LEAven Blog

Any reader of this blog will agree that GROWTH is a significant part of the plan that God has designed for our lives. We have all learned how physical, mental, emotional, and relational development have impacted who we are today. The decisions we have made, the professional paths we have taken, the hobbies we have adopted, and the relationships we have explored are examples of our growth patterns over the years. Every step along the way is a gift of God, and we trust in Him to guide us through new phases of our lives until He takes us home to Him.

My past 71 years of life have been filled with blessings of growth. From the very first day of life, my parents, Charles and Jewel, were the guiding stars of my development in every way. Being raised in a Christian home was the beginning of a Christ-centered path. It was also the beginning of a life centered in Lutheran education. My parents were both great role models as a result of their own Lutheran school experiences throughout their formal education. Their support for my brothers and me during our own educational growth allowed me to attend Lutheran schools during 17 of the 18 years through my Master’s degree. I was well-prepared to eventually accept God’s call to serve in Lutheran education ministry for the past 48 ½ years.

As I enter a new chapter of that ministry in retirement from full-time ministry on February 1, 2026, I continue to use the theme of GROWTH to characterize both my personal journey and the field of Lutheran education through which God has led me to serve for the past five decades. While many choose to express concerns about the future of Christian education based on statistics about buildings and enrollments, I continue to be excited about the NEW directions God is providing for us to teach the love of Jesus every day in growing ways around the world. That optimism stems from seven decades of GROWTH experiences in my own life:

• A loving and nurturing family who created the foundation for a calling to Lutheran education ministry
• Seventeen years of committed, talented, and caring teachers and administrators in Lutheran schools – from kindergarten through graduate programs – who became models for the Lutheran educator I have always aspired to become
• My first parish call to St. Paul Lutheran in McAllen, Texas, where patient and loving members and staff took me in as a rookie and made sure I got off to a good professional start (AND where God led me to meet and marry my wife, June, a fellow Lutheran educator and loving inspiration for the past 47 years)
• Thirteen years of ministry at St. Lorenz Lutheran in Frankenmuth, Michigan, where I was nourished to grow in every way possible through people who were my missional models and in a district that gave me countless opportunities to exercise creativity, innovation, and leadership
• Higher education leadership and teaching at Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan: an institution that exemplified the reasons that our campuses need to be where they are as shining lights and staffed by the most humble and dedicated servants who were models for my ministry
• The past 28 ½ years of LEA leadership: a call that would require several books to adequately describe. God’s guidance during this time has led me to appreciate more than ever the purpose of Lutheran education. Exposure to hundreds of schools and congregations, interaction with thousands of educators, speaking and consulting across the USA and around the world, running conferences, collaborating with countless partners, and creating new means of supporting educators in all varieties of settings are just a few of my experiences and examples of why God has called all of us to serve in this unique and powerful Lutheran education ministry. At the top of my memories so far with LEA are my colleagues and friends who have made serving in this role so special. THANK YOU, LEA staff, for your support, understanding, and love through the joys and challenges of working together over the years.  You are responsible for so much of my GROWTH and the GROWTH of LEA!

In addition to the specific stages of called service outlined above, there were the myriad experiences made possible by association with people and organizations within the LCMS, districts, universities, ministries of all types, global partners, and countless colleagues and friends with whom it was a joy and privilege to serve, plan, explore, and dream for the past few decades. ALL experiences, as led by God, have been responsible for the constant GROWTH I have felt in my life and ministry.

I am particularly optimistic about the future GROWTH and development coming in the field of Lutheran education, and particularly Lutheran Education Association. As He has done for many centuries in His Church – and for the past 83 years of LEA – God continues to have a plan for us who serve in many capacities to use this part of mission and ministry to GROW and build His Kingdom. There are many new avenues ahead if we keep our eyes open and listen to His call. I have been reminded constantly throughout my life that the world changes, but God’s love for us and His leading us is constant. He has certainly been faithful to me all these years, and I know that it will continue each day He uses me to continue in ministry … whatever that may mean.

I am excited for LEA as we continue to “link, equip, and affirm educators in Lutheran ministries” in new and even more meaningful ways. The organization continues to be in good hands through its Board of Directors, its staff, and especially its newly called Executive Director, Dr. Tom Wrege. As Tom begins his official new role on January 1, 2026, I will continue to assist in whatever way I can to support and serve LEA in a part-time capacity beginning February 1. I know you will join me in that ongoing support and prayers for YOUR professional organization and for all who benefit from its ministry. I have been reminded by many who have preceded me in reaching this milestone that “retirement” is a relative term … it marks both the end of full-time ministry AND a new beginning in service, support, and GROWTH.

May you continue to be filled with the joy that comes from our Lord as you serve Him in Lutheran education ministry: at the beginning of a career, through its many stages along the way, and into new beginnings as we together watch and assist in helping Lutheran education GROW.