Mercy Ndosi-Shoo Joins LSTC’s Board of Directors, Bringing Faith-Driven Leadership and a Heart for Inclusion

When Mercy Ndosi-Shoo received an unexpected email from Bishop Scott Johnson asking if she would consider serving as a board member for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, her response was immediate: “How do you say no to Jesus?”

Born in Tanzania and based in Bennington, Nebraska, Ndosi-Shoo brings a dynamic blend of professional expertise and lived experience to the LSTC board. Her journey has spanned the corporate world, nonprofit leadership, and faith-based service—with a consistent throughline: using her skills to build the body of Christ.

“I had never thought that I would serve on the board of a Lutheran [seminary],” she reflects. But the moment she was asked, “I said yes, I didn’t think twice.”

Mercy holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Bellevue University, with advanced studies in finance, marketing, and international management. Her career has included work in corporate auditing, telecommunications, and nonprofit senior care services—each role deepening her belief that faith and vocation are not separate paths, but intertwined callings.

At Immanuel Communities, a Lutheran-affiliated nonprofit offering elder care, Mercy found a workplace that aligned seamlessly with her faith. “It was beautiful to bring my full self to work—to serve, not for profit, but for people,” she says. Now in professional leadership as an auditor at Valmont Industries, she brings that same spirit of integrity and care to LSTC’s board.

“My role on the board is about stewardship,” she explains. “I may not be in the pulpit, but being with others [committed to making] sure our finances are right, our students are funded, and our operations are sound—that’s how I help build the body of Christ.”

Faith is not just foundational to her leadership—it is the compass that guides her daily. “Every morning, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart are pleasing to God,” she says, referencing Psalm 19. And indeed that is how Ndosi-Shoo strives to lead—with honesty, discernment, and care for those she serves alongside.

That care extends to her longtime advocacy for disability inclusion, equity, and representation—causes rooted in her understanding of justice as divine work.

“We’re all children of God,” she says. “When I see people not [enjoying] the same rights that I do, it hurts me…I want to make sure everyone is given opportunities, as someone who has been granted so many opportunities.”

Mercy’s leadership is also deeply personal. As a Black woman, a mother of three, and someone who immigrated to the U.S. in 2001 from Tanzania to pursue her education, she brings a global and deeply compassionate perspective to LSTC’s work.

“When I’m asked to serve on boards, I ask: what is God calling me to offer here? Not just what I represent, but what I can bring.”

What excites her most about LSTC’s future is its commitment to accessible, rooted, and Spirit-led theological education. “We need leaders who are formed in truth—not just anyone with a platform, but pastors and theologians grounded in Scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit,” she says. “LSTC is doing that.”

She speaks with admiration about recent graduates and current students she’s met, like Erik(a) Boss, and about LSTC’s growing global impact through programs like Project Starling. “The reach of LSTC is incredible. I want to help more people find their way here.”

To future faith leaders, her advice is simple and powerful: “Know the Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. And meet people where they are—especially the ‘baby Christians.’ We must listen with love, because the truth of Christ always meets people in their real lives.”

Two scriptures anchor her service. Last year, her word was Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” This year, it’s John 14:12: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

“Jesus said we’d do great things—and I believe it,” she says. “That’s our call: to leave LSTC better than we found it, and to serve boldly, faithfully, and together.”