HOPE & A FUTURE

BY AMANDA BERGER

Ihadn’t been back to the Luther Seminary campus in years. And on this gray November day it feels desolate—no one is about, apart from the grounds crew mowing the dry, lifeless leaves. But then, beneath the words Christus Lux Mundi, the doors of Gullixson Hall swing open and a string of students spills out— including the two smiling young women I’m there to meet.

Katie Weiland and Rachel Wyffels are daughters of St. Philip the Deacon (and former confirmation students of mine), both pursuing Master of Divinity degrees at Luther and preparing to be ordained as pastors. Their eyes are bright as we begin to talk about life at “the sem,” me reminiscing and peppering them with questions about their current experience.

And, of course, we begin the interview with their call stories (as most conversations at the sem begin). Weiland credits her family—parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, all members of St. Philip the Deacon, who instilled in her a deep love of God from an early age. Weiland also points to her involvement in music ministry as deeply formational for her faith, as well as an experience at Camp Omega in late elementary school. That early camp experience inspired Weiland to become a camp counselor during her summers as a student at Gustavus Adolphus College, spending several summers working at Sky Ranch of the Northern Rockies. It was at camp that she began to consider a calling to youth ministry. After applying for several positions, it was eventually Lands Lutheran Church in Zumbrota, Minnesota, that pursued her and where she currently serves as the Facilitator of Youth and Family Ministry. This led to her desire for further education, enrolling in the Luther’s distance learning program (although she commutes from Zumbrota to attend class in person as she is able).

Wyffels’ story begins in similar fashion— she, too, has deep family ties at SPD, but in contrast she has known since elementary school that she’d like to be a pastor. “Seeing the women pastors at SPD was truly influential for me as a child,” Wyffels said. “I would see the pastors in worship and think, ‘I’d like to do that, too.’” Wyffels has always been deeply interested in scripture, taking Pastor Mathison’s Crossways class as a middle school student, alongside her confirmation classes. In those classes, Wyffels met Tom and Ruth Moen, SPD members, who were important encouragers of her spiritual growth and calling to ministry. Even though classmates at St. Olaf College were often surprised by Wyffels’ desire to go into ministry, she never wavered. After taking a year to work for Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota, she enrolled at Luther. Her experience at Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota has given her an interest in the intersection of faith, justice and ecology—something she plans to carry forward into her pastoral ministry.

Both Weiland and Wyffels come alive when asked about the future of the church and their own role in that future. “There are a lot of passionate people [at the seminary] who care deeply about the future of the church,” said Weiland. “We see the need to think critically about how we are going to bring a life-giving church into the future—how it will and ought to look different in five, 10, 15 years.” Weiland offered her current faith community as an example. “In Zumbrota, which has 3,000 residents, there are nine churches—five of which are Lutheran. And yet they struggle every single month just to keep ourselves afloat, when there are so many like-minded people in this small geographical area. We need to work together; it’s not about saving this building—because the church is not a building. My hope is that we can move past that—but there are people whose ancestors built this church and that is important to them—but this is a conversation that we need to have, and I’m hopeful for it.” Reclaiming their past is probably not an option, but the possibility of a future together is exciting.

Wyffels said, “My hope for the future of the church is that we proclaim that Jesus is the ultimate truth in the world … and that looks like a lot of different things. That looks like living out our mission by advocating for our neighbors, for just relationships in the world, for caring for creation: it looks like proclaiming the Gospel. It’s more than the humanist claim that these things are important. It’s to say that at a fundamental level, this reconciliation that God brings is what the world is made of.”

And these two young women are not alone in their hopes and God-sized dreams. Weiland commented that many of her classmates long to see the church get beyond their buildings and to increase the role that faith communities play in bringing social change. This isn’t a new movement within the church (the church has always found itself at the intersection of love for God and justice for God’s people). But many seminarians long to see the church rise up in a new way, pursuing movements in social justice that fulfill Christ’s call to compassion and service of neighbors.

“Seminary has allowed me to think at a deep level about how my faith connects to [social justice],” said Wyffels. Weiland echoed that statement, agreeing that the mission of the church is not only to unbelievers overseas, but to those right here in our immediate community.

Christ calls us to be a light in the world— and Weiland and Wyffels shine with this holy light. Lit up by passion and the joy of their studies, it is easy to see that the future of the church is in good hands. “I’ve loved being at Luther. In undergrad, I spent time analyzing my faith, but now to talk about my faith as what it means to me, how I connect it to the world—I have loved it,” said Wyffels.

A special thank you to Rachel and Katie for sharing some of their photos of seminary life with Inspire.