Kilian Schrenk: A voyage to study, learn and experience American Lutheranism Kilian Schrenk, 23, came from Wurttemberg, Germany to Chicago for a semester as an exchange student at LSTC to learn and experience Lutheran theology in contexts. Schrenk first had dreams of becoming a medical doctor, but he was also influenced by his family’s Christian faith. Schrenk was baptized and confirmed in the Südgemeinde in his hometown of Heilbronn. […]
Commencement 2020: A year of asking, and now facing, ‘What’s next?’ In campus apartments and in homes well beyond Chicago, LSTC 2021 graduates gathered around screens to “officially” graduate on Sunday, May 16, as they watched the seminary’s 161st commencement video released on YouTube and Facebook. This was the second year the global pandemic prevented […]
Holy chaos: An exploration of the new first call process For the first time in years, the “first call” process in the ELCA has changed. Thanks in part to changes within the church caused by the pandemic. communication about the new system has emerged in video format, not just saving trees (paper), but offering user-friendly […]
Seminary ambassador: How Lane Lewis jumped from limited seminary knowledge to telling LSTC’s story When Lane Lewis was encouraged to consider volunteering with LSTC in 2019, he realized he hadn’t ever given much thought to where pastors come from and how they are trained. A member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Naperville, Ill., he was nudged toward LSTC by […]
Hendels privileged to share gift they hope will inspire others “Dedicated” and “love” sum up the Hendels’ relationship to LSTC, to the church, and to each other. Together they have supported the seminary and the church in many and various ways. From the 1970s and continuing beyond his retirement in 2015, Kurt Hendel has been […]
Katie Mueller: Called to ministry at age 8 and finally at seminary The first thing Katherine (Katie) Mueller wants you to know about her is that she laughs a lot. She loves to dance and sing, eat good food in good company, walk and write. In her journalism writing prior to seminary, the column she […]
Maddie Tallman & Corey Bergman: ‘Getting married during seminary was a hoot’ Maddie Tallman, from Maryland, and Corey Bergman, from Minnesota, met on a CTA bus as their Orientation groups returned to campus from excursions showing students how to use public transit. They had a lot of classes together and their core group grew closer, “especially as we navigated […]
Adam and Elle Dowd: ‘Our work will always be collaborative’ Adam and Elle Dowd came to seminary together—Elle on the track for an MDiv since age 7, Adam with not nearly that destination history. They met as undergrads at Iowa State in an Old Testament class. Adam was an art and design major who had […]
Erik Boss: Striving to be ‘exceedingly patient through understanding’ Erik (they/them/their, pictured with wife, L), a first-year MDiv student, is on a spiritual journey and glad to be continuing that journey at LSTC. Erik comes to seminary from Colorado and Wyoming, graduating from MSU Denver with a double major in psychology and human development. In […]
Liz Kuster: ‘Glad to be on this journey within this community’ Liz Kuster comes to LSTC from Bettendorf, Iowa, right on the Mississippi River in Eastern Iowa. A member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, she was drawn to LSTC by the sense of community. “Even in difficult situations, the student body seemed to […]
