Where did you grow up, and what first got you interested in studying theology and ministry?
I grew up and continue to reside in Barnesville, a rural Minnesota community southeast of Fargo/Moorhead and just 20 minutes from lakes country. I became interested in theology and ministry through the influences of the many Lutheran pastors in my family. When I was 7, my grandfather did pulpit supply at my church, and I watched him preach. I remember sitting in the pew and thinking that I wanted to do that someday. In high school, I had a feeling I wanted to go to seminary. A few mentors and youth ministers encouraged me to consider it. My high school girlfriend was Catholic and attended mass often. I considered entering RCIA and becoming Catholic. We weren’t sure how entering the priesthood while dating was going to work—spoiler alert, it didn’t! As I entered adulthood, I had periods in my life where I felt the push and pull to enter seminary. One of those times I was in Afghanistan, where I was deployed with my brother. Another time was after attending an Augustana District Theological Convention with my uncle and getting the chance to meet and hear Jim Nestingen and Steven Paulson. Somewhere around that time I was given a copy of Gerhard Forde’s “Where God Meets Man.” Reading that changed how I viewed faith. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been driven by two questions: What do I believe, and why do I believe it? I’m still figuring it out and will be my whole life—I am fortunate to be at Luther to help me on the way.
What did you study as an undergraduate and where did you go?
I hold a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Valley City State University. I spent my freshman year at Concordia College in Moorhead, where I was studying German education and Scandinavian Studies. The summer after my freshman year, I studied German in Wittenberg at Martin-Luther-Universität. That was a great summer! I worshiped at the Stadtkirche and toured the Schlosskirche. After I returned home, I enlisted in the Air National Guard and transferred to NDSU where the Guard paid my tuition. After a few program changes, I went through Valley City State’s elementary education program at NDSU and graduated in 2012.
What led you to pursuing theological education here at Luther Seminary?
It is meaningful to me to be at Luther as it is the seminary at which all the Lutheran pastors in my family—grandfather, great-uncle, three uncles, and my father-in-law—matriculated. And while the pastors in my family have been influential, it has actually been my godmother—a SAM in the Southwestern Minnesota Synod—who had been encouraging me to step out in faith and enter seminary at Luther.
What degree program are you in at Luther Seminary, and what are you hoping to do with your seminary education?
I am in the M.Div. program. Once I graduate and am ordained, I plan to serve in rural parish ministry and military chaplaincy. I grew up in rural churches, and they are near and dear to my heart. I also want to enter the USAF Chaplain Corps because chaplains are needed and because it was a military chaplain in Afghanistan who ministered to me and helped me get through my deployment.
What has your student experience been like, and what do you do when you’re not studying?
I am a distributed learner, and my experience has been great. I love the residential focus sessions (RFS) and time on campus with everyone. I wish we were able to gather more frequently than for a few days at a time. I am a part-time Guardsman at the Air National Guard in Fargo as a Religious Affairs Airman working with our Wing Chaplains. I am also a full-time (solo) SAM at Lysne Lutheran Church in Hawley, MN, and Salem Lutheran Church in Hitterdal, MN. I also volunteer with our EMS service in Barnesville. And I’m on the board for Potato Days, our town’s annual festival. If you ever are around Barnesville at the end of August, come by and help us celebrate all things potato.
How would you describe the value of Luther Seminary’s strength as an academic institution?
I value the institutional legacy that Luther has while navigating a path forward at this time in theological education. I could have entered seminary at other Lutheran institutions in the area and undoubtedly would have received a top-notch “Lutheran” education. At the advice of my godmother, I was encouraged to consider Luther to learn from people who are different from me. I came here to learn about and learn from different theologies I might not encounter elsewhere. I listened to an episode of Luther’s Pivot podcast where seminary president Robin Steinke said she wants Luther “to be a place of wonder as opposed to a place of knowing.” At the fall RFS opening worship service on campus, Steve Thomason—the dean of the chapel—challenged us in his sermon to engage our time at seminary and in life with a curious, open posture instead of a defensive, protected posture. Those are a few instances that spoke to me. I believe the gospel invites us to engage our world with joy and open curiosity.
What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
One thing people don’t know about me is that I love driving through small towns on trips. And if possible, I won’t drive the same way home. I will intentionally take alternate routes just to go through areas I’ve never driven before—to the annoyance of my wife! She will look up and ask where we are going. I will reply that we are taking the “scenic route.”