Kathie and Ron Nielsen \u201967 M.Div.<\/strong> share a passion for Luther\u2019s mission and a firm grasp of what it takes to sustain an organization. In fact, the seminary calls them\u2014and hundreds of others\u2014\u201cSustainers\u201d because they give monthly by automated means to Luther\u2019s Sustaining Fund, providing more than half of the seminary\u2019s operating revenue.<\/p>\nHonoring innovation<\/h2>\n
During 16 of the past 35 years, the Yackel family has included a Luther Seminary student. Drew Yackel\u2019s father graduated in 1988, becoming a Lutheran pastor. His mother attended as a second-career distance learner for eight years; she graduated and was ordained in 2009. Soon after, Drew himself became, in his words, a \u201cpipeline student,\u201d going straight from college to seminary along what was once the typical path\u2014two academic years on campus, internship, and a final year of study. He feels Luther\u2019s academic program innovations help make it \u201cthe flagship seminary\u201d of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. \u201cOne reason I want to give to Luther,\u201d he said, \u201cis because they\u2019re trying new things and experimenting, not just to be \u2018cool,\u2019 but for the right reasons, in bold and faithful ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drew, who now lives in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and serves Urland Lutheran Church, said he feels fortunate to be in a position to give to Luther Seminary. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a way to give back, but to pay it forward. Luther Seminary is going to be key for the future of the church, partly due to the plurality of its leaders. We need a place like Luther, where there\u2019s innovative thinking going on from top scholars and faithful teachers who really care about our witness to the gospel and passing that on to the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making Christ real<\/h2>\n
Margaret and Pete Rude of Redding, California, are connected to Luther Seminary through both \u201cthe next generation\u201d and the one before theirs. Margaret\u2019s father graduated from Luther in 1959, and this spring, 60 years later, so did their son Erik Rude \u201819 M.Div. \u201cWe support the church and other Christian organizations, but we didn\u2019t think about the seminary until our son went there,\u201d said Pete, a civil engineer. \u201cThen we became aware of Luther\u2019s financial need and of the critical shortage of pastors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pete believes the cost of attending seminary contributes to the shortage.<\/p>\n
Recalling how the church paid much of the cost for his father-in-law to attend seminary and recognizing how things have changed since that time, Pete told himself, \u201cPut your money where your mouth is,\u201d and with his wife decided to give on a continuous basis.<\/p>\n
Margaret is principal and director of a charter school she founded 20 years ago. Her experience as an educator undergirds her passion to support Luther with sustaining gifts. \u201cI understand budgeting; I understand planning; I understand long-term goal setting and measuring progress on those goals\u2014all things I\u2019m sure the seminary does, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Margaret also sees their automated giving from another angle: \u201cHow do you make Christ real? That\u2019s part of the mission and heart of the Lutheran church\u2014how do we make it relevant so [people] want to have a relationship with Jesus? That\u2019s long-term planning. The seminary has to be able to forecast revenue for three to five years. The only way to do that is to have sustaining givers. That allows the seminary to look at long-term impact for training the next generation [to make] Christ real to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
A homecoming<\/h2>\n
The seminary is so much a part of Ron and Kathie Nielsen’s lives that they moved to the Twin Cities after his retirement from parish and outdoor ministry, and hers from a special education career. Relocating to Maplewood, Minnesota, allowed them to be closer to seminary friends and able to attend convocations, workshops, and other on-campus events easily. They even held their 50th anniversary celebration at the seminary\u2014fitting because the Nielsens married while Ron was a Luther student.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the church,\u201d Ron said, \u201cand the seminary is one of the tools that sustains the church. If we didn\u2019t have the seminary, we wouldn\u2019t have pastors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kathie affirms the other ministries of the seminary, too. \u201cWe\u2019ve had speakers from Luther at church [events]. I attended several classes through the Lay School of Theology, and I loved it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Nielsens have been sending annual or semiannual gifts to Luther for quite a few years. \u201cBut it\u2019s easy to put off,\u201d Ron admitted. \u201cSo we went to monthly and automatic. From years of camping ministry, which is very development-related, I know it\u2019s easier to raise money for a crisis. Special projects are needed, but without regular general operating funds, we\u2019d be in trouble. It\u2019s so important to take care of what we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten percent of Luther donors are Sustainers<\/h2>\n
In all, almost 10% of Luther donors are Sustainers. Their unrestricted gifts fund day-to-day operations, faculty salaries, scholarships, and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cSustained giving is all about commitment,\u201d Drew Yackel said. \u201cI see Luther Seminary as committed to its mission, so I want to be part of that group of faithful supporters and sustain the life of the institution. The mechanics of sustained giving just make it easier. We can \u2018set it and forget it,\u2019 so giving doesn\u2019t waver with the ups and downs of personal finance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Automated giving is easily set up using a bank account or credit card and can be stopped anytime by contacting the seminary.<\/p>\n
To learn more about becoming a Sustainer, visit luthersem.edu\/give<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Luther Seminary supporters ensure future church leaders can pursue their call to ministry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-listen-campaign","8":"issue-spring-summer-2019","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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