For the Life of the World - Volume 27, Number 2

For the Life of the World

Formed to Care: The Role of Lutheran Hymnody

Kevin J. Hildebrand

Formed to Care: Confessional Theology as Framework

Brian T. Stark

Formed to Care: The Mentoring Community

Todd A. Peperkorn

Concordia Theological Seminary’s mission is to form servants in Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all. As good Lutherans we naturally ask, “What does this mean?” What does it mean to care for all? We at CTSFW have determined that our graduates, out of love and concern for the faithful members of their congregations and those in their communities who have yet to know Christ, will:

@ Embody Christ in their service by valuing all human life as a gift from God, from conception to natural death;

@ Practice spiritual, physical, emotional, and collegial care for themselves and those around them; and

@ Practice a life of prayer and devotion toward God and a life of love and mercy toward their neighbor.

Learning to do these things requires regular interaction with others. This is one of the primary benefits of residential formation. Our Lord serves us daily in worship in Kramer Chapel, which frees us to serve one another. As we interact daily during the coffee hour, over meals in the dining hall, through study sessions in the library, and in various other social

gatherings, we model the practices listed above – and not just in the classroom, but throughout our daily lives lived in community with one another..

CTSFW’s faculty has shaped our curriculum with the understanding that today’s church workers “face the challenges of a volatile world that has turned away from God’s constant promises and love. Many of these challenges would have been unthinkable even a generation ago. The breakdown of the family has coincided with the advent of postmodernism and a radical secularism. Truth is placed in quotation marks. Objective reality is thought to be unobtainable. In a deep sense, our people are at sea, unmoored from history and tradition, from family and community, and the communal life of the Church. In our cyber-age of friending and defriending, blocking and following, we

are becoming physically isolated from one another, and consequently, our own humanity” (CTSFW Faculty, October 30, 2017). Since the recent pandemic, these feelings of isolation and being unmoored have only become more prevalent.

As we confess in the Athanasian Creed, “we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.” Genesis 1:26-27 makes it clear that all of us are made in the image of the Holy Trinity. We were created to be and live in perfect communion, love, and communication with our Lord and with one another. We know deep in our souls that the breakdown of our families and the isolation we are feeling is wrong. We all need the love, mercy, forgiveness, and care that only Christ can give us.

Maybe our Lord is calling you to be one of those who will share the love and mercy of Christ as you care for all. Get in touch with us. We would love to start that conversation with you.

In Christ,

Lawrence R. Rast Jr. President Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

CONTENTS

Volume Twenty-Seven, Number Two

For the Life of the World

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 2023. 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.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

Cover image: Fourth-year student Anthony Keilani rings the Springfield Bell after completing his final class, a longstanding tradition on the CTSFW campus. Keilani has been called to serve Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sidney, Ohio.

4 Formed to Care: The Role of Lutheran Hymnody

Kevin J. Hildebrand

In our life together at CTSFW, we rejoice and celebrate the great variety of hymnody that the church sings. We teach about hymns in the classroom, we live with them in chapel, and we share them with the church and the rest of the world. All the while, these hymns of the church form our students into servants who are equipped to live out the Seminary’s motto: to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.

7 Formed to Care: Confessional Theology as Framework

Brian T. Stark

The essential role of confessional theology as the underlying framework for pastoral ministry, care, and practice in our churches cannot be overstated. Pastoral ministry never takes place in a theological vacuum—if confessional theology isn’t supplying the framework, some other theological (or business!) method or model will. When we understand that the goal of pastoral ministry is to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all, the necessity and practicality of having confessional theology at its center becomes clear.

10 Formed to Care: The Mentoring Community

Todd A. Peperkorn

Part of my work as a professor at CTSFW has included serving as a mentor to some of the fine men who will be pastors in Christ’s church someday. Each person’s challenges are different. Some struggle with academics. Others with field education. Still others with balancing school and home. Regardless of the challenges, Christ is with them, and by demonstrating genuine care and mercy toward them, mentors can model how to be a pastor, and what that looks like through the good and the bad.

Formed to Care: The Role of Lutheran

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle; Sing the ending of the fray. Now above the cross, the trophy, Sound the loud triumphant lay; Tell how Christ, the world’s redeemer, As a victim won the day.

The students at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), learn about Lutheran hymnody in a variety of courses at CTSFW, but nowhere in our course descriptions or student learning outcomes do we include a statement such as, “By the end of the quarter, the student will demonstrate characteristics of a caring servant.” Perhaps we should, since that is one of our desired objectives of spending time with this subject matter.

LSB 454; Text: Public domain

Lutheran Hymnody

Of course, hymns serve many and various purposes: they teach, they confess the faith, they praise God by proclaiming His Word, they rehearse the story of salvation, they give voice to our joy and lament, they retrace the themes in the seasons of the church year and in the weekly lectionary, they comfort us and sustain us in the faith.

In our life together at CTSFW, we rejoice and celebrate the great variety of hymnody that the church sings. We teach about hymns in the classroom, we live with them in chapel, and we share them with the church and the rest of the world. All the while, these hymns of the church form our students into servants who are equipped to live out the Seminary’s motto: to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.

Teaching Hymns in the Classroom

Hymns are meant to be sung and used in church, chapel, and home, but they are also a subject for classroom study, especially by pastoral and diaconal students. CTSFW has a celebrated history of teaching future pastors and deaconesses about hymns––their history and practice and significance, how to rediscover lost treasures, and introducing new expressions of the faith. Hymnody never stops and is never finite. Hymn writers continue to write new lyrics, and composers continue to write new tunes and settings. Hymn writing didn’t end with the Reformation era, Paul Gerhardt, or Johann Sebastian Bach but is constantly flourishing as an everexpanding tradition.

At one point in our recent history, an entire course in hymnology was offered as an elective; students spent an entire quarter on this expansive topic. That was a marvelously formative experience, but only for those students who elected

to enroll in the course. About fifteen years ago, when some modifications to the curriculum were introduced, not only was a second required course in liturgics added, but the hymnology elective course was absorbed into it. This provided all our students with exposure to the study of hymnody, which was an unprecedented improvement in seminary education. In the Liturgics 2 course, students cover a historical survey of hymnody and learn how to assess the theological content of hymns, analyze melodies, and make choices for their future congregations.

Living with Hymns in Kramer Chapel

We speak often of how residential seminary education forms pastors and deaconesses in ways that cannot be replicated. Among the experiences and benefits of residential seminary education is daily chapel. Our life together is formed as we pray, praise, and give thanks to God in the liturgy, rites, and song of the church. Day after day the rhythm of the services in Kramer Chapel––including excellent music––slowly, carefully, and methodically forms caring servants.

The hymns that we sing in Kramer Chapel are of primary consideration. We intentionally expose our students to the inherent variety of options in Lutheran Service Book. In fact, singing from the church’s hymnal provides some of the widest varieties of musical genres, styles, ethnic origins, rhythms, and musical forms that the church can provide. Hymns aren’t a one-size-fitsall musical style in themselves, nor are they all cut from the same cloth. They don’t all hail from a particular era or ethnic background. Instead, they’re a representation of the entire church in all

Kevin J. Hildebrand

Hymns aren’t a one-sizefits-all musical style in themselves, nor are they all cut from the same cloth. They don’t all hail from a particular era or ethnic background. Instead, they’re a representation of the entire church in all times and places. The hymnal provides music and texts that span millennia, come from every inhabited continent, every era and every age, by a wide variety of writers and composers.

times and places. The hymnal provides music and texts that span millennia, come from every inhabited continent, every era and every age, by a wide variety of writers and composers.

As significant as this diversity is, we aren’t singing the church’s hymns only for the sake of variety. We are singing the faith—saying back to God what He has said to us—and confessing what we believe to each other within the walls of Kramer Chapel (and over the internet via livestream). Anyone who has experienced the reverberance of our singing in Kramer Chapel can attest to the boldness of our sung confession!

Sharing Hymns beyond the Seminary

The Seminary Kantorei, our auditioned men’s choir, represents CTSFW to the church as we travel in annual tours. In March 2023 the choir visited Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, singing the hymns of the church in various congregations. Most of the services we sang began with the choir processing into the sanctuary while singing “Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle” (LSB 454), the hymn stanza that introduced this article. This sixth-century text, coupled with Carl Schalk’s twentieth-century tune, begins with our self-directed imperative to sing. Even more, the hymn provides the reason why we sing:

Tell how Christ, the world’s redeemer, As a victim won the day.

And as we traveled this spring through Appalachia, we purposely chose to include the hymn “What Wondrous Love Is This” (LSB 543), which has its origins in that region from the early nineteenth century. In fact, the choir sang stanza 3 of this hymn in its original musical setting with its rugged, angular harmonies. This stanza gave direction to the focus of our singing:

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing; To God and to the Lamb I will sing; To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM, While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, While millions join the theme, I will sing.

Text: Public domain

For decades, the Kantorei’s signature song of the Christmas and Epiphany seasons has been “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (LSB 384). From the initial stanzas accompanied by randomly ringing handbells, to the final stanza roaring with organ and congregation, this ancient hymn has been sung hundreds of times by the Kantorei in churches across the nation. It is also probable that many congregations now regularly sing this hymn precisely because the CTSFW Kantorei introduced (or reintroduced) this tune and text to them.

Of the Father’s love begotten Ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He, Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see Evermore and evermore.

Text: Public domain

This hymn rightly expresses that Christ, the Alpha and Omega, is without beginning and without end and expresses the truth that future generations will continue to sing to Him. How appropriate, then, that future servants who care for the church sing this hymn year after year.

The Church's Song

At CTSFW, we are privileged to form servants in Christ who care for the church with the church’s song. What’s more is that we all, in turn, are cared for by singing the church’s song. In weekly worship at thousands of congregations, in devotions and chapel services in Lutheran schools, around the supper table and bedtime prayers in homes, and in hospitals and care facilities, hymns form and shape all of us as we sing the faith. The final stanza of “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” (LSB 709) concludes these thoughts appropriately:

And so through all the length of days Thy goodness faileth never; Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever!

Text: Public domain

Mr. Kevin J. Hildebrand serves as Kantor and Co-Director of the Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Formed to Care: Confessional Theology as Framework

Apastor is a shepherd of sheep who need to be shown the way to good pasture. A deaconess is a mercy worker who serves and minsters to those same sheep. In a parish setting, a pastor and a deaconess can model the mercy, the love, the joy, and the peace of Christ to people who desperately need it.”

Rev. David Nehrenz, sermon at the Vicarage and Deaconess Internship Assignment Service

Brian T. Stark

What the church needs now more than ever are confessional pastors, that is, pastors firmly rooted in the theology of the Lutheran Confessions as they carry out the tasks of ministry. Confessional pastors boldly embrace Lutheran identity and the beauty of confessional theology with the conviction that, in these, we have what the world is looking for and what the faithful so desperately need: authentic Christianity in an age when the church can hardly be distinguished from the gnostic culture in which she lives.

On April 24, the Rev. David Nehrenz, president of the LCMS Oklahoma District and pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman, addressed second-year students who were about to learn where they would be placed as vicars and deaconess interns. In his sermon, Nehrenz described a world filled with “scattered sheep,” people who are lost, overshadowed by darkness, starving, injured, and weak.

“The Lord will use YOU to guide them on the right path,” he told students.

He returned to the plight of the sheep. “You are being brought into the midst of parishes filled with people who are inundated with horrible, Satanic worldviews that bring only doubt, depression, desperation, and death. These four walls hem them in. They have no escape. How can they be reborn and renewed in such dire straits? Only by Jesus, the Son of God, who makes us sons of God in our Baptism.”

His sermon was a textbook display of the confessional theology at the heart of worker formation at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and at the heart of pastoral care in the parish.

The Need for Confessional Pastors

We often hear the lament that the church needs more pastors. While that sentiment is true, it is also incomplete. What the church needs now more than ever are confessional pastors, that is, pastors firmly rooted in the theology of the Lutheran Confessions as they carry out the tasks of ministry. Confessional pastors boldly embrace Lutheran identity and the beauty of confessional theology with the conviction that, in these, we have what the world is looking for and what the faithful so desperately need: authentic Christianity in an age when the church can hardly be distinguished from the gnostic culture in which she lives.

The essential role of confessional theology as the underlying framework for pastoral ministry, care, and practice in our churches cannot be overstated. Pastoral ministry never takes place in a theological vacuum—if confessional theology isn’t supplying the framework, some other theological (or business!) method or model will. When we understand that the goal of pastoral ministry is to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all, the necessity and practicality of having confessional theology at its center becomes clear. It’s a bold statement, to be sure, but confessional theology means successful ministry.

This is true for many reasons. The most significant is that confessional theology clearly defines who pastors are and what they are called to do. A military officer cannot succeed without clearly defined mission parameters. The same is true for pastors. What is the objective of pastoral ministry? How do I go about achieving it? What does success in pastoral ministry look like? These questions are determinative—when we get the answers right, our foundation for effective ministry stands secure; when we get them wrong, we are destined for failure. Confessional theology gets the answers right.

Confessional theology is pastoral theology—theology that equips workers to be faithful shepherds of their flock. The Lutheran Confessions not only establish the mission parameters of pastoral ministry and equip pastors to perform the tasks of ministry with distinction but also serve as a safeguard against all ministry trends and fads that obscure the Gospel.

This is true, in the first place, because confessional theology is biblical theology. Confessional pastors “believe, teach, and confess that the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule and norm according to which all doctrines and teachers alike must be appraised and judged” (Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Rule and Norm).

Second, with the foundation of Holy Scripture firmly in place, the Lutheran Confessions define the Gospel, that is, the doctrine of justification by faith, upon which the church stands or falls: “Our churches also teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in his sight [Rom. 3-4]” (Augsburg Confession IV).

Confessional pastors take Luther’s words to heart: “Nothing in this article can be given up or compromised, even if heaven and earth and things temporal should be destroyed. For as St. Peter says, ‘There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ [Acts 4:12]. ‘And with his stripes we are healed’ [Isa. 53:5]. On this article rests all that we teach and practice against the pope, the devil, and the world. Therefore we must be quite certain and have no doubts about it. Otherwise all is lost, and the pope, the devil, and all our adversaries will gain the victory” (Smalcald Articles I).

Finally, the Confessions provide pastors with a clear answer concerning the specific task to which they are called: “In order that we may obtain this faith, God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments. For through the Word and the sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given, and the Holy Spirit produces faith, where and when it pleases God, in those who hear the Gospel” (Augsburg Confession V).

Confessional Formation

All of this is to say that confessional theology provides the roadmap to faithful and effective pastoral ministry that eternally blesses both the faithful and the lost. The pastor’s doctrine and practice, what he preaches and teaches and the worship he conducts, are always determined by and based in the means through which the Spirit creates saving faith in those who believe the Gospel, namely the Word of Holy Scripture and the Sacraments. Instilling a working knowledge of the Lutheran Confessions is therefore a primary focus of our Seminary’s curriculum. By it our students enter the parish equipped to proclaim to all people that, with the church of all ages, this is what we believe, teach, and confess.

Men choose to pursue the Office of the Holy Ministry at Concordia Theological Seminary for many reasons: our world class faculty, our emphasis on the historic liturgy of the church and the central role of Kramer Chapel in pastoral formation, our close-knit seminary community, and even the serene beauty of our campus. But most of all they are drawn by the fact that, from its inception, no other institution has embraced confessional theology and Lutheran identity as boldly and consistently as Concordia Theological Seminary.

The church needs confessional pastors now more than ever. They are formed at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

The Rev. T. Brian Stark is an Admission Counselor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. He also serves as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Corunna, Indiana.

Confessional theology clearly defines who pastors are and what they are called to do. A military officer cannot succeed without clearly defined mission parameters. The same is true for pastors. What is the objective of pastoral ministry? How do I go about achieving it? What does success in pastoral ministry look like? These questions are determinative—when we get the answers right, our foundation for effective ministry stands secure; when we get them wrong, we are destined for failure. Confessional theology gets the answers right.

Formed to Care: The Mentoring

Martin Luther once quipped (supposedly) that the ministry is “no bunny dance.” While there are joys that come every day, ministry is not a matter of going from triumph to triumph, from one great conversion story to the next. There are daily crosses to bear, challenges that perplex even the most experienced and wisest of pastors.

One challenge for those of us who help form pastors is what on the surface should seem simple and obvious: How do you teach men to care, to really and truly care for their people? It’s easy to think, “Why do you have to teach that? Surely men who want to be pastors already

care about people! Why would they be studying to be a pastor otherwise?”

Men study for the ministry for many reasons. Some come to seminary out of a love for the Word of God, for the sheer delight in studying the Scriptures and the great Confessions of the church.

Mentoring Community

Others come because they love to teach and realize that teaching and preaching the Gospel is perhaps the most important teaching of all. Still others come because of a love for people, a desire to reach out and be with them in their sufferings and hardships, their trials and tribulations.

A pastor has to have all three desires; one cannot properly function without the other two. It is, if you will, the trinity of pastoral care.

Most of what we do academically at Concordia Theological Seminary focuses on knowing, understanding, and then applying the Word of God and the Confessions of the church. It’s essential knowledge, and most of our incoming students, understandably, have much to learn. In contrast, some might already be “apt to teach,” as St. Paul says. It’s also possible that they already love the flock, the people of God who will be entrusted to them by God’s grace.

Even if that were true of all our students, translating that into the concrete, real care that pastors exhibit for their people is no small task. How do we both teach it AND model it as professors and as a community?

One of the ways we do this is through the mentoring program here at CTSFW, which was changed in significant ways for the 2022-23 academic year. Every incoming Master of Divinity and Alternate Route student at the Seminary is assigned a faculty member as their mentor. Faculty members have five to ten students in their mentoring group. The group meets at least five times a quarter, or fifteen times a year. This allows mentors and mentees to get to

know each other very well, to get beyond the simple “how is class going” sort of conversations and into the deeper questions about vocation, pastoral identity, and what it means to be a pastor in the twenty-first century.

A part of my work as a professor here has included serving as a mentor to some of these fine men who will be pastors in Christ’s church someday. Each person’s challenges are different. Some struggle with academics. Others with field education. Still others with balancing school and home. Regardless of the challenges, Christ is with them, and by demonstrating genuine care and mercy toward them, mentors can model how to be a pastor, and what that looks like through the good and the bad.

Beyond the mentor-mentee relationship, the mentoring program provides a ready-made network of peers. I can’t stress enough how important a good network is for church workers. I know that from experience, and I see it when I travel the country, providing seminars and retreats for pastors.

Often these retreats focus on mental health for pastors, like the one I recently taught at in Michigan. In early 2022 I did a similar presentation for Pittsburgharea pastors. Whether you are talking about the heartland of Lutheranism, the coasts, or anywhere in between, one of the common themes that comes up again and again is the danger of isolation. Pastors who are isolated are pastors who are vulnerable to attack. That attack may come by way of temptation to sin, but it can also come by way of an attack on the family or on a pastor’s mental and

Men study for the ministry for many reasons. Some come to seminary out of a love for the Word of God, for the sheer delight in studying the Scriptures and the great Confessions of the church. Others come because they love to teach and realize that teaching and preaching the Gospel is perhaps the most important teaching of all. Still others come because of a love for people, a desire to reach out and be with them in their sufferings and hardships, their trials and tribulations.

Todd A. Peperkorn

emotional health. Isolation is never, ever good for a pastor.

It is my hope that as we learn more about how to integrate the mentoring process into pastoral formation here at CTSFW, it will serve as a way to renew our pastors in the field as well. Can you imagine the blessing it would be for every pastor to have a cohort of men who were looking out for him? Can you imagine what it would be like to have older pastors to serve as counselors and guides, and for younger pastors to have men they can look up to and learn from? There have been times in our church’s history when we have had that. There

have been times when winkels have served that purpose. Frankly, we need it. We need it desperately. And anything we can do to foster that spirit of cooperation and care in our students will only serve to make things better for both the pastors and the people they serve.

Dr. Todd A. Peperkorn is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Director of Vicarage, and Director of Residential Pastoral Formation Programs.

Mentoring at CTSFW

The training of pastors has always aimed at producing a well-rounded man whose knowledge of the Scriptures and Christian doctrine is matched by his love for the people of God and the desire to serve them. Because each student brings his own unique traits to that task, such preparation cannot simply be assumed. Whereas the academic component is carefully scripted through the curriculum and routinely measured through grading, the Seminary has come to see that the so-called "soft skills" require more intentionality. To that end, our mentoring of students aims to help them:

@ Develop a deeper sense for their motivation to serve as a pastor

@ Come to know themselves better, in terms of both strengths and weaknesses

@ Develop a love of the Holy Scriptures apart from the academic study of them

@ Learn to interact with peers over theology and the pastoral task

@ Foster in themselves and others habits and desires that lead to ongoing theological study

Far from being an effort that concludes upon graduation, our student mentoring prepares future pastors whose entire ministry will benefit from continued introspection, devotion, study, and the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren.

Can you imagine the blessing it would be for every pastor to have a cohort of men who were looking out for him? Can you imagine what it would be like to have older pastors to serve as counselors and guides, and for younger pastors to have men they can look up to and learn from?

Dr. Paul J. Grime, Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions; Vice President of Spiritual Formation; Dean of the Chapel

On May 23, Dr. Todd Peperkorn led a mental health retreat at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Harrison, Michigan.

Faculty News

Dr. Detlev Schulz, Professor of Ministry and Missions, spoke at the graduation ceremony of 20 theological students at Concordia Theological Seminary in Nagercoil, India on March 26, 2023. The seminary, founded in 1924 by the Missouri Evangelical Lutheran India Mission, is owned and governed by the India Evangelical Lutheran Church. During Dr. Schulz’s visit to India, he and the seminary’s faculty developed a list of students who plan to attend CTSFW in the future.

Dr. Naomichi Masaki, Professor of Systematic Theology, attended the consecration of Dr. Yohana Nzelu (DMin, CTSFW 2021) as Bishop of the South East of Lake Victoria Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (SELVD/ELCT) in Shinyanga, Tanzania April 30, 2023. Dr. Masaki represented CTSFW President Dr. Lawrence R. Rast and the Lutheran Leadership Development Program (LLDP) of the International Lutheran Council (ILC). Dr. Daniel Mono (DMin, CTSFW 2018) was installed as Assistant to the Bishop at the same service.

On May 9, fourth-year students unveiled their class gift in Kramer Chapel: a portrait of Dr. Arthur Just, Professor of Exegetical Theology, painted by family friend Ana Maria Ash. Class President Isaiah Armbrecht presented the gift, noting that it “honors a professor who has long been a cornerstone of this community, one who is well esteemed among us, who is revered and respected here and across the world.” Just graciously thanked the class for the honor, noting, “This is the most remarkable place to teach in the world.”

Students Recognized at Awards Convocation

Front row (l-r): Dr. Charles Gieschen, Eva Aiello, Brennan DeForest, Joshua Dub, Nicholas Belcher, Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. Second row: Anthony Keilani, Keah Payne, Benjamin Wessel, Justin Chester, Zachary Wessel. Third row: Bryan Payne, Isaiah Armbrecht, Peter Wagner, Eric Nuss

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), recognized fifteen students for excellence in academics and service at its annual Awards Convocation May 9 in Kramer Chapel. “On behalf of the entire faculty, I express our sincere appreciation for the many, many ways the vast majority of our students pursue academic excellence in their theological studies,” said Provost Dr. Charles Gieschen as he opened the program. “We offer our heartfelt congratulations to the specific students receiving awards.”

Exegetical Theology

Zachary Wessel: The St. Timothy Award. Funded by an anonymous donor, the award is intended to encourage a second-year student in his continued study of the Holy Scriptures.

Brennan DeForest: The Zondervan Biblical Greek Award.

Isaiah Armbrecht: The Zondervan Biblical Hebrew Award.

Benjamin E. Wessel: The Concordia Publishing House Award for Exegetical Writing, for his paper “‘Are You for Us or for Our Adversaries?’ Joshua 5:13-15 and the Ethical Implications of Holy War in Scripture.”

Joshua Dub: The Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) Award for Outstanding Accomplishment.

Systematic Theology

Peter Preus: The Draves Family Scholarship (2023-24 academic year), presented for outstanding achievement

in systematic theology and Lutheran dogmatics and a firm commitment to the Lutheran Confessions.

Nicholas Belcher: The Zondervan Theology Award, for his paper “Conscience and Just Cause: An Analysis of Luther’s Just War Theology.”

Peter Wagner: The Concordia Publishing House Systematic Theology Writing Award, for his paper “Luther’s Communication of Attributes as a Pastoral Doctrine.”

Pastoral Ministry and Missions

Brennan DeForest: The Gerhard Aho Homiletics Award, for his paper “If Jesus Gave Your Wedding Sermon” (based on Matthew 19:4-6).

Justin Chester: The Concordia Publishing House Award for Pastoral Ministry and Missions Writing, for his paper “A Healthy Dose of Lament: The Lament Psalms as the Prayer Book of the Christian.”

Eric Nuss: The Pastoral Ministry and Missions Award for a Written Bible Study, for his paper “A Continuing Education Course for Sunday School Teachers Using the Small Catechism.”

Historical Theology

Anthony Keilani: The Concordia Publishing House Award for Historical Theology, for his paper “Augustine on Infant Baptism.”

Graduate Studies

Rev. Alexander Knowles, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Angola, New York: The Concordia Publishing House Award for Graduate School Research and Writing (excluding theses and dissertations), for his paper “Does the Social Construct Theory Adequately Define Who Man Is? Social Constructionism Measured Against Luther’s 1536 Disputation Concerning Man.”

Deaconess Studies

Keah Payne (distance) and Eva Aiello (residential): The Elizabeth Fedde Award for Outstanding Service, which recognizes academic achievement and compassionate service toward fellow students.

Student-Nominated

Bryan Payne: The Shepherd’s Staff Award. Recipient chosen by fellow fourth-year students for demonstrating outstanding pastoral care.

Call Day 2023

Vicarage and Deaconess internship Assignment Service

On April 24, forty-five students learned where they would be serving in the coming year, including thirty-seven vicars and eight deaconess interns. The Rev. David Nehrenz, LCMS Oklahoma District President and pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman, Oklahoma, served as preacher. At the service, the Seminary awarded its second Wyneken Vicarage Award to Rev. Nehrenz and his congregation, which has had a vicar for thirty-three consecutive years (and will be welcoming another this summer).

Candidate Placement Service

Thirty-one men received calls at the annual Candidate Placement Service, held in Kramer Chapel April 25. The preacher for the service was the Rev. Dr. Allan Buss, LCMS Northern Illinois District President. Several special guests offered congratulations and good wishes, including Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison. “We’re proud of you. We love you. We’re happy for you. We’re happy with you. We thank God for you and your families, your spouses, and your children,” said Harrison. “Welcome to the greatest Lutheran ministerium on the earth.”

For videos of the services, a Call Day photo album, and lists of placements (also included in this issue) visit ctsfw.edu/callday or scan the QR code.

Seminary Announces Placements

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, announces deaconess internships, vicarage assignments, deaconess placements, and calls to the pastoral ministry for the 2022-23 academic year. (Dates indicate when placements were announced.)

PASTORAL CALL

January 12, 2023

WILLIAM M. SHAMBURGER III

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Rocklin, CA

California-Nevada-Hawaii District

DEACONESS PLACEMENTS

February 3, 2023

MELISSA HARRINGTON

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Fort Wayne, IN

Indiana District

PATTI REZNER MILLER

Village Lutheran Church

Ladue, MO

Missouri District

CHELSIE KAY SCHMEISSER

Grace Lutheran Church

Sebeka, MN

Zion Lutheran Church

Sebeka, MN

Nimrod Lutheran Church

Nimrod, MN

Minnesota North District

MEGAN L. POLZIN

Lutheran High School Association

Mayer, MN

Minnesota South District

LINDA STRUBBE

Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church

Jacksonville, IL Central Illinois District

MIRIAM YAKIMOW

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hamburg

Whitmore Lake, MI Michigan District

DEACONESS INTERNSHIPS

April 24, 2023

EVA M. AIELLO

Ascension of Christ Lutheran Church

Beverly Hills, MI

English District

ELIZABETH N. DOBBELAIRE

Zion Lutheran Church

Painesville, OH Ohio District

CLAIRE A. GERRARD

Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church

Haslet, TX Texas District

STEPHANIE C. KINLEY

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, IN

Indiana District

JOANNA R. LEE

Perry Lutheran Homes

Perry, IA

Iowa West District

CAMBRIA J. PAULS

Messiah Lutheran Church

Marysville, WA Northwest District

MELISSA D. PFLUG

Lutheran Home and Harwood Place

Wauwatosa, WI

South Wisconsin District

BEVERLY A. WALLING

Frederick Health Hospital, CPE

Frederick, MD

Southeastern District

VICARAGE ASSIGNMENTS

April 24, 2023

MATTHEW J. BAKER

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

Cedar Falls, IA Iowa East District

JESSE L. BRUBAKER

Faith Lutheran Church

The Dalles, OR Northwest District

JAMES M. BRUSS

Trinity Lutheran Church

Norman, OK Oklahoma District

JUSTIN M. CHESTER

Shepherd of the City Lutheran Church

Fort Wayne, IN Indiana District

DAVID E. CLARK

Zion Lutheran Church

Imperial, NE Nebraska District

JACOB R. CORRIGAN

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Moline, IL

Central Illinois District

TED L. FISCHER

Tabor Lutheran Church

Chicago, IL

Northern Illinois District

CHASE M. GREENHAGEN

Faith Lutheran Church

Green Bay, WI

North Wisconsin District

RYAN M. GROH

Faith Lutheran Church

Capo Beach, CA

Pacific Southwest District

PREUS A. HASSELBROOK

Memorial Lutheran Church

Houston, TX Texas District

ADAM R. HILES

Historic Trinity Lutheran Church

Detroit, MI Michigan District

ALEXANDER J. HINOJOSA

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Columbus, OH Ohio District

JASON L. IWEN

Christ Lutheran Church

Battle Mountain, NV

Zion Lutheran Church

Winnemucca, NV

California-Nevada-Hawaii District

PATRICK W. JACKSON

Our Savior Lutheran Church

Cheyenne, WY Wyoming District

ZACHARY S. JOHNSON

Saint Paul Lutheran Church

Eldora, IA Iowa East District

DANIEL A. KINLEY

Saint John Lutheran Church

Columbia City, IN Indiana District

MATTHEW S. KINNE

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Hamilton, OH Ohio District

ZACHARY A. KREITLER

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Gresham, OR Northwest District

MATTHEW A. MACHEMER

Saint Paul Lutheran Church

New Haven, IN

Martini Lutheran Church

New Haven, IN Indiana District

SEAN R. MCNEIL

Grace Lutheran Church

Muncie, IN

Indiana District

ALEXANDER R. OGDEN

Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries

Philadelphia, PA

English District

NATHAN D. RAUGUTT

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church

Churubusco, IN

Indiana District

NASH A. RINGQUIST

Trinity Lutheran Church

Winfield, KS

Kansas District

HENRY S. SCHELTENS

Messiah Lutheran Church

Danville, CA

English District

TIMOTHY M. SCHLEUSENER

Our Savior Lutheran Church

Raleigh, NC

Southeastern District

CODY A. SCHREPFERMAN

Pella Lutheran Church

Waupun, WI

South Wisconsin District

JACOB T. SHEPARD

Trinity Lutheran Church

Hampton, IA

Iowa East District

NICHOLAS J. SINATRA

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church

Arlington, WI

South Wisconsin District

LOGAN S. SMITH

Trinity Lutheran Church

Waterville, MN

Minnesota South District

ISAAC M. SPANGLER

Catalina Lutheran Church

Tucson, AZ

English District

SOLOMON K. SPANGLER

Grace Lutheran Church

Redford, MI

English District

MICHAEL P. SPECKHARD

Saint James Lutheran Church

Howard Lake, MN

Minnesota South District

ROD D. STEWART JR.

University Lutheran Chapel

Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota South District

GRANT P. TAPKEN

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Highland, IN

Indiana District

BENJAMIN E. WESSEL

Zion Lutheran Church

Mitchell, SD

South Dakota District

ZACHARY T. WESSEL

All Saints Lutheran Church

Slippery Rock, PA English District

JEFFREY M. WINDOLOSKI

Our Hope Lutheran Church

Huntertown, IN

Indiana District

PASTORAL CALLS

April 25, 2023

NICHOLAS R. BELCHER

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

Topeka, KS

Kansas District

JOSHUA A. BENISH

South Wisconsin District

Milwaukee, WI

South Wisconsin District

MICAH J. BROOKS

St. Luke Lutheran Church

Nunica, MI

Michigan District

GUNNAR G. CAMPBELL

Christ Lutheran Church

Jacob, IL

Southern Illinois District

MATTHEW G. CARLSON

Our Savior Lutheran Church

Jacob, IL

Northern Illinois District

RAYMOND B. COX

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

Biloxi, MS

Southern District

BRENNAN T. DEFOREST

Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church

Chico, CA

California-Nevada-Hawaii District

JOSHUA P. DUB

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

Peru, IN

Indiana District

NICHOLAS C. GAPSKI

Family of God Lutheran Church

Detroit, MI

Saint Stephen Lutheran Church

Detroit, MI

Michigan District

MARK P. GASCHLER

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Linn, KS Kansas District

THOMAS E. GOODROAD

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE Nebraska District

JEREMY C. HANSON

Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church

Sheboygan, WI

South Wisconsin District

JAMES A. HAUGEN III

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

Holgate, OH Ohio District

BENJAMIN N. JANSSEN

Holy Cross EvangelicalLutheran Chapel

Pittsburgh, PA

English District

ANTHONY M. KEILANI

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Sidney, OH

Ohio District

ZACHARY T. KLUMPP

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Aurora, MN

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Virginia, MN Minnesota North District

DALE R. KRIENKE

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Austintown, OH Ohio District

JONAH Q. LAWS

Faith Lutheran Church

Rogue River, OR Northwest District

BLAKE J. MARTZOWKA

St. Thomas Lutheran Church Streetsboro, OH

English District

Christ Lutheran Church

Mantua, OH Ohio District

JEREMY T. MCDONALD

Our Savior Lutheran Church

Brinkley, AR

Zion Lutheran Church

Ulm, AR

Mid-South District

DAKOTA S. MONDAY

Saint Paul Lutheran Church

Whispering Pines, NC

Southeastern District

PAUL D. NORRIS

St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church

Delphi, IN

Indiana District

BRIAN J. NYGAARD

Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church

Merrillville, IN

Indiana District

BRYAN D. PAYNE

Board for International Mission

St. Louis, MO Missouri District

CARL R. PETZOLD

Hope Lutheran Church

Saint Helen, MI

Saint John Lutheran Church

West Branch, MI Michigan District

CHARLES V. SHEMWELL

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Johnson City, TN Mid-South District

ELLERY J. STEFFENSEN

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Burns, WY

St. John’s Lutheran Church

Kimball, NE Wyoming District

JOEL P. WAGNER

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Latimer, IA

Iowa East District

DANIEL E. WARNER

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Chaffee, MO

Zion Lutheran Church

Gordonville, MO Missouri District

DAVID C. WOELMER

Grace Lutheran Church

Smithville, TX Texas District

MARK G. ZIEROTH

Saint Matthew Lutheran Church

Sherrill, IA

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

Dubuque, IA

Iowa East District

DEACONESS PLACEMENTS

May 18, 2023

SHIRLEY J. DASHKEVICZ

St. Peter Lutheran Church

Hemlock, MI Michigan District

SARAH R. FEDERWITZ

Lutheran Bible Translators

Concordia, MO

Missouri District

MAY ITZCOVITCH

Grace Lutheran Church

St Petersburg, FL

Florida-Georgia District

TIRZAH A. KREY

LCMS Office of International Mission

St. Louis, MO

Missouri District

KEAH D. PAYNE

LCMS Office of International Mission

St. Louis, MO

Missouri District

JAMIELYNN RUTH TINKEY

LCMS Office of International Mission

St. Louis, MO

Missouri District

SPECIFIC MINISTRY PASTORAL CALLS

Various

WILLIAM R. DAVIS

St. Paul Ev. Luth Church

Austin, TX

Texas District

JEFFREY HAGEN

St. John’s Lutheran Church

Sherburn, MN

Minnesota South District

TIMOTHY M. HOMAN

Grace Lutheran Church

Bishop, CA

Mammoth Lakes Lutheran Church

Mammoth Lakes, CA

Pacific Southwest District

DENNIS D. MERCER

Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church

Black Hawk, SD

South Dakota District

ROBERT C. ROEVER

Alive in Christ Lutheran Church

Big Spring, TX

Texas District

DUSTIN E. RIDINGS

Zion Lutheran Church

Oconto, WI

North Wisconsin District

2023 Commencement Day Highlights:

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), closed the 177th academic year with Commencement

May 19, 2023. Dr. Leo S. Mackay, longtime member of the CTSFW Board of Regents and special honoree at the ceremony, served as Commencement speaker. Earlier in the day, the Seminary held a Baccalaureate Matins service, with the Rev. James Haugen Jr. preaching.

2023 Award Recipients

Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa

Dr. Leo Mackay Jr., Alexandria, Virginia

Dr. Leo S. Mackay Jr., senior vice president of Ethics and Enterprise Assurance for Lockheed Martin Corporation, was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, for dedicated service to church and country.

Mackay, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN), spent three years as a Navy pilot, then earned a master’s degree and PhD in public policy from Harvard University. He was a Kennedy Fellow, Harvard MacArthur Scholar, Graduate Prize Fellow, and a Research Fellow at the Center for Science and International Affairs. He taught at the Naval Academy and as a Special Guest Fellow at the Brookings Institution and served as a military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon from 1993 to 1995. He has held top-level management positions in the defense industry and

in healthcare. In 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Mackay to serve as deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs.

“Amidst all of these high-powered positions, most of us know Leo primarily as a vocal supporter and advocate of Concordia Theological Seminary for the past thirteen years, serving our Board of Regents,” said CTSFW Provost Dr. Charles Gieschen. In addition to his service to CTSFW, Mackay has served as chairman of the Board of Elders and congregational president at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa

Mr. Walter Dissen, Chesapeake, Virginia

Walter C. Dissen was awarded the Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, for his long and faithful service to the cause of confessional Lutheranism and, in particular, for his strong support of the seminaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Dissen was raised with a “deep love for Christ and an unwavering commitment to the Scriptures,” Gieschen said. A veteran of the Korean War and graduate of Kent State University and the University of Akron School of Law, Dissen served as the corporate attorney for railroads including Nickel Plate Road, the Norfolk and Western Railway, and the Norfolk Southern Corporation.

He served on the Board of Regents of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL) from 1971 to 1983, providing faithful leadership during turbulent times in the Synod. He later served on the CTSFW Board of Regents (1995–2007), then returned to

Seminary awards 71 Degrees, Five Honors

the CSL Board of Regents (2012–2018), completing a total of 30 years of service as a board leader at our LCMS seminaries. In addition to his seminary service, Dissen was instrumental in the founding of the Concordia Theological Foundation and the Lutheran Concerns Association (LCA), where he continues to serve as chairman of the board and editor of its publication, The Lutheran Clarion

CTSFW President Emeritus Dean Wenthe said about Dissen, “It is hard to imagine a layman who has had a greater positive influence on the theology and practice of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod than Mr. Walter Dissen.”

Alumnus of the Year

Rev. Daniel Conrad, LCMS Missionary, Latin America and Caribbean Region

The Rev. Daniel E. Conrad, a theological educator for the LCMS Office of International Mission, is a 1984 MDiv graduate of CTSFW and is currently working on his dissertation for his doctorate in missiology. Conrad, who earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan, worked for a year as an engineer at Chrysler before enrolling at the Seminary in 1979. His seminary formation included a unique two-year vicarage in Venezuela, which prepared him well for two decades of service there as a missionary. He served as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Terra Bella, California, from 2005–2014 before returning to

mission work in Mexico City. He is preparing for a transition to the Dominican Republic, where he will assist with pastoral formation in Central and South America.

Miles Christi Awards (Soldier of Christ)

Mr. Dwight and Mrs. Sherry Puls, Shelby, Michigan Dwight and Sherry Puls have been very active in the congregations where they have been members. Dwight was on the Evangelism Board with St. John Lutheran in Frasier, Michigan, and on the Christian Care Board at Shepherd’s Gate Lutheran in Shelby Township, Michigan. He is currently an elder at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church near Shelby. Sherry has served as a Stephen Ministry leader at St. John and Shepherd’s Gate for nearly three decades. She has led women’s Bible studies at St. John, Shepherd’s Gate, and St. Stephen’s. She also served on the altar guild at St. John and St. Stephen’s. Both have generously supported student aid at CTSFW.

Mrs. Charlotte Ford, Madison, Wisconsin

Charlotte Ford was presented with the Miles Christi Award for her generous support of CTSFW for the past two decades. “Charlotte has long known that the church needs pastors; that the church needs workers. Charlotte Ford is a beautiful example of a miles Christi, a soldier of Christ who has honored our Lord through a life of exemplary service to her family, community, and church,” Gieschen said.

Faculty Profile: Dr. Jon Bruss Glen Werling

Dr. Jon Bruss can barely remember a time when he didn’t want to be a pastor. “My parents told me that I would stand up in the pew at the back of the church and point at the pastor when he was giving his sermon,” Bruss recalled with a smile.

Born at Milwaukee Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bruss’s family lived briefly in the Omaha, Nebraska, area before resettling in Hartland, Wisconsin, where they attended a Missouri Synod church. When he was in his teens, the congregation got a new pastor whose theology was at odds with the confession of LCMS. Shortly thereafter, the family joined a nearby congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), a small, confessional synod of 130 congregations headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota.

After graduating from high school, Bruss attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he received his undergraduate degree in classics. “Classics was definitely chosen as preparatory for the study of theology,” Bruss said.

He decided to continue his study of classics at the University of Toronto, but after a semester there, he realized the program was not going to be a good fit and moved on to Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, the ELS seminary in Mankato, Minnesota. “I always had every intention to study theology and serve as a pastor, so I had deferred my acceptance at the seminary. I took advantage of that deferral sooner than anticipated.”

Following his first year at the seminary in 1991, he married his wife, Kristine, and by the mid-90s, both were teaching at Bethany Lutheran College. Bruss was ordained in 1997 as a member of the Bethany faculty. He served on the chapel preaching staff and taught a variety of undergraduate subjects including German, Latin, Greek, the New Testament, history, religion, and Western humanities.

“I loved it,” he recalled. During that time at Bethany, he also completed his MA and PhD in classics at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Occasionally, he would fill the pulpits of area ELS congregations that needed a substitute, but he never served as an ELS parish pastor and eventually left the synod. “The ELS and LCMS share so much with respect to their doctrine, but there are differences,” he noted. “Those differences became more of an issue for me as time went on, but I have nothing but good to say about the ELS.”

Bruss left Bethany in 2002 to teach at his alma mater, St. Olaf, then taught for three years at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. While in Tennessee, he colloquized into the Missouri Synod. “I’m an eighth- or ninth-generation Missouri Synod Lutheran. As soon as we left Bethany, we started going to a Missouri Synod church,” he said.

Bruss first served as an LCMS parish pastor in 2008 in Topeka, Kansas. He and Kristine, along with their daughter, Ingrid, had moved to nearby Lawrence to teach at the University of Kansas. During that time, Bruss was tapped to

serve as a vacancy pastor, where he helped heal a rift that had developed in an LCMS congregation. “It was a great experience,” he said. “Since I left, they’ve had two wonderful orthodox pastors, one of whom was a graduate of the seminary here.”

In 2013, Bruss received a call to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Topeka, a congregation that unabashedly proclaims itself to be scriptural, confessional, and liturgical. He spent just shy of a decade there.

“I was a circuit visitor from 2015 until coming here to CTSFW. I loved having the opportunity to help congregations in transitional moments understand who they are in Christ and the fullness of our confession,” he said. “We had a good district president and solid colleagues in the circuit.”

Now at CTSFW, Bruss teaches future pastors Lutheran doctrine as a member of the Systematics Department, where the focus is on two basic texts, The Lutheran Confessions and dogmatics, the systematic arrangement of Christian teaching. His new role as seminary professor has given him yet another opportunity to blend his

academic and pastoral interests.

“I’ve always straddled the churchly and academic worlds,” Bruss said. “When I’ve been primarily an academic, I’ve also preached and helped in parishes on the side; when I’ve been primarily in the parish, I’ve maintained academic involvement, whether via teaching in higher ed, writing and delivering papers, or publishing. For me, the enrichment of both tracks flows both ways: academics makes me a better pastor, and being a pastor feeds my theological academic interests by generating questions and always driving me to ask: ‘Is this faithful? How do I know?’”

Coming to Fort Wayne was a big transition, but Bruss said he’s liking it more and more all the time. “It’s very interesting to prepare our young men to go out into this variegated church body and faithfully do their work without possibly blowing up the situation,” he said. “The church—me included— always needs to be reformed toward a fuller embrace of our confession and who we are in Christ. We Lutherans have inherited a rich theology marked by clear doctrine and practice that reflects it. That’s the ideal. But sometimes pastors

don’t walk into an ideal situation.”

Preparing pastors to work faithfully, patiently, and effectively in such situations is a challenge, but not without reward. “It can take a long time for the force of God’s Word to be embraced by a congregation — but pastors shouldn’t dodge from pursuing it.” The reward for that patient, steadfast teaching, Bruss said, is in “getting [the congregation] to the point where they say, ‘Oh, that’s what God’s Word says? Then I guess something has to change here.’”

“It’s a challenge for our church today to help pastors assist laypeople in maintaining a joyful confidence in their confession,” he added. “Sure, there will be some bumps and bruises along the way, but don’t become pessimistic. Remember what it was like for Paul in Corinth. We’ve been here before. We can do this—by the grace of God.”

Glen A. Werling is the Communications and Social Media Specialist at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Saints, See the Cloud of Witnesses

Larry D. Wright

Lord, give us faith to walk where You are sending, On paths unmarked, eyes blind as to their ending; Not knowing where we go, but You lead us With grace precede us.

It will come as no surprise to those of you with intimate knowledge of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), to recall that several years ago there was a transformational change in the way in which the Seminary operates. This change, full tuition coverage for students, occurred incrementally over many years but was implemented fully in the fall of 2018. As our graduating students enter the Lord’s harvest field, they no longer leave with tuition debt from their seminary training.

Realizing the financial magnitude of eliminating student-paid tuition, one may well ask, “Then who’s picking up the tab?”

The answer is that tuition is funded by our beloved donors, whose gifts form a blessed Lutheran crowdfunding of seminary students. For CTSFW, the many donors include individuals, congregations and their various groups, districts, and other outside grants and scholarships from philanthropic entities. There are donors who give a gift once a year, some once a month. We have congregations that adopt students, building a relationship with them as they progress through their classes. Groups such as Sunday school gatherings,

Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), and Bible study groups also provide donations. There are individuals who include the Seminary in their trusts or wills, leaving a philanthropic legacy of support for the students who will serve our Lord.

As you can see, the blessings come from large and small donations and from large and small organizations. The common thread: Each and every gift is important and very much appreciated. One example of a group dedicated to helping seminary students is the Council of Lutheran Women (CLW). The CLW, based in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, was founded in 1964 and is a consortium of Lutheran women’s

organizations that share a common concern for supporting a strong Christian witness in Word and deed. The members of the CLW fund educational programs for women’s organizations, community efforts, and scholarship programs for pastoral ministry and deaconess students. Every year the CLW asks its member congregations for the names of seminary students from their membership. The fundraising culminates at the annual meeting, where over 1,000 participants gather to hear the results of their yearlong fundraising efforts. These efforts continue every year (even through the COVID years). This year, the CLW awarded a total of eight scholarships for CTSFW.

We thank and encourage gracious supporters like the Council of Lutheran Women and the numerous other individuals and entities that help make a world-class Lutheran theological education not only a possibility but a reality. All your efforts to fund the Seminary in turn reduce the student loan debt that our graduates may carry forward into the parish.

Every donor and every gift is an investment through the Seminary to provide the church with pastors, deaconesses, and other servants of Christ who proclaim His salvific message to a challenging world. Thank you to all of you who have given generously to the Seminary over the years, and to all who keep our students in your prayers.

Please consider supporting Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, which exists to form servants in Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all. To make a gift online, visit ctsfw.edu/support-ctsfw.

The Rev. Larry D. Wright is an Advancement Officer at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Golf Outing and Alumni Reunion

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, held its annual Golf Outing May 17 at Cherry Hill Golf Club. Proceeds from the event, which drew twenty foursomes, will be used to improve the CTSFW athletic facilities and grounds. Many thanks to our sponsors and participants!

Following the Golf Outing, CTSFW held the annual Alumni Reunion, focusing in particular on classes ending in “3” and “8.” The Rev. Gilbert Meseke, a graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield in 1953, was honored at the reunion banquet in recognition of the 70th anniversary of his graduation. (Note the “50” + “20” ribbons on his name badge in the photo with President Rast.)

Care In the Wake of Tragedy

James B. Robinson

Iam the campus ministry pastor at Martin Luther Chapel (MLC) in East Lansing, home of Michigan State University (MSU). On February 13, our community was rocked by a sudden violent attack on our students at MSU. Late in the evening, I was alerted about a shooting in East Lansing, but this one was on the campus, which is only two blocks from my church. The shooter shot and killed three students and injured five more.

That same night, the Religious Advisors Association, a group of religious leaders in the area who act in a supportive role for the students, was alerted to an opportunity to be present at a safe haven set up by the East Lansing police and campus police, where students could gather and be

with religious leaders while they waited for family to come collect them. The students were terrified that their peaceful community had experienced a shooting, and that they could have been a victim. Some of these students had seen their classmates shot; some climbed out of

windows and ran to seek safety.

The next day, Pastor Curt Dwyer, MLC’s lead pastor, and I organized a Prayer Vigil, choosing a time during the day when most everyone in the community, especially students, staff, and faculty of MSU, would be able to attend. We wanted to hold a meaningful service that expressed compassion and the love of Christ while ensuring that those attending, including the many who would be walking to the chapel, would feel safe. Other Lutheran pastors in the area heard of the atrocities and our service and offered assistance. One pastor made arrangements to have the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs at our service.

Photo courtesy Lutheran Church Charities

The value of these dogs may not be apparent to all, but they clearly provided a valuable service in our community. Nearly everyone who visited the chapel also visited with the comfort dogs. Some students were hesitant to connect with others before the service, but the dogs seemed to melt their inhibitions, allowing them to truly grieve while being comforted. The canine friends sat quietly with each person, like Job’s friends did in his time of need. The dogs also provided that peaceful comfort, free of judgement and attempts to take the pain away with words that had little use. The dogs, and their handlers, were able to provide unique care for the people who came to visit them, and they helped us pastors do our job of comforting people with the Word of God.

In the days and weeks that followed, I spent many hours at “listening stations” where students, faculty, and staff members could talk to counselors and religious leaders, all of whom volunteered time to provide care for those in need. Many students decided to go home and spend time with family, but those who remained received support as needed. Some congregants of MLC are faculty or staff, and they also needed care. Some asked me how they could be supportive of their students and fellow employees. One of the best pieces of advice is to listen and let the person say whatever is on their heart. Most people we cared for were not interested in platitudes. They really needed someone to hear them and acknowledge that their

pain was valid. I was also invited into the classroom by teachers to provide additional and intentional counseling to the students who had returned to classes.

The “care for all” continued in various ways. I reached out to neighboring congregations and made connections across the country as people contacted us and asked how they could help. I spoke at a ministry conference just days after the shooting, asking attendees to write their name and hometown on one side of an index card and words of encouragement on the other.

One church provided us with around 40 grief kits, each with a blanket, tissue, hot chocolate packet, and a card, which we shared with students. Volunteers distributed additional food donations, along with completed index cards, on campus, while others maintained a station in front of the chapel along the main street to reach other students and community members.

All these actions and more allowed us, with the help of God, to support the community, reach the lost, and care as Christ instructed us to do. There are many ways to care in the aftermath of any tragedy. Asking, “What do you need me to do?” and being present are some of the best ways to care for those suffering. These actions will show Christ’s love and do more than most of our words can do.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) offers a variety of disaster response resources, including a Gospel proclamation (with resources for a Service of the Word), Quick Reference Guide for Disasters and Pandemics, and coping strategies for spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well-being. To access these resources, scan the QR code.

There are many ways to care in the aftermath of any tragedy. Asking, “What do you need me to do?” and being present are some of the best ways to care for those suffering. These actions will show Christ’s love and do more than most of our words can do.

The Rev. James B. Robinson is associate pastor at Martin Luther Chapel in East Lansing, Michigan.

Photo courtesy Lutheran Church Charities

Photo courtesy Lutheran Church Charities

The Deaconess Vocation: Bringing Care and Mercy to a Broken World

Katie Aiello

Throughout history, God has used women to care for others. Rahab hid the Israelite spies in Jericho. Ruth cared for Naomi. Esther stood up to King Xerxes, saving her people from his edict. Mary raised Jesus, the Savior of the nations. These women were pivotal for God’s plan of salvation.

God still uses women today to teach others about the Bible and care for those in their communities. Every year at CTSFW, we have a graduating class of residential and distance deaconess students prepared to serve the church. Some are placed in congregations, where they facilitate the bonds of fellowship between church members and direct their church in ways to care for their community. Others are sent overseas as missionaries to care for those who have not heard of God. Still others serve in organizations, bringing a spiritual component to the outreach of those institutions. Caring for all is a key component of being a deaconess.

There might be women in your church (maybe even you or someone in your family) with an interest in serving as a deaconess. The deaconess programs at CTSFW offer the theological training to prepare women for this vocation, emphasizing both academic and practical experiences. Classes taught

by our Exegetical Department include Psalms and Gospels I. Our Historical Department teaches History of the Office of Deaconess and Church History I. From the Systematics Department, deaconess students learn about Theology of Mercy, Lutheran Confessions, and Theologia: Means of Grace. Offerings in the Vocational Department include Ministry to the Sick and Dying, Diaconal Counseling, and Deaconess Field Education/Practicum.

We wish that every student could come to the Seminary to learn in our residential program and especially encourage young women who can move to the campus to do so. Students in oncampus housing attend chapel together, eat meals together, and close evenings with devotions together. Our students cherish the bonds that are strengthened through these in-person interactions.

We realize, though, that some students are unable to move to the Fort Wayne area due to family obligations. For these

women, we offer our Master of Arts in Deaconess Studies—Distance Program. In this program, half of the classes are taken online, with video lectures and assignments that students complete each week on their own time. The other half are taken through on-campus two-week intensives. Our distance program requires that students come to campus for two weeks in January and two weeks in July during both years of coursework. In addition, there is a one-week intensive course on campus in May, the week leading up to graduation. These in-person intensive classes bring each cohort of distance program deaconess students closer together in fellowship and provide the opportunity for face-to-face learning with our faculty.

Whether residential or distance, our Deaconess Studies programs equip women, through theological study and practical experiences, to become instruments of Christ’s mercy, wherever they might serve.

If you have questions or would like more information about our Deaconess Studies programs, please contact Deaconess Katie Aiello at Katie.aiello@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-2213.

Gertrude “Trudy” Behning (1937-2023)

Gertrude “Trudy” Behning, secretary to CTSFW presidents Dr. Robert Preus and Dr. Dean Wenthe, was called to her eternal rest May 4, 2023. Trudy served on the CTSFW campus for over 50 years as a staff member and contributed countless volunteer hours thereafter, including copy editing For the Life of the World and many other CTSFW publications.

As some of you might remember, Trudy first worked at Concordia Senior College in the Registrar’s Office (1958-1976). When Concordia Theological Seminary moved from Springfield to Fort Wayne, Trudy took on a new role, serving as secretary to President Preus from 1976-1989 and again in 1992-1993. She later served as executive assistant to President Wenthe, a position she held from 1996-2006. Trudy served in various other capacities during her years at the Seminary, including overseeing the faculty secretaries, providing secretarial support for the chapel, managing Symposia registrations, and assisting in the Advancement Office.

In 2013, Trudy received CTSFW’s Miles Christi Award. When recommending her for the award, Dr. Charles Gieschen observed, “Trudy Behning is a wonderful example of a miles Christi, a soldier of Christ, who has honored our Lord through a lifetime of exemplary service, much of it linked to this campus, where she has served faithfully for the past 55 years.”

Below you can see one small example of Trudy’s careful work. If not for Trudy’s eagle eye, December 3 would have appeared twice on our 2022-23 calendar (an error spotted only by Trudy).

We thank God for the blessings He provided through Trudy and rejoice that she is now home with Him, having won her “imperishable

EVENTS SCHEDULE

For more or current information, visit our events webpage at ctsfw.edu/Events or call (260) 452-2100. Events are subject to change. Services and lectures will be livestreamed online at ctsfw.edu/DailyChapel or facebook.com/ctsfw.

SEPTEMBER

Opening Service

Tuesday, September 5, 10:00 a.m. in Kramer Chapel

Seminary Guild

Tuesday, September 12, 1:00 p.m. in Luther Hall

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

Christ Academy: Confirmation Retreat

September 22–24

Information: ctsfw.edu/Confirmation

Register: ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155

Continuing Education: Apologetics for the 21st Century

September 25–27

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/CE

Phone: (260) 452-2204

Lutheranism & the Classics VII: Humor See ad on page 29.

September 28–29

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/Classics

Phone: 260-452-2204

OCTOBER

Seminary Donation Day

Tuesday, October 10, 10:00 a.m. in Kramer Chapel

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

Prayerfully Consider Visit

October 12–14

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/PCV

Contact: Admission@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155

Christ Academy: College

October 27–29

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/CAC

Contact: ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155

NOVEMBER

Luther Hostel: The Christian Spiritual Life: Worship, Scripture, Prayer, and the Fruits of Faith

November 1–3

Information: ctsfw.edu/LutherHostel

Contact: (260) 452-2204

Good Shepherd Institute: The Living Tradition

November 5–7

Information: ctsfw.edu/GSI

Phone: (260) 452-2204

Organ Recital

Sunday, November 5, 4:30 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

All Saints’ Choral Vespers

Sunday, November 5, 7:30 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Hymn Festival

Monday, November 6, 7:30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1126 S. Barr St., Fort Wayne, IN

Seminary Guild

Tuesday, November 14, 1:00 p.m.

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

DECEMBER

Advent Candlelight Evening Prayer

Saturday, December 9, 4:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Seminary Guild

Tuesday, December 12, 1:00 p.m.

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

JANUARY 2024

Lenten Preaching Workshop

Monday, January 15, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Symposia Series

January 16–19

Epiphany Evening Prayer with the Kantorei

Tuesday, January 16, 5:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Vespers Service

Wednesday, January 17, 5:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Vespers Service

Thursday, January 18, 5:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Luther Hostel

The Christian Spiritual Life: Worship, Scripture, Prayer, and the Fruits of Faith

November 1–3, 2023

“Retreat to the Seminary”— proclaimed the little ad in a 1999 edition of The Lutheran Witness. Sounded very welcoming in the midst of my dizzying corporate life, so I flew down from Alaska to attend. What I found was far more than a “retreat”—it was a very full educational offering on the theme of “Luke, Liturgy and Luther” in a warm and comfortable setting, with others from around the country seeking this same personal, faith-enhancing experience.

Fast-forward 24 years—I’m still attending (now, with my husband), still referencing notes taken over the decades, still enjoying friends both old and new, and still learning and growing! Luther Hostel is a wonderful annual experience!

~Kathy Port

For more information scan the QR code or visit ctsfw.edu/LutherHostel. Registration opens end of summer.

Lutheranism & the Classics VII: Humor

As many know, Luther could be uproariously funny—but so was St. Paul and even our Lord Jesus Christ, during charged encounters with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. Such ideas will be discussed at the seventh biennial conference under the theme “Humor.”

Erasmus v. Luther: Who’s Laughing Now?—Dr. Mickey Mattox

I Helped Save Latin Today – What Did You Do?—Dr. Avery Springer

Jesus Could Be Hilarious—Dr. John Nordling

Continuing the Tradition: Classical Humor and Classical Criticism in Piccolomini and Luther—Cynthia Liu

For more information and to register, visit ctsfw.edu/Classics or (260) 452-2204.

IN THE STEPS OF PAUL TOUR

12 Days in Greece & Turkey

June 10–21, 2024

Hosts: Dr. and Mrs. Charles Gieschen

For more information contact Deaconess Katherine Rittner: n ctsfw.edu/CTSFWtours24

n CTSFWTours@ctsfw.edu

n (260) 452-2119

Care for All: The Lesson of the Upper Room

Christopher M. Seifferlein

In preparation for the Passover, Jesus sent Peter and John to obtain a furnished room. The basin for washing feet was there, along with the pitcher, water, and towel. The eyes of the guests avoided the “uncomfortable bowl” as they made their way into the large and spacious room. The owner knew that it was a private party. A servant had not been hired for the task of washing feet. Maybe the Teacher would pick one of the guests to do it, or maybe someone would volunteer.

I. The Upper Room

It was Thursday of Holy Week. The disciples were relaxing in the upper room with the Lord as they celebrated the Passover. Jesus had come into Jerusalem that Sunday with great acclaim (John 12:12, 19). After preaching in the temple courts earlier that week, He successfully silenced the religious leaders (Matt. 22:34, 41, 46). The disciples sensed that something important was on the horizon (Luke 24:41). If we could overhear their conversation, what would we hear? Read Luke 22:24

While Jesus knew what the disciples were thinking (John 13:11; Luke 22:25), what was Jesus thinking about? Read John 13:1

In the modern movement of “self-care,” we’re told that we can’t take care of other people before we first care for ourselves. Yet an over-centeredness on ourselves and our own needs may cause us to miss the joy and pleasure that comes from serving others. This is God’s joy that He wishes us to share in.

Read question number 17 in the Small Catechism in “The Christian Questions and Answers.” What motivated Christ to die and make full payment for your sins? Read Hebrews 12:2 What joy did Christ have? Why then might our joy in life often be so minimal?

What do the Scriptures state about the upper room where the Passover was to be celebrated with the Lord? Read Mark 14:15

One of the disciples, Judas, was also thinking about something that night. What was it? Read Luke 22:4–6.

In the absence of a servant hired for the task of washing the feet of the guests, it was customary that the person of lowest status would wash the feet of those gathered. The disciples may

Photo: Erik M. Lunsford/The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

have been cured of thinking themselves the greatest, but that doesn't mean they thought themselves the least.

Read John 13:2a. How long did it go on with no one volunteering to wash the feet? What might Jesus have been waiting for?

How does our Lord continue to wash feet in this world? Read John 20:21-23.

Why might there have been silence or embarrassment in the room when Jesus got up from the table?

Jesus concludes His discussion with His disciples. Read John 13:34-35

III. The New Commandment

In the Old Testament, what was the central commandment? Read Matthew 22:37-40

We often wish to care for those people from whom we might get some benefit. True service is that of the angels in heaven, who only wish for those they serve to love the One who has loved us.

II. Peter

Jesus gets to St. Peter. What does St. Peter say? Read John 13:8a

The newness of Jesus’ command is that we love as Jesus loved us. R.H.C. Lenski writes, “Jesus has brought a new love into the world, a love … that is intelligently bent on salvation for the one loved.” Further, Jesus’ words remind us that in our service we are not to forget that we have been loved. It is from this love, undeserved and unmerited, that our love for others flows. The genesis of our love is not the goodness of the person, the capability of their life, the benefits we will receive, the responsiveness of their hearts, or the welcoming nature of their reception, but their need alone.

What is holding Peter back from having Jesus wash his feet?

Read John 13:37 and Matthew 26:33

Early Church Christian convert Minicius Felix once wrote, “They love each other without being acquainted with each other.” Roman Emperor Julian scoffed about Christians and said, “Their master has implanted the belief in them that they are all brethren.”

Pride and self-trust are the root of all sin. If we believe ourselves to be sufficiently strong, we are too good for God and useless to anyone else. It is only in the humble recognition of our need to be saved that we can be of service to others.

Peter says to Jesus that if he needs to be washed to have a share with Jesus, then he would like Jesus to also wash his hands and his head. What does Jesus say in John 13:9?

In the Small Catechism, read the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed. After saying that we have been redeemed with a costly price, Luther writes that it is for this result that we serve Him. What are the three ways Martin Luther lists that we serve the Lord?

Conclusion

Baptism is the body washing by which we, the bride, are made clean by our Lord so that we, after life in this vale of tears, might be His bride for eternity (Eph. 5:26–27). Holy Absolution is the foot washing by which our sins are taken away and we are brought back to the purity of our Baptism. Love to our neighbor comes first in the place where we are loved.

Read John 13:14. While Jesus encourages the disciples to wash the feet of others, do we have any examples in Scripture of the disciples ever washing feet again? Where instead is water and washing by the disciples or Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of John? Read John 3:5, 22; John 4:10, 14; John 7:37

38; and John 19:34.

Jesus wants us to share in the joy of care for others. He wants to wean us from the life of selfishness. In the need of the other, the Lord blesses us to know the joy in His heart, His joy in saving us. The hands placed in the bowl made dirty were then placed upon the cross to make us clean. His hands held the dirty nails, our damning sins. Three days later Jesus walked into the room where the disciples feared the power of the Romans and the weight of their guilt. The hands that washed their feet and were nailed to the cross, were raised now in resurrected blessing. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).

The Rev. Christopher M. Seifferlein is pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Lititz, Pennsylvania.

LISBON, ND

July 5–7, 2023

Dr. Jeffrey Pulse

No More Peek-a-Boo Jesus: The Christology of the Old Testament

GRASS VALLEY, CA

July 10–12

Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. The History of the LCMS and Applications for Today

RIVERTON, UT

July 10–12

Dr. Jon Bruss

The Reformation of Worship: Scriptural Background and Key Texts, 1523-1580

AUSTIN, TX

July 13–15

Dr. Geoffrey Boyle

O Lord, Open My Lips: Praying the Psalms with Christ and His Church

CLEARWATER, FL

July 17–19

Dr. R. Reed Lessing

The Book of Jeremiah: Overcoming Life's Sorrows

LITTLE ROCK, AR

July 19–21

Dr. Scott Stiegemeyer

What Does It Mean to Be Human?

DAVENPORT, IA

July 24–26

Dr. Adam Koontz

The Gospel Always Grows: Evangelism and Apologetics in the Book of Acts

FLATHEAD LAKE, MT

July 31–August 4

Dr. John Nordling

Ancient Slavery and the Modern Christian

CHEYENNE, WY

August 1–3

Dr. David H. Petersen

21st-Century Preaching: Gleaning Method—Luther, Gerhard, Walther

ELGIN, IL

August 8–10

Dr. Chad Kendall

Protreptics: An Approach to Holy Conversation Outside the Church

MECHANICSBURG, PA

August 8–10

Dr. Geoffrey Boyle

An Unlikely Shepherd: Reading Zechariah in Light of Christ

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA

August 8–11

Rev. Dr. John R. Stephenson

Eschatology Today: How Knowledge of the Last Times Can Shape Us for the Present Times

DECATUR, IL

August 14–16

Dr. R. Reed Lessing Lamentations

SILVER BAY, MN

August 14–18

Dr. Ryan Tietz

Where Are You? Old Testament Lament and Pastoral Care

CUPERTINO, CA

August 15–17

Dr. Charles Gieschen

Who Is Jesus? Confronting Current Christological Controversy

AUBURN, MI

August 21–23

Dr. Thomas Winger

Paul’s Letter to the Church in Ephesus

LYNCHBURG, VA

August 29–31

Dr. James Bushur

Theology of the Second Century

FORT WAYNE, IN

September 25–27

Dr. Adam Francisco

Apologetics for the 21st Century

CHATTANOOGA, TN

October 12–14

Dr. Jeffrey Pulse

All the World: The Missiological Foundations of the Old Testament