10 questions to help identify a pastor within your congregation
Every congregation hopes for faithful, Christ-centered leadership, but what if your next pastor is already worshipping alongside you every week? Throughout Scripture, God often calls ordinary or unexpected people to ministry. Rather than looking only outside your congregation when the time comes for pastoral leadership, it’s worth asking whether God may already be preparing someone […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Laura Webb
This March, Pastor Laura Webb will celebrate three years at her first call, Elk Horn Lutheran Church in Elk Horn, Iowa. Though her path to ministry has not been without its challenges, she says she received her call at a young age. Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, she was heavily involved in […]
Pastor’s Perspective: John Beasley
Training Pastors for a Purpose For Rev. John Beasley, the road to ministry didn’t begin in his local church pew, but thousands of miles from home, in a military uniform. John spent four years in the Marine Corps and four years in the Army, serving as an interrogator in Iraq. While there, he worked alongside […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Erica Varcoe
A Seat at The Table It was an analogy about cows that assured Erica Varcoe she had a place at Luther House of Study. Varcoe, who graduated from LHOS in 2024 after seven years of study, recalls one of her first class meetings when Dr. Chris Croghan said, “You’re all like our cows. We’ve got […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Lucas Kinser
An unlikely path to ministry At Luther House of Study, we have made significant efforts to ensure that our seminary program is accessible to students, despite roadblocks they might face related to time, money or academic experience. Lucas Kinser is a May 2024 graduate of our program, who was ordained in June 2024 and serves […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Elias Johnson-Youngquist
We recently sat down with Rev. Elias Johnson-Youngquist, who graduated from our seminary program a couple years back and is now serving a congregation near Hartford, South Dakota. Elias shares eloquently about his experience with Luther House and how the theology of the cross has grounded him in his ministry, despite constant pressures to bend […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Jeff Backer
Pastor Jeff Backer is a 2018 graduate of our seminary program, and he currently serves a specialized ministry call at St. Dysmas Lutheran Church, the congregation behind the walls of the South Dakota State Penitentiary system. He recently shared his story with us, as well as some of the things he appreciates most about our […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Andrea Taphorn
We are grateful for our network of pastors and ministry partners who have supported us and provided thoughtful reflections about their experiences as students. Pastor Andrea Taphorn was ordained in September 2023 and now serves a congregation in sunny San Diego, CA. She shared her insights with us as a recent graduate of our Kairos […]
Who should go to seminary?
Understanding vocation and the call to Lutheran ministry Have you ever wondered about the possibility of attending seminary? Perhaps people in your life have mentioned it to you, or you simply feel a tug toward Lutheran ministry. The decision to attend seminary is one rooted in the value of education and the Lutheran understanding of […]
Pastor’s Perspective: Craig Wexler
Here at Luther House, we are grateful to have a strong network of pastors and ministry partners across the country, and internationally as well. Pastor Craig Wexler serves a congregation just a few hours away from us in Pierre, South Dakota at Lutheran Memorial Church, and he recently shared a bit of his story, as […]