Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation Steven Thomason ’15 Ph.D. was appointed Luther Seminary’s first dean of the chapel effective September 1, 2024. In this position, he combines his faculty role with spiritual leadership in campus ministry, working closely with students, staff, and faculty to provide meaningful worship experiences and ongoing pastoral care across the seminary community. He will also continue to work with Faith+Lead.

“Serving as dean of the chapel will give me the opportunity to practice what we teach in our leadership courses and spirituality courses,” said Thomason. “It will be a chance to teach through mentorship of chapel staff, not just through academic channels. It will also serve as a laboratory

where we can learn collaboratively as a campus community how to practice communal discernment and spirituality.” The shift to a dean of the chapel model reflects evolving worship and pastoral care needs in an increasingly hybrid community, along with students’ desire for strong faculty leadership in worship and preaching. The revised leadership structure was informed by listening sessions after the previous seminary pastor, Jeni Grangaard ’09 M.Div., answered a new call to congregational ministry in June.