Listen! God is Calling
A campaign for the future of the church
Full Campaign Video
Thank You Video
Campaign Priorities

Jubilee Scholarship
Luther Seminary is committed to making theological education affordable and accessible so that pastors and other church leaders can lead thriving faith communities. Luther Seminary alumni who graduate without student loan debt are free to follow their calling without financial barriers to ministry.

Innovate
Luther Seminary makes bold, innovative changes to form Christian communities. The world has shifted dramatically and is in a period of heightened global disruption. Like many before us, Luther Seminary is called to watch for what God is doing in the midst of the disruption and to discover how we are being called to cultivate the new life God is bringing forth.

Sustaining Fund
The Sustaining Fund advances the
mission of Luther Seminary to educate
leaders for Christian communities called
and sent by the Holy Spirit to witness to
salvation through Jesus Christ and to
serve in God’s world.
Due to enrollment, retention, and
retirements in the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, 1,000 congregations
that can afford a full-time pastor do not
have one. Support for the Sustaining
Fund will help us reverse this trend.
Fundraising Goals
Listen! God is Calling
A Campaign for the Future of the Church.
Luther Seminary campaign priorities to support a thriving church:

Innovate
The Holy Spirit calls Luther Seminary to lead faithful innovation for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a rapidly changing world.
Learn more
Message from President Robin Steinke

Hallelujah!
Luther Seminary educates leaders for Christian communities called and sent by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit calls Luther Seminary to lead faithful innovation for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a rapidly changing world.
I am excited to announce that we have exceeded the fundraising goal for the Listen! God is Calling campaign, for the future of the church. More than 15,000 faithful investors have given over $98 million, since July 1, 2016. Thank you for your generosity and support!
Because of your trust and benevolence:
- Student debt has decreased by 61% in our enrolled and graduated student population.
- 52% of students graduated in 2022 with no student debt, (including previous undergraduate debt), and
- 406 full-tuition Jubilee Scholarships have been awarded,
In addition, our digital offerings with quality theological content for everyday disciples and Christian leaders have expanded substantially, including:
- 20,000 people now use the updated Enter the Bible site monthly,
- 123,000 users have visited Faith+Lead in the past year,
- 20,000+ daily God Pause users receive daily devotions,
- 13,000 church leaders are enrolled in the Faith+Lead Learning Lab, our private social network for members learn and connect, and
- 3.6 million people (including 365,000 Spanish-language users) have visited the Working Preacher site in the past year.
The MDivX pilot — which offered an accelerated two-year MDiv degree — proved a success! Your support empowered us to conduct this holy experiment to help the church reimagine theological education in a time of tremendous change. The program:
- demonstrated the importance of a cohort-based degree program,
- reimagined the role of internship in the leadership formation of our students,
- accelerated the education of more church leaders in a shorter period of time, for less cost, and
- proved that there are an abundance of future church leaders who will respond to God’s call when the financial barriers are removed.
Throughout the MDivX pilot, we have studied its effectiveness and remain connected with these church leaders to assess their paths and preparedness. Stay tuned for news about how we intend to incorporate those learnings into our regular MDiv academic program.
Your support fuels our innovation and agility, including our transition to 100% virtual classroom attendance within 24 hours at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person community and learning has returned, but in new and different forms we never imagined when this campaign began. But because of your investment, we were prepared and continue to be prepared to meet the challenges of our world. Luther Seminary emerged from this pandemic financially strong and with a growing interest in our degree programs. Nearly 600 students have graduated since May 2018, with a 91% retention rate.
It is our goal to meet the needs of the faith communities we serve as they work to form Christian identity and practice with their members, and the children and neighbors in the communities they are called to serve.
You make this work possible.
Thank you for walking alongside us in our shared mission to educate leaders for Christian communities.
Robin Steinke

Events
Donor List
$20MM+
Dean and Rosemarie Buntrock
$5MM - $9.99MM
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Lilly Endowment
$1MM - $2.499MM
Anonymous
Ardean and Coke † Aafedt
Vae Jean Doris Buehler †
John and Sharon Haugo
Rev. Mark and Mrs. Kathleen Helge
Lyle and Barbara Sall
$500K - $999K
Anonymous
Rev. Josef P. Aalbue and Mrs. Sally A. Schlachtenhaufen
Rev. Ladd Bjorneby
ELCA Endowment Fund
Rick and Nancy Foss
Christopher Hagen and Ann Brearley
Ronald and Margaret Hegge
John Templeton Foundation
David Johnson and Janet Hovey Johnson
Rev. Janet Karvonen-Montgomery and Dr. Alan Montgomery
Ron and Karen Offutt
Robert L. Quam †
Peter A. and Bonnie Raquet
Esther V. Schroeder
Patricia and William Westphal
$250K - $499K
Anonymous
Janet and Brad Anderson
Thomas and Judith Beckmen
Dale E. Benson
Roger and Susan Eggen
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James A. † and Elaine † Halls
Hamilton and Mildred Kellogg Charitable Trust
David and Andrea Hayes
Ken † and Becky † Heideman
R. Douglas and Sally Larsen
Dennis and Shirley Larson
Betty A. McNeely
Minneapolis Area Synod
Nora Marie Nelson †
Northwestern Minnesota Synod
Glen † and Inez † Oehlke
Mrs. Irene L. Olson †
Karin M. Peterson †
Saint Paul Area Synod
Allan and Mary Severson
Siebert Lutheran Foundation, Inc.
South Dakota Synod
Southwestern Minnesota Synod
Joyce A. Thompsen and John R. Wright, Jr.
Thrivent Charitable Impact and Investing
Trinity Church Wall Street
$100K - $249.9K
Lois E. Arnevik †
Astrup Family Foundation
Corrine Astrup †
Edwin C. † and Beatrice † Astrup
Charles and Linda Axness
Nora Odella Baak †
Kenneth H. † and Margaret Beenken
James A. † and Lorraine G. † Bergquist
Gus and Mary Blanchard
Don Bottemiller and Rochelle Reed †
Ronald and Rebecca Brakke
Kathleen and Dennis Brekken
Rev. Merle and Mrs. Elizabeth Brockhoff
Buschbom Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation
June S. † and H. Mead † Cavert
Church of the Pioneers Foundation
Norman † and Kathy Dean
Desert Hills Lutheran Church Foundation
Alice Drake
Eastern North Dakota Synod
Rev. Bradley P. Edin
Jerry A. Evenrud †
Charles L. and Diane Frickey
Lois Gernbacher
James † and Barbara Griffin
Hoover T. † and Shirley A. † Grimsby
Dean and Pamela Gruner
Dale and Glenice Hansen
Margaret Harrington
Paul and Ruth Hauge
Thomas L. and Kristin H. Holtz
Laurence and Janet Hughes
Diane and Paul Jacobson
Dr. Kathryn L. Johnson
Jack W. † and Karen V. † Kelly
Roald A. † and Shirley L. † Kindem
Thomas M. and Cathy P. Kosobayashi
Paul † and Janet Labes
Carl and Aune Lind Family Foundation
Dennis and Jeanne Lind
Timothy I. and Janice K. Maudlin
Rev. Richard N. Nelson
Northwest Washington Synod
Martin † and Virginia † Nygaard
H. Erling Ofsdahl †
Olga B. Hart Education Foundation
Gerald and Lois † Olsen
Mabel E. Olsgaard †
Charles B. and Sharon Olson
Nancie C. Paulson †
Noel R. and Ann M. Peterson
David Rutlen
Idamae † and James † Schack
John V. Schleif
Doris Slaaten †
Arne † and Ruth Sorenson
Southeastern Minnesota Synod
Deb and Lowell Stortz
Pearl † and Lynn † Swenson
Hazel and Charles Tanger
Thrivent
Rev. James and Mrs. Gloria Thvedt
O. Jay and Patricia Tomson
Norman W. and Kathryn J. Wahl
Western North Dakota Synod
Larry R. Wefring †
$50K - $99.9K
Anonymous
Melvin F. † and Laurinda † Alms
Charles Barnum
Paul and Marion † Bentson
Rev. Alvin and Mrs. Phoebe Bergh
Sarah and J. Ben Buck
Lois Burmeister †
Richard † and Elaine † Donaldson
Clayton † and Ellen Bagg † Egenes
James and Anne Eidsvold
Richard † and Evelyn † Elton
Craig and Gail Endicott
Jerry M. and Lynda T. † Engelhardt
June V. Erickson †
Woody and Betty Erickson
Noel and Judy Fedje
Loren Forrester †
Frederick J. Gaiser and Barbara A. Gaiser
Richard and Barbara Gunderson
Edwin † and Noriyo † Hawxhurst
Eloise Hefty
Lore M. Heidel-Lageson †
Maren and Thomas Hood
Howard † and Eunice † Hovland
Steven and Cynthia Huseth
Frederik R. and Dawn E. Jensen
Ruth C. Johnson †
Norman and Eunice † Jones
Lois Kammerlohr †
John † and Carol Kelly
Carol Lacey
K. Duane and Mabel M. † Larson
Phyllis T. Larson †
Lillehei Family Charitable Foundation
Troy and Deanna Loken
Louisville Seminary
Lowell and Joan † Luhman
Montana Synod
Mona Lund †
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
John and Karen Meslow
Rev. Dr. John and Mrs. Muriel Mikkelson †
Montana Synod
Walter and Virginia Moore
Rudy and Marilyn Nef
Rob and Rebecca Nesse
North Emanuel Lutheran Church
Northeastern Minnesota Synod
Robert M. † and Lila M. Olson
Howard and Carol Oppegard
Oregon Synod
Jean M. Peterson
Jeannine Rivet and Warren Herreid
Duane and Phyllis † Sander
Edward and Charlotte Schilke
Ronald and Connie Schwartau
Roger W. and B. Jeanne † Schwarze
Margaret Sigmond †
Katherine Mueller Smith †
Dale Alan Sorenson
Dorothy † and Morris A. † Sorenson, Jr.
Robert S. † and Jean M. Spong
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Bellingham, WA
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, IA
Robin Steinke
Brian Stock
KC and Georgia Stock
Lee and Louise Sundet
Leslie and Carolyn Svendsen
Roger and Linda Swing
Mark and Claudia Thompson
David and Muffy Tiede
Ardelle and Robert Torkelson
Richard Tressel †
Rebecca and Thomas von Fischer
Willard and Grace S. Wagner
Renata Winsor †
† Deceased
List

Jubilee Scholarship
covers tuition costs for all newly admitted Master of Arts and Master of Divinity students at Luther Seminary.
Learn more

Sustaining Fund
Educating leaders for Christian communities
Learn more
Mark 4:3-9
Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as
he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and
the birds came and ate it up. Other seed
fell on rocky ground, where it did not have
much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it
had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose,
it was scorched, and since it had no root, it
withered away. Other seed fell among thorns,
and the thorns grew up and choked it, and
it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good
soil and brought forth grain, growing up and
increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and
a hundredfold.
Then Jesus said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"
Campaign Committee
Donald Bottemiller
Rick Foss ’71 M.Div., ’84 Th.M.
Dean Gruner
Margaret Hegge
David Rutlen
Robin Steinke
Joyce Thompsen
David Tiede ’66 B.Div.