Belonging, Calling, and Queer Formation at Q Conference

When Admissions Counselor Cade Chrastina represented LSTC at the Q Conference, one message came through clearly in conversation after conversation: people are searching for a seminary where their faith and their identity don’t have to compete.

Many of the people Cade spoke with described feeling disconnected from denominational life. “Some prospective students shared that because of their Queer identities, they either left the denomination they grew up in or used to belong to, or they’ve never been able to find a denomination where they feel comfortable being themselves,” Cade said. For Queer prospective students in particular, that experience often carried a specific ache: the sense that belonging has always come with conditions.

Again and again, Cade encountered people who felt drawn toward the ELCA, including those who had once belonged to the tradition and those who held a deep affinity for it. What stood out most in those conversations was the emotional weight people attached to that connection. Several described coming from more conservative Lutheran backgrounds and experiencing their move into the ELCA as a moment of liberation — a reclaiming of faith that felt expansive rather than restrictive.

Cade also heard growing interest in theological education from people without prior seminary or ministry backgrounds. Many attendees had degrees in entirely different fields and were seeking a path into ministry that felt accessible, flexible, and responsive to their lived experiences. “I heard that people are wanting to go to seminary without any previous experience in theological education,” Cade affirmed. “People are seeking something accessible and malleable, based in some ways on their past experiences and rooted in their Queer identities.”

For Queer students especially, the desire was not simply for theological education, but for formation rooted in their identities rather than asking them to leave parts of themselves at the door. One highlight of the conference for Cade was a session on storytelling led by Jae Bates, Program Manager for the ELCA Leadership Network. In the session, participants were invited to imagine what a world without racism, queerphobia, and transphobia might look, taste, feel, and even smell like. Cade shared a deeply personal reflection during the exercise and listened as others around the table offered their own visions. The space for vulnerability, imagination, and truth-telling mirrored the kind of formation Cade believes people are searching for right now.

In conversations throughout the conference, what resonated most when Cade spoke about LSTC was the school’s clear and visible commitment to Queer life and leadership. For prospective students navigating questions of faith, identity, and calling, Cade’s message was simple and sincere: You were made for this, and LSTC was made for you. LSTC is a place of belonging, where students are invited to bring their full Queer selves into theological study, ministry formation, and community life.

As conversations at Q Conference made clear, many people are searching for a seminary that meets them where they are — spiritually, vocationally, and personally. At LSTC, that search often finds a home.