Honoring the Rev. Kara Baylor MDiv ’00, a Pastor of Courage and Joy This semester, LSTC students will receive a meaningful gift, a set of stoles donated by the family of the Rev. Kara Frances Baylor (1970–2023), LSTC MDiv ’00. Pastor Kara lived her ministry with courageous love, first at Mount Pleasant Lutheran Church in […]
Breaking the Chains: A Church Without Walls By Jennifer Stone Next year, Breaking the Chains Church will celebrate its 10th anniversary—a milestone in a ministry that began in one of the least likely of places: inside a correctional facility. For Pastor David Rebey, MDiv ’20, the congregation’s current leader, the story is one of persistence, […]
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. Joseph Sittler with a Bench Dedication at Minnehaha Park On June 28, 2025, friends, former students, and admirers gathered at Minnehaha Regional Park in Minneapolis to celebrate the life and enduring influence of renowned Lutheran theologian Dr. Joseph Sittler. The occasion marked the dedication of a park bench […]
Why TEEM is the best thing we’ve done in theological education in the ELCA And why that bodes well for our new Presiding Bishop, Yehiel Curry By Christian Scharen The Lutheran tradition is, by all accounts, a university tradition. The Lutheran branch of Christianity emerged from the work of an Augustinian monk and professor at […]
LSTC Celebrates the Election of Alum Yehiel Curry (TEEM ’09, MDiv ’13) as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA “I won’t end my career in a Bishop’s office. I’m a builder, I’m a mission developer, and I have to build it again.” — Bishop Yehiel Curry, July 30, 2025 With those words, the Rev. Yehiel Curry, […]
Eleven LSTC Alumni Lead as Bishops: Guiding the ELCA into the Future Across the ELCA, the call to bold, faithful leadership is being answered by eleven Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago alumni currently serving as bishops in synods across the country. These leaders, shaped by their theological formation at LSTC, are guiding congregations and […]
LSTC Celebrates Re-Election of Alum Bishop Yehiel Curry as Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago joyfully celebrates the re-election of the Rev. Yehiel Curry as Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bishop Curry received 265 of 388 legal votes on the […]
Alumni Spotlight on Luanne Cantrell MDiv ‘11: Answering the Call Beyond the Pulpit Since earning her Master of Divinity in 2011, Luanne Cantrell has forged a ministry path that exemplifies flexibility and faithfulness to God’s call. As the Community Support Services Coordinator for the Channahon Fire Protection District in Illinois, Cantrell finds herself ministering not […]
Bridging Worlds in Faith and Service:The Journey of Alums Rev. Dr. Pongsak and Monta Limthongviratn By Rhiannon Koehler When Rev. Dr. Pongsak Limthongviratn ThM ’91, PhD ’00 arrived at LSTC in 1989, he was stepping into more than a new academic chapter—he was stepping into a lifelong calling. At the time, he was one of […]
Matt Keadle MDiv ’11 On Keeping the Faith and Building Community When Matt Keadle MDiv ’11 first arrived at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago he saw it as more than just a seminary. It was an opportunity to cross a divide. Growing up in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb, Keadle rarely ventured into […]
