Through the Windows on 55th Street: Phil Hougen on Learning and Leadership at LSTC From LSTC’s earliest years in Hyde Park to his later service as bishop and president, the Rev. Phil Hougen, M.Div. ’69; DMin ’78, has spent a lifetime considering what it means for theological education to look outward. When Phil Hougen remembers […]
LSTC Welcomes Dr. Andrea Evans as Chief Operating Officer The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrea E. Evans as Chief Operating Officer. Evans began her appointment on October 5 and will be responsible for strengthening and aligning the seminary’s finance, operations, infrastructure, technology, and organizational capacity. Evans brings three […]
Called into Relationship: Bishop Erik Christensen and the Work of a Changing Church When Bishop Erik Christensen thinks about the path that led him to his new role as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, he can trace much of it through relationships. Some of those relationships began in congregations. Others developed through years of […]
“History Is Right Now:” Inside LSTC’s Conversation on Reparations, Memory, and Moral Responsibility By Rhiannon Koehler On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, members of LSTC’s Board of Directors gathered for a conversation that reached far beyond budgets, governance, or institutional planning. The topic before them was reparations: not as abstraction, slogan, or political shorthand, but as […]
The People Are Still Searching by Keisha T. Dyson, Vice President for Enterprise Innovation In February of 2022, I received a LinkedIn message from LSTC’s HR manager inviting me to apply for a communications role at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Four days later, on Valentine’s Day, I opened the message and read […]
Brooke Petersen: Teaching at the Intersection of Faith and Care When Brooke Petersen looks at the world around her, she does not begin with theory. She begins with people. People asking questions at hospital bedsides, people navigating grief and joy in the same breath, people wondering what it means to live a life of faith […]
MDiv Student Lyndsay Monsen Awarded 2026 Echols Preaching Prize The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is proud to announce that MDiv student Lyndsay Monsen has been awarded the 2026 Echols Preaching Prize, an annual honor recognizing excellence in preaching and a deep commitment to proclaiming the Gospel in today’s world. “I am very humbled […]
Listening, Learning, and Leading in a Time of Change: A Conversation with Rev. Robert O. Smith, PhD, on Theological Education, Public Witness, and the Future of LSTC As he begins his tenure as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Authentic Diversity, Justice, and Public Church in January 2026, Rev. Robert […]
President Shauna Hannan Invites the LSTC Community to a Bold and Hopeful Future In a new video message, President Shauna Hannan reflects on the journey we share as a seminary, a neighborhood partner, and part of the global body of Christ. Speaking from LSTC’s home in Hyde Park, Dr. Hannan lifts up the ways our […]
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 […]
