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Registration is now open for the 2026 Minnesota Mockingbird conference in Bloomington on October 2 and 3. Mockingbird is an ecumenical, grace-focused ministry devoted to “connecting the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life.” This year’s conference theme is “Grace for the Ages,” exploring what grace looks like at different stages of life. There will be talks on everything from grace in parenting adult children, lessons from the last third of life, the relief that can come from realistic depictions of imperfect people in middle-grade novels, how a church focused on consolation rather than happiness seeking could benefit a generation of stressed-out young people, how God actually shows up in the young adult years, and more. Speakers include Paul Zahl, Gretchen Ronnevik, and Luther Seminary’s Andy Root and Joey Goodall. Click here to view the full schedule. Student tickets are available at a discounted rate. Feel free to reach out to Joey Goodall (jgoodall002@luthersem.edu) with any questions.

Luther Seminary is hosting Healthy Boundaries Workshops this summer and fall. All new students and any returning students who haven’t completed this non-degree requirement are encouraged to register. Both parts 1 and 2 must be completed to fulfill this requirement. Part 1 is a synchronous, one-hour Zoom; part 2 is online and asynchronous.
– Thursday, Oct 1 at 10 a.m. CT
Pre-registration is required prior to each workshop. Register online here.

In this devotion, Carol Seilhymer ’16 M.Div., considers the many reasons we have to be grateful to God. Read today’s God Pause.

Check out this week’s blog post from Dean of the Chapel Steve Thomason—Beginning the New Season Together.

Syllabus Day for Fall 2026 is Tuesday, September 15. Please plan to attend the 45-minute session with your professor, where you will review the syllabus and be assigned any pre-work. See times and Zoom links here.

Open Enrollment is the time each fall for all employees to make benefit elections for the coming year. For 2027 elections, Open Enrollment with Portico will begin in late October and close in early November. As a result of Portico’s offerings this year, we want to inform you of two changes that will impact employee out-of-pocket costs:

• Change 1. Increase in Medical Plan Premiums. Portico is increasing all medical plan premiums by 15%. Because Luther Seminary is committed to affordable and comprehensive employee benefits, we will continue covering 91% of total premiums, which means employees will continue to pay about 9% of their premium. In the high-deductible plan, employee costs will go up slightly—family plans will increase about $26 per month, individual and plus-one plans will increase by smaller amounts. Employees in the co-pay plan will also see an increase in premiums—the 2027 rates will be available from Portico soon. Sharing these cost increases between the seminary and employees makes it more manageable for all.
• Change 2. Annual Deductibles. Portico is also increasing annual deductibles by $500–$1,000 depending on the plan. For employee-only plans, the annual deductible is increasing from $2,000 to $2,500. For spouse and family coverage plans, the annual deductible is increasing from $4,000 to $5,000.

On Wednesday, October 14, from 9–10:30 a.m. in OCC 10, the seminary’s Portico representatives will be on campus to present plan details and answer your questions. Additional information and calendar invitations to follow. All staff and faculty are invited to attend this presentation. If you have questions about these changes or about Open Enrollment generally, please contact Carrie Johnson (cjohnson007@luthersem.edu) or me (jahrens001@luthersem.edu).
Thank you for your commitment to Luther Seminary,
Joe Ahrens
Controller