Meet Our Students
Luther Seminary's doctor of ministry (D.Min.) is structured so that
cohorts of 12-15 students go through the program together in order
to maximize peer learning. The students are bonded by their desire
to revitalize congregations and develop new ones in the challenging
contexts of a growing mission field: North America.
Scott Olson
As someone who spent 16 years in the business world before answering God's call to seminary, Scott Olson understands the concerns and challenges that come with heading in a new direction. It's a point of view that serves him well as a leader in a changing church.
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Scott Olson
As someone who spent 16 years in the business world before answering God's call to seminary, Scott Olson understands the concerns and challenges that come with heading in a new direction. It's a point of view that serves him well as a leader in a changing church.
"[When I was first considering seminary,] I was 38 years old and worrying that I'd be 42 when I finally got my degree," he said, "but my sister said, 'Scott, if you don't go to seminary, in four years you'll still be 42.' That gave me a little perspective. Now when I think of starting something new, it reminds me that life will go on whether I do it or not. So I might as well be a part of it.'"
That bit of sisterly wisdom helped convinced Olson to enter the Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership (CML) program two years ago. Though a major undertaking – on top of his daily responsibilities as husband, father and pastor – the program has spurred him to think deeply about what kind of leaders today's church needs, and how clergy can help develop those leaders in their parishes.
Olson currently serves as Pastor of Wholeness and Healing at Central Lutheran Church in Winona, Minn., where he is responsible for pastoral care ministry, stewardship, mission and social outreach, confirmation and adult education ministries.
Though he'd always wanted to work toward a post-graduate degree, the reality of his schedule, age and two children in college kept those dreams on hold. But then he met another student who was enrolled in the CML program, and what he heard about the program sparked his interest. Generous financial support from his congregation's foundation as well as members of the congregation made it fiscally feasible. Now he's in is second year of the five-year program, and it's been exactly what he needed to recharge his ministry.
"I just love learning," he said. "And I love that I can work in my current context – that what I'm studying directly applies to what's happening in my church."
The process has been extremely energizing, Olson says – not only for himself, but for his congregation. "People can see how excited I am, how what I'm reading and learning affects my preaching and teaching."
It's also having a hands-on effect as Olson engages the lay leaders for his class assignments. A recent project involved looking at the church's vision statement, which is based on Matthew 5. "We talked quite a bit about what it means to be salt and light for today's world. The team ultimately decided to come up with an event to reach out into the community as salt and light, something that would allow our church to better own and experience our mission statement."
The classes in the D.Min. program have been right on target with some of the key questions Olson sees facing the church of the future. "How do we help our folk understand what God is calling us to? I see people learning different ways of being church," he said. "How do we hold to our tradition while looking ahead? And how can we better train our lay leaders so they will feel fulfilled and needed in their ministry, instead of burning them out?"
Cheryl Fleckenstein
Senior Pastor
Salem Lutheran Church, Hermantown, Minn.
"It's important for the church to be missional because God is missional," said Cheryl Fleckenstein, a student in the Doctor of Ministry program in Congregational Mission and Leadership. "God is concerned about reconciling this broken world back to God and bringing all people into relationship with God," she explained.
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Cheryl Fleckenstein
Senior Pastor
Salem Lutheran Church, Hermantown, Minn.
"It's important for the church to be missional because God is missional," said Cheryl Fleckenstein, a student in the Doctor of Ministry program in Congregational Mission and Leadership. "God is concerned about reconciling this broken world back to God and bringing all people into relationship with God," she explained.
"It's all connected. If God is missional, then the church needs to be missional, and then leadership needs to be missional," she said. "You can't have a missional church without missional leadership," she said.
Fleckenstein serves as pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Hermantown, next to Duluth, Minn., near the western shores of Lake Superior. While her studies have helped her foster a more missional approach with her congregation, she also possesses a long-standing personal zeal for missional leadership.
"From childhood, I've been passionate that God cares about people and wants them to live a rich and abundant life in relationship with God and each other," said Fleckenstein. That passion has only increased as "I see the church struggling to figure out who they are and what they're about," said Fleckenstein.
While in seminary, Fleckenstein spent time in a Buddhist Sangha (community) which underscored her belief in collaborating with other faiths. "I saw so many ways I could incorporate what I learned without compromising Christ-centeredness," she said. "We (as Christians) have facets of the truth, but that does not discount the truth that God speaks through people of other faiths," she explained.
"Because we're a pluralistic society, we need to learn how to work with other faiths rather than look at other religions as competing faiths that we need to convert. We need to look at 'where is God working in those people and those religions to bring about God's mission of justice and mercy—and how can we partner with them?'"
Fleckenstein's congregation, for example, has collaborated with other local churches through a group called Churches United in Ministry. The group serves the impoverished, the homeless and unemployed people.
Fleckenstein believes that this type of missional approach and a focus on missional leadership are vital to the future of the church. "If we are not connected to God's mission—then we simply aren't church," she said.
Fleckenstein pointed out that it is important to remember that, ultimately, this is God's work in the world. "I think it is so freeing to hear that this is God's mission and we have been invited to join in," she said.
Ron Baerg
Administrator
Spruce Manor Special Care Home, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
"Luther Seminary links leadership to the tasks of the church: leadership in a missional church and congregational revitalization. I think that every church needs to look at the revitalization process and ask whether it's a missional church."
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Ron Baerg
Administrator
Spruce Manor Special Care Home, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Although Ron Baerg hopes to return to working as a pastor, a position he held for 10 years, he believes much of what he learns in the Doctor of Ministry program in Congregational Mission and Leadership will be useful wherever he works, including in his current role. "When you look at the third-year courses, as I understand it, they're called vitalization. You have to do a strategic plan and a change process, and those apply to any organization," he said.
Reflecting his passion for rural ministry, Baerg also preaches two Sundays a month at a rural parish. When he decided to further his education as part of his plan to return to full-time ministry, Baerg found the Luther Seminary D.Min. program to be unique in its focus. "I looked at many other Doctor of Ministry programs, and only the Luther Seminary program specifies the objective behind advanced leadership education," he said. "Luther Seminary links leadership to the tasks of the church: leadership in a missional church and congregational revitalization. I think that every church needs to look at the revitalization process and ask whether it's a missional church."
In his first year of study, Baerg has been very pleased by the enthusiasm his instructors bring to the classroom. "They actually have a passion for what this is all about. I think that's probably the most infectious part of the whole thing," he said.
Baerg believes that congregational mission and leadership is vital to church survival in the years ahead. "My guess is that the overwhelming majority of churches in North America are in the maintenance mode, and they are just going to slowly wither away," he said. "They have to find a meaningful way to reconnect with our culture and to what God has called us to do and to be in the world. This program is built specifically around how you become a missional church and how you connect with the community in which you live," he explained.
Living in Canada where fewer people regularly attend church, Baerg reports that he sees clearly why congregational mission and leadership is more important than ever. "Because of the different cultures, the Americans may be slower to embrace this as something that is necessary. I think most Canadian clergy would recognize that it is absolutely essential because, at best, we are drawing 20 percent of the people on a Sunday versus 50 percent in the States." Luther Seminary has already recognized the need for congregational mission and leadership, according to Baerg. "Luther Seminary is at the forefront of this change," he said.
Peg Harvey-Marose
Pastor
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lewiston, Idaho
"For me, I had come to a point in my ministry where I wasn't sure what to do next," Peg Harvey-Marose said. "I wasn't sure that there was any hope. Finding this program and learning from the reading and the conversations with my classmates - I've really come to a place of new hope."
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Peg Harvey-Marose
Pastor
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lewiston, Idaho
"Does it need to be now?" asked her husband, who was supportive yet concerned about the timing when Peg Harvey-Marose decided to pursue her Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership at Luther Seminary. "And I said, 'Yes, it needs to be now,'" said Peg, who is in her first year of the program. "The church is in a transition. I felt like I personally was in a transition and that some changes needed to be made. I needed to grow and learn some new things." Before learning about the D.Min. in CML, Harvey-Marose explained, "I had really come to a personal point where I wasn't quite sure what I needed to do next. I really see this as the next step in my own spiritual development."
Her congregation, which plays a key role in her education, has been very supportive. "From the very beginning I've seen this as a partnership," she said. "And I told them, when I was accepted into the program, 'OK, in five years I may be the one with new letters after my name, but you have to do the work along with me.'"
"Everyone has been supportive and individuals have been contributing to my education fund to help pay for it," she said. "The journey team that I've put together of congregation members, they've been great, too." The team serves as a sounding board and works with her on some of her class projects.
Harvey-Marose has already incorporated what she's learned with her congregation. She motivated a shy group of congregation members to invite neighbors near the church to a barbeque. Based on what she learned in class, she brought a theologically-based message to the group. "(I told them) that we're not just going out and meeting our neighbors because we need friends. We're going out to make connections in the neighborhood because this is part of God's mission in this place. This is our work in this place."
Working from a theological basis proved successful. "They had a really positive experience going to the houses around our church," she said. "It was just exciting for me to see them being so excited."
Participating in the D.Min. program has brought Harvey-Marose to a new place. "For me, I had come to a point in my ministry where I wasn't sure what to do next," she said. "I wasn't sure that there was any hope. Finding this program and learning from the reading and the conversations with my classmates - I've really come to a place of new hope."
