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 to get you through the gate, and some will run right through, but some we need to stand next to and encourage, but we’re never going to close the gate until we get you through.”
It was a reassuring message for someone who says she never felt like she belonged anywhere.
“I come from a really complicated background with a lot of abuse and addiction in my family, and talking with the professors at LHOS just felt safe, like these are my people. What really drew me in was the community, how we were all so different but had that commonality around the table,” Erica said.
That encouragement and grace-filled approach carried her through those seven years of seminary. It’s the same spirit that led her to launch The Table, a ministry committed to meeting people where they are and walking alongside them through life’s ups and downs.
We sat down with Erica to hear more about her experience with LHOS and how The Table came to be.
Tell us about yourself and what brought you to Luther House of Study.
I grew up in Slayton, MN, and I went to St. Cloud State University intending to become a radio DJ, but I ended up switching to special education. After graduating, I moved to Sioux Falls where I worked at Lifescape in the summer, nannied some special needs kids, and worked at Memorial Middle School.
Memorial is right by Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and at the time, my son was three years old, and they had some preschool openings, so we started attending. After some staff turnover, the church asked if I’d teach Sunday school. I left my middle school contract and ended up spending 10 years as their director of children, youth, and family.
During that time, I kept wanting to learn more. I didn’t have any desire to become a pastor, but I thought maybe I’d take a seminary class. I enrolled at Sioux Falls Seminary, and they encouraged me to meet with Chris and Sarah. They told me to take the Reformation class.
I was raised Lutheran, but I didn’t know much about it. The Reformation class had me going, “Say what now?” It was a weird, slow-motion process where I was like, “I want more, but also I don’t because it’s kind of rocking my world.”
I was probably one of the students who took the longest to finish — about seven years — but their encouragement was so grace-filled. I’m a mom of three kids, and I had just had my youngest when I started. I was working more than full-time, and my husband worked full-time, but LHOS showed me how doable it was.
The professors would check in and encourage me during hard times, showing me that this was about so much more than just checking boxes. They cared about making sure I was a pastor who was ready for a pulpit somewhere and not just another graduate for them.
When and how did your ministry, The Table, come about?
During COVID, I talked with one of my professors who taught a preaching class. I told her I wanted to do something different. We were doing all the things like driveway Bible studies and Zoom church, and there was a grant available through the LCMC for creative ministry ideas. I got this $5,000 grant and decided to plant a church, but there was nowhere to go. Schools weren’t letting people in, so I went to Shenanigans [a sports bar] and talked to the owner and asked if I could rent their back room. I used the grant money just to buy food, and we had 80 people come the first night.
That was in March 2021. Now, we have our own space with 150 worshippers.
We want to be different, but we never waver from that Lutheran tradition. We confess, we do the absolution — all those essential pieces we need as Christians, as sinners. The only difference is we’re gathering around tables, and we don’t have traditional Sunday school. Families learn together, and we do a longer than usual kids’ message. Each week, different local musicians lead worship. I call it a contemporary traditional Lutheran service, which is quite a juxtaposition, but it works. We are crazy, but we’re real.
It has become a community where we can do life together. I think what makes it so real is the foundation of Christ. There’s no competition or need for masks to hide behind when we can name that we’re tables of sinners. It puts us on an equal playing field of mess.
We just celebrated our fourth anniversary and moved into a new space at the South Dakota Military Alliance campus in August 2024.
Who is The Table for?
The Table is for those who may feel uncomfortable in a traditional church setting, those who have written off church, or anyone who thinks their story is too much. It’s for anyone who is curious or full of doubt, or someone who is carrying around shame or secrets. It’s a safe place to land and hear a consistent word of faithfulness.
We’ve got a thriving youth program right now, so our current focus is getting adults plugged in and helping them feel safe enough to learn and grow. We have quite a few unchurched people who come, so it’s fun to start at ground zero with them.
Sometimes we think it’s up to us to convince people this is a safe place, but it’s really an act of faith to trust that it’s the Holy Spirit gathering them here. He’s the one who gives them what they need. It’s humbling to realize it’s not about us. That’s the grounding I get when I listen to the LHOS podcast. It reminds me of the humble work of the Holy Spirit. This is not about me but about everything He has done and is doing for The Table, for me, and for the people.
How did Luther House support your non-traditional ministry pursuit?
In this program, there is community, care, and individuality. When I was working on The Table, they supported how I was making my education relevant in real life. The professors aren’t out to create more work or to test you unnecessarily. They see that you’re doing ministry, and they ask, “How can we sharpen those skills, build up what you’re already doing, and learn more from it?”
They walked alongside me, step by step. When I would run into theological or pastoral roadblocks, they’re who I would call for support. They gave me what I needed to feel confident that I could actually do this.
At The Table, we’re breaking down the barriers of what people think church “has to be,” while remaining grounded in the Gospel. We get a lot of misfits and outcasts, people whose stories were rejected elsewhere. Here, they hear the same word of grace as anyone else.
At Luther House, they tell us to “plagiarize Scripture,” and when you do that, you get to offer freedom to every single story.
This has been my strength in the storm and the voice that’s louder than all others. I don’t think life calms down or the storms cease, we just have to keep our eyes fixed on who’s leading our steps. In any job, you can fall into doubts and comparisons, but I just go back to the Reformation class and remember this is not about anything I can do.
I never get Chris’ words out of my head about corralling the cows. I knew if I was the last cow in that pasture, they were going to see me through. It’s easy to measure an education by specific things it did for you or the degree you walked away with, but for me, it was more that they were not going to let me quit. They saw something in me that I struggled to see myself. They really taught me my own strength and gave me the confidence to know I’m doing what God has called me to do.
How does Luther House continue to support you, post-graduation?
What I love now is that my people, the colleagues I do life with in this ministry world, all have some tie to Luther House, whether they’re ELCA, LCMC, or NALC. That speaks to their consistent, strong theology. I’ve gotten lots of other churches’ support over the past five years, and it’s been a draw for them to know I was educated through LHOS because they know they’re supporting a place that’s preaching the Gospel.
Even after graduation, they’re not done with you. You become a colleague. This education provides you with a lifetime of their care and a lifetime commitment to what you’re doing. They aren’t just pumping out graduates and letting them flounder in this crazy life.
How do you use Luther House’s resources in your ministry?
I show every one of my baptism families their videos, I use the confirmation resources with our youth, and the podcast helps me with sermon prep. Ultimately, it’s where I go whenever I have doubts or am struggling theologically. I know I can go to their website and watch a video on vocation or listen to a specific podcast episode. They’re all valuable individually, but there’s also just this calming feeling that if I’m feeling uncertain, there are resources I can turn to. They’re always there to pump me full of truth.
And the best part? It’s all free. As a new church plant, that’s such a gift. It shows how much they care. It’s not about money or recognition — they just want to build up good preachers.
What would you tell someone who is considering seminary through Luther House?
I’d say this: It’s a safe place to jump in with both feet and see where God takes you.
My son actually wants to go to seminary, and that’s what I told him. Just jump in. If you feel you’re floundering, just talk to them. I think there will be an element of regret if you don’t at least try.
