstone of all we do at our seminary, He uses the prayers, desires, and generosity of all the faithful in our church to enable our seminary to do this.
Over my years in the parish, I encountered many CTSFW graduates. If there was one thing that set them apart, it was their unflagging commitment to teaching and practicing according to the entire doctrine of Scripture and our Confessions. And you—if you are receiving this magazine—have probably noticed this and received such ministry to your eternal benefit. That’s our mission coming to fruition: “to form servants in Jesus Christ to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.”
That has always been the strength of our seminary. May the good and gracious Lord uphold His life-giving Word among us and our confession of His truth, to the abundant blessing of His church and world.
In Christ,
Jon S. Bruss President Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
4 Reflections on the Presidency
Two weeks before he retired from the presidency of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. shared some reflections on the past thirteen years at the helm of CTSFW. “You get to meet people and develop a range of relationships that I couldn’t have imagined before I entered this role,” said Rast. “I’ll probably miss that significantly. Not the traveling—I’ve done enough of that in my life. But working with people, that’s been the best part.”
8 God’s Blessings in the Rast Years
The list of improvements and blessings to the Seminary over the past thirteen years is long, touching every aspect of formation at CTSFW. The overview on these pages, mirroring a new CTSFW video, “Faithfully Forming Servants,” hits a few of the highlights.
11 Bruss to Serve as Seventeenth President of CTSFW
Dr. Jon S. Bruss, who joined the CTSFW faculty in 2022 as associate professor of systematic theology, was called on May 18, 2024, to serve as CTSFW’s new president. He accepted, asking for prayers for himself, his family, “and above all, our seminary, which has been and remains a singularly effective instrument for forming faithful servants of Christ and His Church.”
For the Life of the World is published by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the editor of For the Life of the World by email at FLOW@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-3153. Copyright 2024. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Berne, Indiana.
For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. To manage your subscription, please email FLOW@ctsfw.edu or call (452) 260-2150.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
“What I’ll miss most
Kristine S . Bruss
Concordia Theological Seminary is one of God’s great gifts to the Church, and it is the people—the Board, faculty, staff, and, especially, the students— whom God has gathered here who make it such a gift. As we step forward into a new time, we know there will be challenges before us; we know that there are changes we will experience. But one thing never changes, and that is the grace of God in Jesus Christ for each and every one of us.
On May 21, 2011, Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. was elected and called as president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW). He accepted the call on the spot and began serving just one week later. In his first president’s letter in the July 2011 issue of For the Life of the World, Rast wrote about the transition, focusing on God’s guidance in the years ahead.
“Concordia Theological Seminary is one of God’s great gifts to the Church, and it is the people—the Board, faculty, staff, and, especially, the students— whom God has gathered here who make it such a gift,” wrote Rast. “As we step forward into a new time, we know there will be challenges before us; we know that there are changes we will experience. But one thing never changes, and that is the grace of God in Jesus Christ for each and every one of us.”
Rast, who holds an MDiv (1990) and STM (1995) from CTSFW and a PhD from Vanderbilt University in Nashville (2003), was well-prepared for the expected challenges and changes when he took office. He was called to the
faculty of CTSFW in 1996 after serving as a pastor for four years at Ascension Lutheran Church in Madison, Tennessee. Not long after he arrived, he was tapped for administrative duties.
“I was STM supervisor, and in 1998 when Bill Weinrich was elected vicepresident of the Synod, he and Dean [Wenthe, then president] asked me to help out,” he recalls. Just a few weeks after that conversation, Weinrich was sidelined with a health issue, and Rast stepped in as acting academic dean for the fall quarter. “[Cameron] MacKenzie was on sabbatical, and Hank [Heino] Kadai took ill, so I was the History Department, as well. It was crazy.”
In 2006, after serving eight years
Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford
Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford
THE PRESIDENCY
are the people.”
as assistant academic dean, Rast was named academic dean, a post he says he “enjoyed immensely.” With significant faculty and administrative experience under his belt, he was ideally positioned to take over as president when Dean Wenthe retired.
The Central Task: Forming Servants
in Jesus Christ
Rast set his sights early in his presidency on the CTSFW’s mission “to form servants in Jesus Christ to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.”
“When I became president, I said one of the things that I’d like to see us do is live more into our mission statement. And the way I framed that was to say, ‘Teach, reach, care. Those are spot on, but the actual verb in this whole thing is form.’ So that was my challenge to myself initially—that, and helping people think a little bit more about the formation at CTSFW.”
At that time, some were questioning the viability of residential pastoral formation in the Missouri Synod. “I came right out of the chute and said,
‘We’re committed to residential pastoral formation. We understand there are going to be exceptional circumstances where you use other tools and that sort of thing, but we’re committed to residential pastoral formation.” Rast notes that’s still the case today.
What has changed, he says, is our students, whose pre-formation is very different from years past.
“There was a time when you could assume that most of your students were going to have come out of the church in some form or fashion. If they weren’t ‘cradle-to-collar,’ at least they’d been in the church for quite some time and had an idea about how it worked and had experience in it. Not anymore.”
While some CTSFW students still fit the old mold, an increasing number are not lifelong Lutherans; some are not lifelong Christians. They have a deep commitment to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, and they come to CTSFW with that conviction and commitment.
“But they don’t have a lot of experience in how you do it, you know,
within a church body that has a 177-year history,” Rast says with a laugh. “And that can be a little awkward at times because congregations are funny things and seminaries are funny things and synods are really funny things, too.”
These new circumstances—having limited time for formation and a need for greater attention to acculturation—put the onus on professors to think about how to carry out their particular part of the formation process concisely. “You have to be laser sharp on this,” says Rast. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh, they already know all this stuff,’ and just kind of slough it off. You become even more important in the formation process.”
In that regard, he says, the Seminary’s continued efforts to encourage the faculty to think about acting as pastoral mentors all the time—not just as academic advisors, not just as classroom professors, but truly being pastors to future pastors and deaconesses—are key.
“That’s how you’re going to form them,” he says. “That’s how they’re going to be shaped.”
Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford
Ministry Challenges
Just as students have changed, so, too, has the ministry.
“Back when I started, in the early nineties, there were all sorts of assumptions I could make about the people I'd meet,” Rast said. “They're going to know something about the Bible. If you say Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they’ll know who you mean.”
Those assumptions are no longer safe to make, says Rast. "With anything you say about the Bible, you're going to have to do a lot of backfilling and provide a lot of context. You can't just walk out and say, ‘This is what it is.’”
Rast says pastors can no longer appeal to their office as such, in part due to a loss of respect for clergy. “It’s been horrifying to watch the way the respect for the Office of the Ministry has plunged—for some very good reasons, even if they aren’t our reasons, necessarily. So I always tell the pastoral students, ‘If you have to appeal to your office or your authority, you’re already done. That’s not how you do it. You lead by serving in this regard, rather than by simply pronouncing.’
“It’s a mindset. It’s a mentality. In formation, it takes some time to find your way through all that.” And that, Rast says, is why residential formation is so important. To have that time on campus, before life in the parish is governed by the relentless rhythm of the church year, is a unique opportunity.
“It’s a time to take advantage of, because you won’t have something precisely like this again. You just won’t.”
That’s what Rast tells students when they’re at the seminary. But first they need to enroll, and recruiting, he says, has been the biggest challenge of the job, marked by ups and downs, including the economic crash of 2008 and a couple of years when not all students were placed immediately.
“We took a little dip at that point in time and worked very hard to address the challenge, and we stabilized. And we’ve remained relatively stable. But it’s a huge challenge. We’ve had great people who have worked incredibly hard to help folks see the opportunities in either pastoral ministry or diaconal ministry, and how they could serve in these kinds of roles that would help the church in really, really important ways.
“Then to do that within the context of a contracting church body as well, a significantly contracting church body, is no small feat. So it’s been a challenge. That one just never goes away.”
Blessings and Takeaways
There are other challenges of the job, to be sure. There’s the travelheavy schedule, the never-ending administrative tasks, and countless hours spent with lawyers (which for Rast has been one of the biggest surprises of the job). Those challenges notwithstanding, God has blessed the Seminary in myriad ways during Rast’s thirteen-year run as president, with highlights including a successful capital campaign, significant growth in the endowment, introduction of a full tuition coverage program for
residential students, and completion of the Wayne and Barbara Kroemer Library expansion, a project that started in the Wenthe administration.
“Completing the library renovation was huge,” says Rast. “We had built the shell and completed a portion of it, but the project wasn’t really moving. I looked at it and thought, ‘How are we going to get this thing restarted?’ I remember driving one day between Greensboro and Charlotte, and I got a call from Wayne Kroemer about a matching gift to complete the library. What a great gift from the Kroemers, kind of coming out of the blue! We still had work to do, but that allowed us to ramp things back up.”
The finished project was worth the wait. “It’s a great building,” Rast said. “I could not be more pleased with the way it fits into the architecture, and with its usability and beauty. It’s a home run.”
There have been many other highlights during Rast’s presidency, from significant strategic planning to endowed faculty chairs to new graduate programs, but he’s particularly grateful for the people around him as well as those he’s been able to meet.
He’s thankful for his family for their support during his presidency. He recognizes the importance of having the right people in the administration and bringing on faculty “who are really gifted and committed and wonderful folks.” And it’s been fantastic, he says, to be able to spend time with the people of God.
“You get to meet people and develop a range of relationships that I couldn’t have imagined before I entered this role. I knew a lot of people before, and I did a lot of traveling, but it is exponentially more involved at this point. You don’t know who you’re going to meet, all these really, really interesting people that you probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet otherwise.
“I’ll probably miss that significantly. Not the traveling—I’ve done enough of that in my life. But working with people, that’s been the best part.”
He’ll even miss watching people on campus from the president’s office. “The view is very nice, with the chapel up there. I like to sit and watch the people going in and out of the chapel during the course of the day or up on the plaza, with the campus doing what it’s supposed to do, and that is force people to interact with one another.”
He might miss that view, but the people will still be there when he returns from his sabbatical and resumes life as a full-time professor of historical theology. When he does, he’ll bring with him a unique perspective, countless stories to tell, and an unswerving commitment to forming servants in Jesus Christ to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.
Kristine S. Bruss (Kristine. Bruss@ctsfw.edu) serves as chief communications officer at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.
A Favorite Scripture Verse
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9–10
“We’re in a highly polarized culture. People are very good at finding the things that divide us, and that kind of mentality creeps into the church all too frequently. I’ve turned to this text over and over again just to remind myself, ‘That’s not where you want to go,’ because it would be easy to follow that path. But that’s not a helpful path.
“Instead, help people recognize their own gifts and use them for the sake of the proclamation of the Gospel, especially, but for the wellbeing of the church in general, and then more narrowly for us as a seminary to find ways to work together.”
Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., President Emeritus
Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford
God’s Blessings IN THE Rast Years 2011–2024
MISSION
“The key verb in our mission statement is ‘form.’ We want to form servants who teach, reach, and care, but that means formation. How do we go about intentionally bringing about those characteristics? We’re very insistent on adhering to our roots as confessional Lutherans, where Scripture and the Confessions are absolutely definitional for us.”
—Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr.
“Our seminary is key and crucial for educating future leaders around the world. We have something in our possession, a theological heritage that we can export to others around the world who have never really heard about what it means to be a confessional Lutheran.”
—Dr. K. Detlev Schulz
Confessional Theology
“During President Rast’s second term we reviewed the curriculum, and one of the very interesting things that came up in our survey of graduates is that they actually wanted more study in the Lutheran Confessions. It just shows the grounding that they see is important for them to have as faithful Lutheran pastors—knowing and studying and understanding the Scriptures and proclaiming them clearly as we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Confessions.”
—Dr. Charles A. Gieschen
Strengthening Confessional Lutheranism Worldwide
Mentoring
“The mentoring program really has the same goal that the whole seminary has, and that is that the students might know Christ. And then to take the Christ that they’ve come to know and love in the various disciplines here and bring it to the people in a very clear and concise but comforting way.”
—Dr. Geoffrey R. Boyle
Full Tuition Coverage
“As students thought about what they really wanted, two foci were there: one was to have naturally lighted, quiet study spaces for their individual work and the other was to have areas where they could collaborate, where they could work together.”
—Prof. Robert V. Roethemeyer
“Those first couple of years bringing students in with full tuition coverage [starting in the 2018–2019 academic year], they were just absolutely floored. We had to continue to focus them and say, ‘You know, it’s not the Seminary. It’s our donors! It’s our donors—it’s men and women, congregations— throughout our Synod who are investing into you as future pastors and deaconesses.’”
Caring Beyond the Classroom
“The joy of being able to provide a minimum of 50% of students’ grocery needs through the co-ops, that’s huge. It’s everybody else caring for their future pastors, caring for their pastors’ families, caring for their future deaconesses.”
—Deac. Katherine E. Rittner
“A decade ago we began to livestream our services. Our daily chapel service at 10 a.m. ET has always been well received, and we’re constantly hearing from people. It’s one of the number one places people go to on our website. For people scattered all around the world that becomes quite an encouragement as they can get a glimpse of their future pastors being trained.”
—Dr. Paul J. Grime
—Rev. Matthew J. Wietfeldt
For more of the story, view CTSFW’s “Faithfully Forming Servants” video. Scan the QR code or go to ctsfw.edu/FormingServants.
Kroemer Library Expansion
Daily Chapel
25th Annual Conference
Good Shepherd Institute Through the Church the Song Goes On
November 10–12, 2024
When Martin Luther made his first foray into the world of hymn writing 500 years ago and urged others to do the same, he could not have imagined the creative forces that he was unleashing. A celebration of those first Lutheran hymns and the hymnals that followed is a natural focal point for our 2024 conference.
PAUL GRIME (CTSFW) will show not only how Luther’s approach to congregational song was different from that of other reformers, but also how he set the stage for a rich hymnological tradition among Lutherans that would eventually affect all Christians.
CHRISTOPHER BOYD BROWN (Boston University) will demonstrate how Lutherans quickly built on the foundation that Luther had laid.
LESTER RUTH (Duke University) will trace the development of a new form of congregational song— contemporary praise and worship—a subject on which he is a leading expert.
STEPHEN STARKE, a noted hymn writer in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, will answer the question: With so many good hymns already at our disposal, why write and sing new ones?
The conference will also include a choice of practical seminars as well as services, recitals, and our annual hymn festival.
Visit ctsfw.edu/GSI for more information or to register.
Luther Hostel
A Collection of Timely Topics
November 6–8, 2024
“Luther Hostel is a wonderful event where you can immerse yourself in God's Word and get to know the professors and other Lutherans around the U.S.—past attendees and new ones. It’s a good opportunity to renew your faith and relax and forget about the outside world. To be on the beautiful CTSFW campus, meeting the students who are becoming our future pastors and deaconesses and worshipping with them in Kramer Chapel, is a bonus!”
~Pam Selking
Registration opens at the end of summer. Watch for details at ctsfw.edu/events.
Bruss to Serve as Seventeenth President of CTSFW
Installation September 8, 2024
CTSFW President-Elect Dr. Jon S. Bruss, center, with the presidential electors (from left): Dr. Roger Paavola, district president representative on the CTSFW Board of Regents; Christian Preus, chair of the LCMS Board of Directors; Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS); and Dr. Scott Murray, chair of the CTSFW Board of Regents.
The Board of Regents of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), called Dr. Jon S. Bruss, associate professor of systematic theology at CTSFW, to serve as the Seminary’s seventeenth president after his unanimous election May 18, 2024. Dr. Scott Murray, chair of the CTSFW Board of Regents and one of the four designated electors, announced the call in a livestreamed prayer service in Kramer Chapel shortly after the election.
“As the board chair, I can say that we have elected a faithful candidate who will lead the Seminary into the future that God has mapped out for it,” said Murray. “Dr. Bruss comes with superb gifts and experience for this leadership challenge.”
Per the bylaws of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), the president-elect has fifteen days to respond to the call, but Bruss was ready with his answer at the prayer service.
“I’m both humbled and deeply honored by the electors’ action today,” said Bruss. “After nearly six months of prayerful consideration as a nominee, and with the wise counsel of fellow Christians and brother pastors, I’m moved to accept this call and hereby do. God grant me a mouth and wisdom! I ask for your prayers for me, my family, and above all, our seminary, which has been and remains a singularly effective
instrument for forming faithful servants of Christ and His Church. Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word!”
Bruss, 56, joined the CTSFW faculty in 2022 with extensive experience in higher education and pastoral ministry. He earned his MDiv in 1995 from Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) in Mankato, Minnesota. From 1991 through 2002, Bruss taught languages, ancient history, and world literature at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, during which time he pursued an MA and PhD in classics at the University of Minnesota.
After completing his PhD in 2001, Bruss taught classics at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He colloquized into the LCMS in 2006 and took a pastoral call in 2013 to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Topeka, Kansas, where he served as assistant pastor (2013–2015), then senior pastor (2015–2022), until his call to join the faculty at CTSFW.
He and his wife, Kristine, chief communications officer at CTSFW, have one daughter, Ingrid, and a soon-to-be son-in-law, Peter Funk.
Departing Seminary President Lawrence R. Rast Jr., who will return to the CTSFW faculty full-time after a yearlong sabbatical, expressed confidence in his successor. “Dr. Bruss has been a wonderful addition to our faculty, and I am delighted that he will follow me as president of CTSFW. I have every confidence in his ability to lead our seminary through the joys and challenges of the coming years.”
Faculty News
Just Receives Great Commission Award
On May 3, 2024, Dr . Arthur Just, professor of exegetical theology at CTSFW, received the Great Commission Award from Concordia University Irvine at its commencement ceremony. The award honors those who have demonstrated a commitment to Christ’s Great Commission through noteworthy service to the church in the areas of missionary activity and evangelism or through support of missionary activity and evangelism.
Just, who joined the CTSFW faculty in 1984, has contributed to the church in a variety of ways through his teaching, writing, and leadership in areas including New Testament studies, Lutheran worship, deaconess formation, and care of the sick and dying. He has served as a theological educator for the LCMS Office of International Mission for over two decades, with a significant emphasis on Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain.
“The Jerusalem cross has been my guide throughout my life,” said Just in his acceptance remarks. “The cross in the middle is Jesus’ cross where he laid down his life for us. The four other crosses represent the four Gospels that teach us about Jesus and his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. And they also represent the four corners of the world where these Gospels are to be taught. That is at the heart of the Great Commission and why the church is ʻever to Emmaus.ʼ Thank you for this great honor.”
Bushur and Grobien
Promoted
The CTSFW Board of Regents voted to promote Dr . James Bushur and Dr . Gifford Grobien from associate to full professor in February.
“Dr. Bushur and Dr. Grobien are both gifted and faithful professors who have a great impact on our students each day in their classrooms,” said CTSFW Provost Dr. Charles Gieschen.
“The action of the Board of Regents in advancing them both in academic rank is a well-deserved affirmation of their exemplary service to our Lord at CTSFW. All their colleagues rejoice with them in this board action and look forward to their continued service at this seminary.”
Bushur, who joined the CTSFW faculty in the fall of 2006, serves as the Carl and Erna Weinrich Professor of New Testament and Early Church Studies and director of Deaconess Formation Programs at CTSFW. Grobien serves as professor of systematic theology, assistant provost, and director of the DMin Program at CTSFW and has been on the CTSFW faculty since 2012.
Thank You, CTSFW Faculty!
The Rev . Torkild Masvie, bishop of the Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland (LCNI), recently sent the Seminary a photo taken May 23, 2024, in the garden of the royal palace in Oslo, Norway, with a word of thanks to the CTSFW faculty. “Three clergy, seventy years old on average, are thanking the teachers of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, for helping train seven young pastors of our church. The last one will be trained Fall 2024/Spring 2025.” Soli Deo gloria!
From left: Rev. Alf Danbolt, Rev. Kjetil Homdal, Rev. Gunstein Innvær, Rev. Martin Olai Torsvik, Rev. Olav Berg, Bishop Torkild Masvie, Rev. Håvard Evensen, Rev. Markus Snellman, Rev. Eirik-Kornelius Garnes-Lunde, and Rev. Sakarias Ingolfsson, deputy bishop.
Photo courtesy of Concordia University Irvine
Ordination and Installation in Tanzania
Dr. Naomichi Masaki, the Reverend Victor H. and Lydia Dissen Professor of the Lutheran Confessions, attended the service of ordination of thirty-eight pastors and installation of eleven deaconesses June 2, 2024, at Ebenezer Cathedral in Shinyanga, Tanzania. The majority of those ordained and installed were part of the fourth cohort of the Concordia Pastoral and Diaconal Training Program, which celebrated its commencement the previous day. “It was like both Call Day and ordination/installation combined,” said Masaki. “So wonderful to witness the fruits of CTSFW’s labor in theological education, as well as all the prayerful financial support of LCMS districts of Mid-South, Indiana, and Iowa East. It is all about our Lord and His church.”
CE in St. Paul
Professor John Pless spent several days in late May at Jehovah Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he taught the Continuing Education course, “Luther’s Catechism in the Life of the Congregation.” Pless traveled to Louisiana and California for two additional CE courses in June. Visit ctsfw.edu/CE for the remaining 2024 CE schedule.
Preaching in the Czech Republic
CTSFW President Dr. Jon Bruss had an opportunity to preach at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in downtown Prague during an April trip to the Czech Republic. Bruss later traveled to Brno to serve as the main speaker for a Luther Academy theological conference with the theme, “The Pastor’s Manual.”
Without the Shedding of Blood
Dr. David P. Scaer, the David P. Scaer Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, takes aim at antinomianism in his new book, Without the Shedding of Blood (Ad Crucem, 2024). The book is a collection of seventeen essays by Scaer, chronologically ordered by publication year, beginning with “The Law Gospel Debate in the Missouri Synod” (The Springfielder, 1972) and concluding with a 2024 piece, “The Sermon on the Mount and Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms.”
To get a copy from the CTSFW Bookstore, visit ctsfw.edu/bookstore.
Call Day 2024
Eighty-six students at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), learned where they will be serving as vicars, deaconess interns, and pastors in two special services held April 23 and April 24 in Kramer Chapel. Students were placed in twenty-six districts of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).
“Pastoral and diaconal formation is at the heart of who we are and what we do here at CTSFW,” said Dr. Todd Peperkorn, director of Vicarage and Internship, at the assignment service April 23. “This formation happens because of the congregations around the country who partner with us in this wonderful work. Thank God for the people of the LCMS, and for these men and women who have offered themselves up for service in Christ’s Church.”
The Rev. Karl Bollhagen, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hampton, Iowa, preached a sermon on Ephesians 3:14–21, focusing on the common advice to new church workers to “love your people.” Later in the service, Peperkorn presented Bollhagen and his congregation with the Wyneken Vicarage Award, given annually to pastors and congregations that have demonstrated exceptional service to the church through their participation in the vicarage program. Bollhagen has supervised twenty vicars at Trinity and will soon be working with another, seminarian Jacob Stefanec of Ilion, New York.
At the 2024 Call Service April 24, thirty-eight men received their first calls into pastoral ministry (including one student from Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario). Dr. Lee Hagan, president of the LCMS Missouri District and chair of the LCMS Council of Presidents, served as preacher for the service, noting that students will leave the seminary with many things, but the most important thing they will take with them is the Word of God.
“Couches wear out, memories fade, but the Word of our God stands forever,” said Hagan.
Dr. Jeffrey Pulse, director of Certification and Placement at CTSFW, briefly explained how students are matched with congregations before he announced the calls. “The placement process has its challenges every year, and this year is no exception,” said Pulse. “It requires the work of the entire church, and it is with thanksgiving that I announce to you that every candidate from your seminary who has been prepared for the Office of the Holy Ministry will receive a call.”
Pulse reported that the number of congregational calls exceeded the number of pastors available from the two LCMS seminaries, with fifty-one calls going unfilled. “Please give your prayers for those congregations not receiving a pastor at this time,” said Pulse. “And pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers.”
For videos of both services, lists of calls and assignments, photo albums, and an interactive map, visit our Call Day website at ctsfw.edu/callday.
Photos: Glen A. Werling and Steve J. Blakey
Seminary Announces Placements
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, announces its vicarage assignments, deaconess internships, calls to the pastoral ministry, and deaconess placements for the 2023–2024 academic year.
DEACONESS PLACEMENT
Fall 2023
RACHEL BULGRIEN
Zion Lutheran Church Harbor Beach, MI Michigan District
CAMILLE COX
Grace Lutheran Church St. Petersburg, FL Florida-Georgia District
KAROL KETCHER
Trinity Lutheran Church Crown Point, IN Indiana District
CHRISTIANNA NEMEC
Redeemer Lutheran Church Lubbock, TX Texas District
DEACONESS INTERNSHIPS
April 23, 2024
KIMBERLY BOWER
St. John Lutheran Church East Moline, IL Central Illinois District
CAROLYN FERGUSON
Immanuel Lutheran Church Wichita, KS Kansas District
MELISSA HARNDEN
Ascension of Christ Lutheran Church
Beverly Hills, MI English District
STEPHANIE KINLEY
Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, IN Indiana District
RUTHANN LANGNESS
Perry Lutheran Homes Perry, IA Iowa West District
HALEY RANDOLPH
Concordia Lutheran Ministries Cabot, PA Eastern District
VICARAGE ASSIGNMENTS
April 23, 2024
ZACHARY BENKERT
Pella Lutheran Church Waupun, WI South Wisconsin District
KYLE BLISS
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Arlington, WI South Wisconsin District
PETER CANDREVA
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Petersburg, MI Michigan District
DEREK CAREY
St. Paul Lutheran Church Napoleon, OH Ohio District
DAVID CHRISTENSEN
Zion Lutheran Church Mitchell, SD South Dakota District
CLAYTON DODGE
Immanuel Lutheran Church Garber, OK Oklahoma District
NOAH DUNSMORE
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Columbus, OH Ohio District
WILLIAM EBEL
Faith Lutheran Church
Green Bay, WI North Wisconsin District
JACK ENGELDER
Zion Lutheran Church Kalamazoo, MI Michigan District
TREVOR FLANICK
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Lincoln, NE Nebraska District
JOSHUA GERKEN Concordia Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, IN Indiana District
EZEKIEL GRABAU
St. Paul Lutheran Church Ankeny, IA Iowa West District
JAMES GRAMZOW
Grace Lutheran Church Naples, FL Florida-Georgia District
DAVID GRASCH
Grace Lutheran Church Muncie, IN Indiana District
DAVID GRAY
Shepherd of the City Lutheran Ch. Fort Wayne, IN Indiana District
IAN HABICHT
University Lutheran Chapel Minneapolis, MN Minnesota South District
MICHAEL HAHN
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Gresham, OR Northwest District
TRAVIS HARTMAN
Catalina Lutheran Church Tucson, AZ English District
MICHAEL HENDRICKSON
Memorial Lutheran Church Houston, TX Texas District
JOSIAH JUNKIN
Faith Lutheran Church La Crosse, WI South Wisconsin District
KENNETH KLAEHN
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Grabill, IN Indiana District
LUKE KONKEL
Saint Paul Lutheran Church Eldora, IA Iowa East District
DAVID KRUEGER
St. Paul Lutheran Church Austin, TX Texas District
MARK LANGTON
Trinity Lutheran Church Waterville, MN Minnesota South District
BRENTLEY LOTHAMER
Zion Lutheran Church Decatur, IN Indiana District
PAUL MROCZENSKI
LCMS Office of International Mission St. Louis, MO Missouri District
ADAM NIETING
Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran Ch. Fort Wayne, IN Indiana District
JESSE O’SHELL
Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Churubusco, IN Indiana District
ERIK OSMUNDSON
Redeemer Lutheran Church Highland, IN Indiana District
ANDREW PARTIPILO
Trinity Lutheran Church Auburn, IN Indiana District
HARVEY PETERS
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Cedar Falls, IA Iowa East District
MORGAN PHILLIPS
Bethlehem Lutheran Church Ossian, IN Indiana District
JONATHAN POPPE
Grace Lutheran Church St. Petersburg, FL Florida-Georgia District
TANNER SAWALL
Trinity Lutheran Church Norman, OK Oklahoma District
JACOB STEFANEC
Trinity Lutheran Church Hampton, IA Iowa East District
ADAM THIEL
Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries Inc. Philadelphia, PA English District
CARTER THORMAN
Zion Lutheran Church Imperial, NE Nebraska District
NICHOLAS TOTENHAGEN
St. James Lutheran Church Howard Lake, MN Minnesota South District
CHAD VAN METER
Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, IN Indiana District
JASON VON DER LAGE
Saint Paul Lutheran Church New Haven, IN Indiana District
CORY WILLWEBER
Messiah Lutheran Church Danville, CA English District
PASTORAL CALLS
April 24, 2024
ISAIAH ARMBRECHT
Our Savior Lutheran Church Manchester, IA Iowa East District
JEFFERSON ARNOLD
Christ the King Lutheran Church Mooresville, IN Indiana District
SHAWN BARNETT
Redeemer Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, IN English District
JESSE BRUBAKER
Christ the Vine Lutheran Church Damascus, OR Northwest District
THOMAS CHAMBERLAIN
Emmanuel Lutheran Church Van Wert, OH
St. John’s Lutheran Church Wapakoneta, OH Ohio District
PATRICK COX
Cross Of Christ Lutheran Church Chattanooga, TN Mid-South District
JORDAN DEBOER
First English Lutheran Church Park Rapids, MN Minnesota North District
TREY DOAK
CLTS, St. Catharines, Ontario
Immanuel Lutheran Church Hoxie, KS
Immanuel Lutheran Church Oakley, KS Kansas District
TED FISCHER
St. Peter Lutheran Church
Arlington Heights, IL Northern Illinois District
JOSEPH GOODROAD
Grace Lutheran Church Iola, KS Kansas District
JESSE GREENHAGEN
Zion Lutheran Church
Mt. Pleasant, MI Michigan District
JOSEPH GREENMYER
Faith Lutheran Church Parkston, SD
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Emery, SD South Dakota District
KEVIN HEMPE
Our Savior Lutheran Church Pacifica, CA California-Nevada-Hawaii District
ANDREW HILL
Trinity Lutheran Church Rock Springs, WY
Emmanuel Lutheran Church Green River, WY Wyoming District
JASON IWEN
Zion Lutheran Church Winnemucca, NV
Christ Lutheran Church Battle Mountain, NV California-Nevada-Hawaii District
ALEX KALDAHL
Trinity Lutheran Church Marcus, IA
Pilgrim Lutheran Church Quimby, IA
Trinity Lutheran Church Hinton, IA Iowa West District
JOHN KASTNER
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Olathe, KS Kansas District
NOAH KERSTEIN
Faith Lutheran Church Lincoln, IL Central Illinois District
THOMPSON MARIN
St. Paul Lutheran Church Batavia, NY
Eastern District
JAMES MARTIN
Grace Lutheran Church
Clarksville, TN Mid-South District
KEVIN MCGLADDERY
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Orange, CT New England District
CHRISTIAN MUNDORF
Messiah Lutheran Church Saginaw, MI
Michigan District
LUKE OTTEN
Holy Cross Lutheran Church Elmwood Park, WI
Christ the King Lutheran Church Racine, WI South Wisconsin District
PETER PREUS
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Bridgeport, NE Wyoming District
JARED RUDOLPH
Peace Lutheran Church Fremont, IN English District
ERIK SAUNDERS
Trinity Lutheran Church Miles City, MT Montana District
JOHN SCHOBER
Risen Savior Lutheran Church Franklin, WI South Wisconsin District
MICHAEL SKARDA Redeemer Lutheran Church Lebanon, CT New England District
RICHARD SOVITZKY
Trinity Lutheran Church Sugar Grove, OH
Trinity Lutheran Church Logan, OH Ohio District
SOLOMON SPANGLER
Christ The King Lutheran Church Grosse Pointe Woods, MI English District
ZACHARY STAEHR
Trinity Lutheran Church Manilla, IA Iowa West District
GABRIEL STRAWN
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Gorham, ME
New England District
BRANDON SULLIVAN
Christ Lutheran Church
Mason City, IL
Zion Lutheran Church New Holland, IL
Central Illinois District
CHRISTOPHER WARNEKE
Redeemer Lutheran Church Arkansas City, KS
Trinity Lutheran Church
Winfield, KS Kansas District
DAVID WENNDT
Peace Lutheran Church
Wall Lake, IA Iowa West District
SCOTT WOODHOUSE
St. James Lutheran Church
Logansport, IN Indiana District
KALEB YAEGER
Trinity Lutheran Church Sturgis, MI
Michigan District
KOH YAMAMOTO
Christ Lutheran Church Paris, TN
Mid-South District
DEACONESS PLACEMENTS
May 16, 2024
EVA AIELLO
Zion Lutheran Church
Litchfield, IL
Southern Illinois District
CLAIRE GERRARD
Trinity Lutheran Church
Garden City, KS Kansas District
JOANNA LEE
Zion Lutheran Church
Bridgeville, PA Eastern District
MELISSA PFLUG
LCMS Office of International
Mission—Germany
Missouri District
CTSFW Students Explore Missions in the Dominican Republic
Glen A. Werling
Participants in the short-term mission education trip: From left (front): Erin Alter (director, LCMS Short-Term Mission Teams), Erin Mackenzie (LCMS missionary, Dominican Republic), Marius-Sergiu Trifa, Paul Mroczenski, Christian Mundorf, Conner Walts, Peter Williams; (second row) Patrick Randolph, Richard Sovitzky, Josiah Junkin, Aaron Wade, Cory Willweber, Erik Osmundson; (back) Dr. Benjamin Mayes, Rev. Yban Navarro (pastor, Dominican Republic), and Rev. Sergio Fritzler (director, Seminario Concordia El Reformador).
Eleven CTSFW students immersed themselves in Lutheran mission work in the Dominican Republic during the break between winter and spring quarter.
“The experience taught us a lot about mission,” said Dr. Benjamin Mayes, associate professor of historical theology, who accompanied the students on the trip. The purpose of the trip, Mayes said, was for students to experience what the church is like in Latin America, how people in the Dominican Republic live, and how the mission of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) is carried out in Latin America.
“We wanted to open their eyes to the possibility that maybe they themselves could become either career missionaries or be active in reaching out to Latinos here in the United States,” said Mayes.
One of the best features of the trip, which was coordinated by the LCMS Office of International Mission, was that the students were able to share in the experiences of the trip together. “We were able to pray together. We were
able to have discussions with each other and get to know each other better,” said first-year student Sergiu Trifa. “It made us have stronger connections with each other and united us as a group.”
During their visit, students were able to visit four Lutheran missions. “We worshiped at three of them,” said secondyear seminarian Cory Willweber. He said he enjoyed being able to use the Spanishlanguage hymnal to worship with locals who attended church at the missions. “It was a very similar order of service to what we are used to,” Willweber said. “We also sang many of the same hymns we sing here in the United States, except we sang them in Spanish.”
The CTSFW students stayed at Seminario Concordia El Reformador, the mission seminary on a hill in Palmar Arriba overlooking Santiago de los Caballeros, the second-largest
The trip benefited the students in many ways. They were pushed outside of their comfort zones and their safe spaces to get out where the people are. Regardless of whether they travel abroad for missions or undertake mission work wherever they are sent, the lessons learned on this trip will serve them well.
city in the Dominican Republic. In addition to participating in classes at the seminary, the seminarians were able to play volleyball with residents of the neighborhood, tour a local cigar factory, and sample local culture and cuisine.
At one point while eating out as a group, the seminarians were approached by a local woman who told the men her mother was very sick, and she wanted them to pray for her mother. “We all came into this sick woman’s room,” recalled second-year seminarian Conner Walts. “Dr. Mayes blessed the woman and read a psalm for her, all in Spanish, Walts said. “It meant the world to the sick woman and to her caregiver,” Walts said.
Walts added that it was hard to explain just how culturally open the people of the Dominican Republic are. “They are very open to religion and spirituality,” Walts said.
The cultural immersion also included teaching English as a Second Language classes, which the seminarians enjoyed. “Aaron [Wade] and I have very different
accents, so the students would try to imitate the way we were talking, and then they turned it around, and we had to imitate them,” said second-year student Josiah Junkin.
The students also spent time with Theodore Krey (CTSFW 1996), his wife Rebecca, and their five children. Krey serves as the regional director for the Latin America and Caribbean region of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Mayes observed that the trip benefited the students in many ways. “They were pushed outside of their comfort zones and their safe spaces to get out where the people are,” he said. Regardless of whether they travel abroad for missions or undertake mission work wherever they are sent, the lessons learned on this trip will serve them well, he observed.
Glen A. Werling (Glen.Werling@ ctsfw.edu) is the communications and social media specialist at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.
Top left: Patrick Randolph, Erik Osmundson, Conner Walts, and Sergiu Trifa receive holy communion from Rev. Yban Navarro. Top center: CTSFW students, missionaries, and congregation members enjoy volleyball in Palmar Arriba. Top right: Richard Sovitzky and CTSFW students enjoy a meal at the home of missionary Rev. Theodore Krey. Bottom left: Cornerstone of a Lutheran congregation in Licey. Bottom center: Dr. Benjamin Mayes preaches in a chapel service at Seminario Concordia El Reformador, Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic. Bottom right: Missionary Rev. Theodore Krey teaches CTSFW students on the Lutheran doctrine of mission.
Commencement 2024 at CTSFW
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), closed its 178th academic year with Commencement Exercises in Kramer Chapel Friday, May 17, 2024. During the ceremony, the Seminary conferred seventy-eight degrees (including expected summer degrees) and honored several individuals and couples with special honors and awards.
Among the honorees was Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., who presided over his final commencement as president. Rast was awarded a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, by the faculty and Board of Regents in recognition of his faithful and exemplary service as a seminary professor and administrator, especially as CTSFW’s sixteenth seminary president, for his courageous witness to Christ through the teaching of the Holy Scriptures as confessed by the Lutheran Church throughout the United States and around the world, and for his generous service within The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS).
“Serving in this role for the previous thirteen years, and serving at this seminary for twenty-eight years, has been the greatest privilege of my life,” said Rast. He will return to the classroom as a full-time faculty member at CTSFW after a oneyear sabbatical.
Provost Dr. Charles Gieschen also acknowledged the Rev. James Wiggins Sr., who received a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, from CTSFW in April in conjunction with the Black Clergy Caucus Conference. Wiggins, who was an eighth-grade student of Dr. Rosa J. Young in Alabama, was honored for a lifetime of faithful pastoral service and for his role in encouraging numerous men and women to become Lutheran pastors and teachers.
The Alumnus of the Year award was presented to the Rev. Theodore Krey, regional director for the Latin America and Caribbean region of the LCMS Office of International Mission and 2024 commencement speaker.
In his address to graduates, Krey stated, “We are the church of the Lutheran Confessions, of called ministers, of the liturgy, of deaconesses formed in mercy, and theological education with fidelity to the Scriptures. This is our gift to the world, and uniquely ours—and now yours—to take out in your respective callings.”
Krey has shared this gift himself throughout Latin America, from his first call as a church planter in Venezuela, where he served for eight years, to his work in the Dominican Republic, which includes the founding of Seminario Concordia El Reformador, now in its seventh year with over 200 students enrolled.
Soldiers of Christ
The Seminary also presented five Miles Christi awards, which recognize those who distinguish themselves in a field of human endeavor and who, in keeping with 2 Timothy 2:3, have displayed the characteristics of a good “soldier of Christ.”
Arvold and Carol Fisher of Tyler, Texas (posthumous award for Carol), were active servants of Christ in congregations in Metairie, Louisiana, and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, until Carol was called home in 2020. Since 2010, the Fishers have generously supported numerous projects at CTSFW out of a belief that well-trained pastors are crucial for faithful Gospel proclamation of Jesus Christ to the entire world.
Robert Trapp of Punta Gorda, Florida, who had a career at UPS, has been strengthened in faith at eleven LCMS congregations in five states throughout his life. His deep concern about the shortage of pastors led him to establish endowments named for his sister, Carol Anne Trapp, to help future pastors at Concordia University St. Paul and both LCMS seminaries.
Gloria Keller of Valparaiso, Indiana, was honored for her lifelong dedication to Christ and his church, her service as a caring nurse, her generous support of Lutheran education, and her commitment to the educational mission of Concordia Theological Seminary, where her son Martin completed Colloquy requirements in 1990 and grandson Andrew earned an MDiv in 2020.
William and Audrey Dahlgren of Palos Verdes Estates, California, have lived a life of service to God and neighbor, with Audrey serving for fifty years as a public grade school teacher and Bill founding and leading Airtech, a global company with over 800 employees. They have been dedicated servants in their congregations and have used their gifts to support the LCMS, Concordia University Irvine, and both LCMS seminaries.
The Rev. Walter and Ruth Otten of Brookfield, Illinois, met when Ruth was a student teacher and Walter was a pastor at St. Paul, Brookfield. During his ministry, Pastor Otten was involved with the Lutheran Heritage Foundation and the Russian Project, and he and Ruth made three teaching trips to Ghana, West Africa. The Ottens, whose grandson Luke is a 2024 CTSFW graduate, have been active in seminary events and have generously supported CTSFW’s mission.
To see all of our honorees and graduates, watch the recording of 2024 Commencement, which can be accessed with a search on the Chapel page at ctsfw.edu/chapel or by scanning the QR code.
Serving Christ in Life and in Death!
Paul G. Hopkins
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matthew 6:24
Years ago, before I attended Concordia Theological Seminary, I went to a morning Bible study every Wednesday at a local restaurant in Naperville, Illinois. For about a year and a half, I studied Scripture with the men in the group. I respected them and their dedication to Christ and His Word.
I left the study when I went away to the seminary, and I lost touch with these men. That was almost twenty-five years ago. Just a few months ago, I learned that one of these men passed away and left most of his sizable estate to Concordia Theological Seminary as an unrestricted gift, to be used where most needed. This saint was an ordinary fellow, an engineer who lived modestly and quietly.
This kind of generosity is rare, unselfish, and forward looking. This man could have spent his money on himself for his own pleasure and entertainment, but he valued the future of Christ’s kingdom more than his own pleasures. This man literally served God and his neighbors in life and death.
Money does not bring us true fulfillment or purpose. But money is necessary, and you can use it to further the kingdom of God. For the sake of your own family, friends, and community, I ask you to remember Concordia Theological Seminary now in life and in death.
You might ask, “What’s in it for me? Why should I do such a thing?”
Look around, and you will see that Christ’s Church is surrounded by
WAYS TO SUPPORT CHURCH WORKER FORMATION AT CTSFW
a pack of rabid predators who, if the Good Shepherd were not present, would devour the little lambs. We are all called to be soldiers of the cross. We have a duty to march into the battle for eternal life for ourselves and others. What parent would not go to battle for their own children and other loved ones?
Christ tells us in the Gospel of John:
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (15:12–17)
Brothers and sisters, love is the fruit of the Gospel, and your church and your neighbor need your love, care, and grace. The church also needs workers for the harvest of the Gospel. Your unselfish and sacrificial giving enables Concordia Theological Seminary to continue the mission to form servants of Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.
The Rev. Paul G. Hopkins (Paul.Hopkins@ctsfw.edu) serves as a gift officer at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW).
@ Donate at our secure website at ctsfw.edu/support.
@ Make a distribution from a donor advised fund.
@ Make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from an IRA to Concordia Theological Seminary. Tax ID # 37-0673478
@ Include CTSFW as a beneficiary in your will, trust, or retirement account.
Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford
2024 Golf Outing and Alumni Reunion
The Seminary was pleased to welcome many alumni and special guests to campus May 16–17 for the 2024 Alumni Reunion, which was preceded by the annual Golf Outing at Cherry Hill Golf Club on May 15. Alumni from eighteen class years were represented, with those who graduated in years ending in “4” or “9” celebrating milestone anniversaries. This year’s reunion schedule included a special reception and banquet for alumni and friends to celebrate God’s many blessings to the Seminary during President Lawrence R. Rast Jr.’s tenure as president. Katherine Luther Dining Hall was filled to capacity for the event, which included remarks from board chairs past and present, Provost Charles Gieschen, and the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod. The program also included a showing of the video “Faithfully Forming Servants,” which presented highlights of the past thirteen years under Rast’s leadership.
Seminary Snapshots
The Springfield Bell Rings
Deaconess student Cambria Pauls rings the Springfield Bell on campus after completing her final class—a longstanding tradition on the Fort Wayne campus. As the saying goes, “When the Springfield Bell rings, a soul from seminary springs.” (The Reformation-inspired rhyme is attributed to the Rev. Robert Smith, who retired from his post as electronic services librarian at CTSFW May 31 after thirty-one years of service.)
Oral History Video Screening
On April 10, CTSFW hosted a special oral history video screening and alumni reception in conjunction with the LCMS Black Clergy Conference held at the Seminary. Conference participant Kaye Wolff joined CTSFW President Lawrence R. Rast Jr. on stage in Sihler Auditorium to provide commentary on the video project, which involved a series of interviews conducted by Rast with leaders in LCMS Black Ministry.
Dart Toss
Second-year student Ian Habicht throws a dart the morning of April 22 in the annual dart toss preceding the Vicarage and Deaconess Internship Assignment service. Looking on are Dr. Jeffrey Pulse, director of Certification and Placement, and Dr. Todd Peperkorn, director of Vicarage and Internship. Nicholas Totenhagen won honors for the closest toss, with his dart landing just sixty-two miles from his placement in Howard Lake, Minnesota. Luke Konkel earned the prize for furthest away, with his dart in Watson Lake, Yukon (CAN) landing 3,838 miles from Eldora, Iowa.
Photo: Rev. Paul Nus
Concordia Theological Foundation Presents Gifts
On May 8, Concordia Theological Foundation (CTF) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, continued its annual presentation of a stipend to CTSFW students based on their scholarship and an assessment by professors that the students will faithfully serve as confessional Lutheran pastors in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Flag Football Super Bowl
A crowd gathered at CTSFW’s football field May 10 to cheer on the Blitzkrieg and the Office of the Warnekes in the annual CTSFW Flag Football Super Bowl. The Blitzkrieg jumped out to an early lead and staved off a comeback from the Warnekes (including second-year seminarian David Gray, pictured here with football in hand) to win 8–6.
Choir at the Towne House
First-year seminarian Peter Williams greets a resident of the Towne House retirement community on a visit May 2. Williams and fellow members of a choir of first-year seminarians, under the direction of Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, sang a few hymns for about eighty residents. “It’s a delight to be able to share some good singing and highlight the good work our students are doing with our neighbors at the Towne House,” said Hildebrand.
Seminary to Pilot Congregation + School Vicarages and Deaconess Internships
2024–25
Program Participants
Concordia, Fort Wayne
Vicar Joshua Gerken
Holy Cross, Fort Wayne
Vicar Chad Van Meter and Deaconess Intern Stephanie Kinley
Suburban Bethlehem, Fort Wayne
Vicar Adam Nieting
Bethlehem, Ossian
Vicar Morgan Phillips
Trinity, Auburn (congregation)
St. John, Kendallville (school)
Vicar Andrew Partipilo
Zion, Decatur (Monroe St.)
Vicar Brentley Lothamer
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), recently received a $250,000 grant from The Lutheran Foundation to support vicarages and deaconess internships that involve a significant emphasis on working with students in a Lutheran elementary school or preschool.
“These are trying and interesting times for Lutheran elementary and preschools,” said Dr. Todd Peperkorn, director of Vicarage and Internship at CTSFW. “Thanks to school choice, enrollments are up at many of our schools, but with that comes the very real need to provide pastoral and mercy care to people who have little or no connection to Christ or to the church. The need is huge, and we want the future pastors and deaconesses of the LCMS to be part of that ongoing instruction and pastoral care of the families in our schools.”
The Lutheran Foundation, which serves Northeast Indiana, makes grants available to Lutheran congregations, schools, and ministries to support and promote the sharing of the Gospel. The Foundation also has a strong interest in promoting health and wellness, with an emphasis on mental well-being. They started a conversation with CTSFW last fall about the possibility of having vicars or deaconess interns in schools in the greater Fort Wayne area to provide additional positive adult interaction for students.
“During a lunch conversation with Dr. Larry Rast, we discussed this idea together,” said Mark Dixon, president and CEO of The Lutheran Foundation. “As a lifelong Lutheran, I shared how, when I was a child, I remembered the profound impact the vicars at my home church and school had on me. Each one contributed in a special way to my faith development. It’s experiences like
those that inspired us at The Lutheran Foundation to support this unique initiative that will foster spiritual growth and mentorship within our Lutheran congregations and schools.”
In December 2023, Peperkorn invited congregations and schools to indicate their interest in exploring the opportunity, noting that sites could be existing or new, in congregations with schools or in congregations partnering with a school nearby. He then submitted a proposal to The Lutheran Foundation and was informed shortly thereafter of the grant award.
With grant funding in place, Peperkorn invited congregations that had expressed an interest to apply. When he announced vicarages and deaconess internships this past April, seven CTSFW students learned that they would be serving at sites involved in the new program.
“We at The Lutheran Foundation are thrilled to have awarded this impactful grant to the Seminary to place vicars and deaconess interns in our area Lutheran congregations and schools,” said the Rev. Steve Ahlersmeyer, director of Ministry Programs at The Lutheran Foundation.
“We believe this initiative will provide positive role models and Christian mentorship to the students, which is vital for the holistic development of a child in body, mind, and spirit. The presence of these dedicated individuals, alongside our committed Lutheran educators and pastors, will help shape and nurture the next generation of faithful believers.”
Confirmation Retreat September 20–22, 2024
Led by an ordained pastor, this weekend retreat focuses on confessional catechesis, liturgical worship, and a fun time together!
To register, please visit ctsfw.edu/Confirmation or scan the QR code for more information.
Come Visit Us This Fall!
From middle-school age to college age and beyond we’ve got the fall event planned for you!
If you’re considering the vocation of pastor or deaconess, it’s the perfect time to schedule a campus visit to Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW). You may set up a time for an individual visit with your admission counselor or attend one of our scheduled visits listed below.
Prayerfully Consider Visit October 10–12, 2024
This free event allows men and women to explore pastoral and diaconal formation at CTSFW. Meet professors, attend chapel, tour the campus, and get your questions answered.
To register, visit ctsfw.edu/PCVfall or scan the QR code for more information.
Christ Academy College October 25–27, 2024
This free event is a long weekend for students who are considering a future at the Seminary, and for those who seek to serve and love God and their neighbor in other vocations.
Ready to apply for admission?
Please visit ctsfw.edu/Admission to begin your application.
Priority deadline: November 1, 2024.
To register, visit ctsfw.edu/College or scan the QR code for more information. ctsfw.edu/Admission Admission@ctsfw.edu (800) 481-2155
2024 Student Awards Announced
From left: (front two rows) Provost Charles Gieschen, David Krueger, Haley Randolph, Joseph Greenmyer, Jordan DeBoer (light blue jacket), Christian Mundorf, Patrick Cox, President Lawrence R. Rast Jr.; (middle row) Luke Konkel, Peter Preus (previous year’s recipient of the Draves Scholarship), Shawn Barnett, Harvey Peters; (back row) John Kastner, Robert Doughty III, Andrew Hill, Scott Woodhouse, Jonathan Anderson, and Joseph Goodroad. Not pictured: Matthew Kinne and Beverly Walling.
Seventeen students at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), received awards at a special convocation following the morning chapel service May 7.
“This annual awards convocation is one way that we recognize students’ outstanding academic and service achievement,” said CTSFW Provost Dr. Charles Gieschen at the convocation. “On behalf of the entire faculty, I express our sincere appreciation for the many ways that the vast majority of our students pursue academic and vocational excellence in their theological studies and service.”
Support for the awards program, including gifts accompanying some of the awards, comes from organizations including Concordia Publishing House as well as private donations and the CTSFW Student Association, which assisted the Provost’s Office in organizing the convocation.
2024 Award Recipients
Department of Exegetical Theology
The St. Timothy Award: Harvey Peters (Sem II)
The Zondervan Biblical Hebrew Award: John Kastner (Sem IV)
The Zondervan Biblical Greek Award: Joseph Greenmyer (Sem IV)
The Concordia Publishing House Award for Exegetical Writing: David Krueger (Sem II)
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South Award for Outstanding Accomplishment: Joseph Goodroad (Sem IV)
Department of Systematic Theology
The Draves Family Scholarship: Matthew Kinne (Vicar)
The Zondervan Theology Award: Jonathan Anderson (Sem IV)
The Concordia Publishing House Award for Systematic Theology Writing: Shawn Barnett (Sem IV)
The Concordia Publishing House Award for Writing on the Lutheran Confessions: Andrew Hill (STM)
Department of Pastoral Ministry and Missions
The Gerhard Aho Homiletics Award: Scott Woodhouse (Sem IV)
The Concordia Publishing House Award for Pastoral Ministry and Missions Writing: Robert Doughty III (Sem IV)
The Pastoral Ministry and Missions Outstanding Bible Study Award: Luke Konkel (Sem II)
Department of Historical Theology
The Concordia Publishing House Award for Historical Theology Writing: Patrick Cox (Sem IV) Graduate School
The Concordia Publishing House Award for Graduate School Research and Writing: Christian Mundorf (STM student)
Deaconess Formation
The Elizabeth Fedde Award for Outstanding Service (residential student): Haley Randoph (2nd-year deaconess student)
The Elizabeth Fedde Award for Outstanding Service (distance student): Beverly Walling (deaconess intern) Student Association
Shepherd’s Staff Award (determined by student vote): Jordan DeBoer (Sem IV)
After the presentation of student awards, John Kastner, fourth-year class president, presented the class gift to the Seminary. The gift from the Class of 2024 included a deadlift platform for the weight room in Wambsganns Gymnasium, engraved plaques for the gym featuring strong men of the Bible, and a contribution to the Predigtamt Endowment, which provides funds to graduating seminarians to purchase books.
JULY
Prayerfully Consider Visit (Family)
July 11–13
EVENTS SCHEDULE
NOVEMBER
Luther Hostel: A Collection of Timely Topics
November 6–8
Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/PCVsummer
Contact: pcv@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155
SEPTEMBER
Opening Service and Installation of Dr. Jon Bruss as 17th President of CTSFW
Sunday, September 8, 3:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel
Seminary Guild Meeting
Tuesday, September 10, 1:00 p.m. in Luther Hall
Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209
Christ Academy Confirmation Retreat
September 20–22
Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/Confirmation
Information: ctsfw.edu/LH
Contact: (260) 452-2204
Good Shepherd Institute: Through the Church the Song Goes On
November 10–12
Information: ctsfw.edu/GSI
Phone: (260) 452-2204
Organ Recital
Sunday, November 10, 4:30 p.m. in Kramer Chapel
All Saints’ Choral Vespers Sunday, November 10, 7:30 p.m. in Kramer Chapel
Contact: ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155
Continuing Education: Apologetics for the 21st Century
September 23–25
Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/CE
Phone: (260) 452-2204
OCTOBER
Seminary Donation Day
Tuesday, October 8, 10:00 a.m. in Kramer Chapel
Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209
Prayerfully Consider Visit
October 10–12
Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/PCVfall
Contact: pcv@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155
Christ Academy: College
October 25–27
Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/CAC
Contact: ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155
Good Shepherd Institute Fifth Biennial Art Exhbit:
Singing of Jesus Christ
October 31–January 31 in the Wayne and Barbara Kroemer
Library
Information: ctsfw.edu/gsi-art-exhibit
Entries are due July 10, 2024.
Hymn Festival Monday, November 11, 7:30 p.m. in Kramer Chapel
Seminary Guild
Tuesday, November 12, 1:00 p.m.
Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209
DECEMBER
Seminary Guild
Tuesday, December 10, 1:00 p.m.
Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209
Advent Candlelight Evening Prayer
Saturday, December 14, 4:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel
JANUARY 2025
Lenten Preaching Workshop Monday, January 20, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Symposia Series January 21–24
For full details and updates, please scan the QR code, visit ctsfw.edu/Events, or call (260) 452-2100. Events are subject to change. Services and lectures will be livestreamed at ctsfw.edu/DailyChapel or facebook.com/ctsfw.
Hope and Confidence in Times of Transition
Ron Garwood
The Christian life is full of transitions—some expected, some unexpected, some welcome, and some not so welcome. Whatever the transition, it’s not uncommon to experience mixed emotions, from anxiety and fear to happiness and gratitude. As we read in Ecclesiastes 3, there is “a time for every matter under heaven.” In those changing seasons, we can count on God’s Word as a source of stability, encouragement, and hope.
I. Transitions in the Life of a Christian Transition is defined as changing from one state or condition to another. Considering this definition, what are some major transitions we Christians go through in our everyday life?
Who among the people in our lives helps us move through transitions? (Gal. 6:2; Rom. 15:2–3)
Who is with us as the greatest help, hope, and sustainer as we go through all transitions and changes? (Matt. 28:20b; Heb. 13:5b–6; Psalm 46:1; Joshua 1:9)
What other passages of Scripture can you add to the list above?
Are such transitions easy or difficult? Why?
Read Psalm 23. What encouragement and comfort does this psalm offer in regard to hope and confidence in times of transition?
Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford
Consider two major transitions that take place specifically in the life of a Christian, in which God blesses us mightily.
Transition from unbelief to faith.
• All human beings are conceived and born in ___________. (Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:3; Rom. 5:12)
• What is the penalty for sin? _________________________ (Rom. 6:23a; Rom. 5:12; Ezek. 18:4b)
• How are we converted from unbelief to faith and thus saved from the guilt of our sin and death to this life and eternal life? ________________________(John 3:3–6; Eph.2:8–9)
Transition from death to life.
• How does a Christian overcome death? ________________ (John 11:25–26; 1 Cor. 15:54–55)
• In summary, how does a sinner receive forgiveness of sin and thus overcome death and hell? ____________________ (John 3:16; John 5:24)
II. Hope, Faith, and the Word of God
Saving faith is a gift of God worked in a sinner by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word and Sacraments (Rom. 10:17). What is the relationship between faith and hope? (Heb. 11:1)
him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
God causes us to be born again through His Word and Sacraments, and He guards us in our faith also by and through His Word. How much of God’s Word is important to Christians? (Matt. 4:4)
How does the “living hope” we receive from God noted above in verse 3 differ from a simple pious wish on our part?
Hope is also a mighty blessing from God as we deal with the changes and transitions in our life as Christians. What does God reveal to His Christians about hope in Psalm 62:5–8?
What is the inheritance mentioned in verse 4 that every Christian has? (Eph. 1:13–14)
What is the relationship between godly hope and the Word of God? (Romans 15:4)
Why can Christians rejoice even though we are grieved by various trials?
Consider this wonderful summary of our consideration of hope and confidence during times of transition in the life of a Christian. (1 Peter 1:3–9)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8Though you have not seen
Even during changes and transitions that are inconvenient and difficult for Christians, we are comforted by the awesome promises of God. What wonderful blessings from God can we list from these Bible verses? (Eph. 1:7–8a; 2:8–10)
Conclusion
Christians go through many changes and transitions in this life, but we do, indeed, have hope and confidence to deal with them by the grace of God, on account of Jesus, through His Word.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)
The Rev. Dr. Ron Garwood (drgandb@aol.com) serves as assistant pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cody, Wyoming. He was a member of the Board of Regents at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, from 2011–2021, serving as chair from 2013–2021.
For the Life of the World
Concordia Theological Seminary 6600 N. Clinton St. @ Fort Wayne, IN 46825-4996
Continuing Education Opportunities 2024
n Focused Study n Growth n Fellowship
Grass Valley, California
July 1–3, 2024
Dr. Todd Peperkorn
Advanced Sacramental Preaching
Kansas City, Missouri
July 8–10, 2024
Dr. Gifford Grobien
Law, Virtue, and Life in Christ
Truman, Minnesota
July 8–10, 2024
Dr. Jeffrey Pulse
Psalms: What Makes Them Work?
Riverton, Utah
July 15–17, 2024
Dr. Peter Scaer
The Abolition of Man: The War on Our Humanity
Shawano, Wisconsin
July 15–17, 2024
Dr. Gifford Grobien Law, Virtue, and Life in Christ
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
July 16–18, 2024
Dr. Robert Macina
The Divine Service in the Old Testament
Westminster, Massachusetts
July 22–24, 2024
Dr. Geoffrey Boyle
O Lord, Open My Lips: Praying the Psalms with Christ and His Church
Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 29–31, 2024
Dr. Jeffrey Pulse
The Joseph Narratives: A Tale of Two Brothers in Genesis 37–50
Flathead Lake, Montana
July 29–August 2, 2024
Dr. David Maxwell
The Theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria
Auburn, Michigan
August 5–7, 2024
Rev. William M. Cwirla
The Heard Word
Cheyenne, Wyoming
August 5–7, 2024
Dr. David Maxwell
The Theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria
Ely, Minnesota
August 5–7, 2024
Dr. David H. Petersen
21st-Century Preaching: Gleaning Method—Luther, Gerhard, Walther
Lubbock, Texas
August 5–7, 2024
Dr. Adam Koontz
Why Imitate Paul?
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
August 5–7, 2024
Dr. Brian German Luther and the Psalms
Council Bluffs, Iowa
August 6–9, 2024
Dr. Walter Maier
Selected Studies in 1 and 2 Kings
Decatur, Illinois
August 12–14, 2024
Dr. R. Reed Lessing
The Book of Numbers
Lynchburg, Virginia
August 12–14, 2024
Dr. Gregory Schulz
Ministry of the Word in an After-Word World
Fort Wayne, Indiana
September 23–25, 2024
Dr. Adam Francisco
Apologetics for the 21st Century
Cupertino, California
September 24–26, 2024
Dr. Dean Wenthe
Old Testament Words for New Testament People
Chattanooga, Tennessee
September 26–28, 2024
Dr. Peter Scaer
Standing Strong: A Biblical Response to the Present Crisis
Camp Okoboji–Milford, Iowa
October 14–16, 2024
Dr. Peter Scaer
Luke and the Formation of the New Testament
For course additions or cancellations, registration updates, or to register online: Visit ctsfw.edu/CE or scan the QR code.
To register by phone with credit card: Call LeeAnna Rondot at (260) 452-2204.
