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So Nielsen invited the \u201clong-haired, skinny boy\u201d to her house one Saturday morning. While her husband, the church organist of 25 years, puttered on the farm, Nielsen watched Hodgson sift and roll in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlaire was putting pies in the oven when I arrived,\u201d Hodgson recalled. \u201cShe turned to me and said, \u2018Now it\u2019s your turn\u2019 and talked me through each step. The crust rolled out nicely and didn\u2019t fall apart. It was a beautiful morning together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next Sunday, Nielsen handed Hodgson a blue ribbon. \u201cShe had entered my pie into the county fair, and it won,\u201d he said, beaming. \u201cNow, I am a baker of pies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hodgson\u2019s internship site supervisor, Peter Morlock \u201994 M.Div.<\/strong>, said many rural churches think they have nothing to offer, \u201cbut they do\u2014we do,\u201d he explained. \u201cRural churches like ours can teach seminarians that pastoral work can look like having coffee or helping in the kitchen. The rhythms of each congregation and community are different, and pastors must lean into opportunities for connection.\u201d<\/p>\n Lost Island does not have the funds to support an intern every year, but the church is committed to being a teaching congregation. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to share our gifts of knowing and showing up for others with the wider church,\u201d said Morlock, who also serves Lost Island\u2019s partner congregation, Bethany Lutheran Church in Emmetsburg, Iowa.<\/p>\n Hodgson learned these lessons and more through his yearlong internship as part of the Master of Divinity program at Luther Seminary. He is one of about 50 students at any given time that the Office of Contextual Learning guides through full- and part-time internships at congregations and nonprofits.<\/p>\n Tim Coltvet \u201998 M.Div.<\/strong>, director of contextual learning, said the office tailors each internship to align students\u2019 personal vocations with the needs and hopes of God\u2019s world. Finding the \u201cright fit\u201d is a thrilling, challenging experience that requires self-reflection, goal setting, and open and regular communication.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s thoughtful, multilayered work that keeps us connected with what\u2019s happening in the classroom but also with the context of our world as we prepare strong, imaginative leaders,\u201d said Coltvet, who has worked in contextual learning for 16 years.<\/p>\n Coltvet said a required final project motivates interns to make a lasting mark. \u201cOur students see these projects as opportunities to listen to the needs of the community and ask questions like, \u2018What is God up to in this space?\u2019 and then respond with creative expressions of faith in action.\u201d<\/p>\n Hodgson\u2019s final project resurrected an outdoor ecumenical worship that hadn\u2019t occurred in 10 years. \u201cI heard people talk about summer services that happened at a little chapel by a lake, and I thought, \u2018Oh, we need to reimagine these.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He met with leaders of various denominations in the area, and together they set a schedule to rotate leading these outdoor services.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were well attended and rich with tradition,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope they continue, and I love that I keep in touch with many people I met.\u201d<\/p>\n Those close bonds strengthened after record floods in June 2024, when Hodgson joined in recovery efforts, clearing debris and consoling displaced families.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an exhausting time, but I learned so much about the breadth and boundaries of our work,\u201d said the Wisconsin native. \u201cI also learned that I can\u2019t fix everything, but I can still show up and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Morlock said the congregation learned as much from Hodgson as he learned from them.<\/p>\n \u201cHe loosened us up a bit and got us to try new things, and that spirit has continued,\u201d Morlock explained. \u201cJessie opened the eyes of many. Both churches voted in 2010 to stay in the ELCA, but many members did not support same-sex unions. Jessie was open about being gay. Both congregations embraced him and his partner, Dom, and it was a marvelous gift.\u201d<\/p>\n Coltvet said the office works hard to prepare interns, supervisors, and congregations for potential friction as interns bring fresh ideas about how to discern God\u2019s activity in our midst.<\/p>\n \u201cWe enter internship experiences mindful that we do not journey alone,\u201d Coltvet explained. \u201cAll involved are intentional partners in the holy work of pastoral identity formation and ministry skill development.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex Theship-Rosales \u201924 M.Div.<\/strong> turned heads at his internship site, Grace Lutheran Church in Dawson, Minnesota, when the congregation in \u201cmeat-and-potatoes land\u201d learned he is vegan. \u201cI noticed a lot of curiosity, so I started a plant-based Bible study, where we explored earthly themes in the Bible as we enjoyed a dairy- and meat-free meal together.\u201d<\/p>\n Bringing his authentic self led the Minnesotan to Kay and Annette Fernholz, who belong to School Sisters of Notre Dame, an international Roman Catholic congregation. The sisters run Earthrise Farm, a 240-acre homestead that provides educational programs and spiritual opportunities related to organic, restorative agriculture.<\/p>\n \u201cEarthrise Farm seeks to be the holy ground where radical hospitality meets ecological agriculture,\u201d Theship- Rosales said of the farm, which has been in the Fernholz family for 81 years. \u201cThe sisters invited me to stay for a sabbath at their yurt and led a poetic, cosmic, and beautiful discussion on the Parable of the Mustard Seed. \u201cThe greatest lesson I learned during my internship was to hold assumptions lightly and to be honest and receptive to hearing other people\u2019s perspectives, like the pressures many farmers face,\u201d Theship-Rosales added, as he reflected on conversations with \u201csurprisingly progressive folks,\u201d who shared his deep connection to the earth. \u201cThat openness and acceptance is how we grow closer to each other and to God.\u201d<\/p>\n Theship-Rosales, who majored in environmental studies in college and helped start a community garden at Luther, wants to bring his farming experience and exuberance for plant-based eating to cities.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople living in cities have less regular interaction with the land and the elements, and that can disconnect us from the world and each other,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel drawn to the challenge of welcoming inner cities to learn about and know God through farming and enjoying food in community.\u201d<\/p>\n Emily Rova-Hegener \u201999 M.Div.<\/strong>, a contextual learning associate, said internship sites empower candidates to apply their life experiences and interests to these immersive explorations of faith.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the many gifts of my work is to watch students who have led full careers in other realms bring those gifts to the church,\u201d she said. \u201cI am working with two women who retired after 30 years\u2014one from pediatric medicine, the other from special education. They both said, \u2018I have one more call in me,\u2019 and the world is better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Melinda Moran \u201924 M.Div. <\/strong>is among those non-traditional students on her \u201csecond, maybe third\u201d career, having worked as a city income tax administrator, a manager for a construction company, and an operations specialist for a school district.<\/p>\n After years of discerning the call to ministry, Moran decided to leave her secure government job because of Luther\u2019s Jubilee Scholarship. \u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous gift to give people the opportunity to step out in faith without fear of crippling financial burdens,\u201d she said of the scholarship.<\/p>\n After starting classes, Moran said she was struck by the diversity of faith backgrounds among students at Luther. Those diverse practices and beliefs, Moran said, influenced her internship as a vicar at St. Mark\u2019s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.<\/p>\n \u201cI chose St. Mark\u2019s because it was one of two internship sites with a lead female pastor,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI wanted to be a strong leader, so I wanted to observe and learn from one. Shortly after I arrived, the church welcomed an openly gay associate pastor, and I am a Mexican American woman. Little did I know I would experience such a diverse leadership team in southern South Dakota.\u201d<\/p>\n Moran said she brought an outside perspective, having grown up and raised her family in a non-denominational church until her son, at 13, was \u201couted as gay\u201d and not welcome at church.<\/p>\n She felt trusted and empowered to share her views at St. Mark\u2019s. The parish welcomed new faces, Moran said, as they saw themselves represented in church leadership and welcomed in word and service.<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of my internship project, I created an Easter vigil service, and because it fell on the National Transgender Day of Visibility, we decided to welcome people in the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies and family,\u201d Moran said. \u201cThe ecumenical service started outside with a fire, then transitioned inside with candles and scripture highlighting times when God changed a person\u2019s name. We had a name blessing for people whose names have changed, and we took communion together. It was a beautiful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n The experience also stretched her. Along with other churches of the Sioux Falls District, St. Mark\u2019s co-owns Bethany Home, which provides a full continuum of senior care at two locations. Moran lived in a home near the assisted living facility and spent two days a week providing chaplain care.<\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely loved it,\u201d she beamed. \u201cI met people outside of the church and made lasting connections with dear people who taught me a lot about the history of the area. The experience expanded my view of chaplaincy.<\/p>\n It challenged my perceptions of rural ministry, showing me how much we have in common whether we grew up among skyscrapers or cornfields.\u201d<\/p>\n Rova-Hegener said the Office of Contextual Learning works with each intern, each site coordinator, and the synod of candidacy to establish internship requirements. Students interview and apply before a background check, intensive orientation, and healthy boundaries training. Interns and site supervisors develop a learning covenant, complete three evaluations, and engage in two guided retreats. While the ELCA requires 2,000 hours for M.Div. students and 1,000 hours for M.A. in Lutheran Ministry students, some denominations entail fewer on-site hours.<\/p>\n \u201cWe work hard to honor the formation requirements for other denominations. Many have shifted to a semester- long experience of 200\u2013400 hours, but the ELCA maintains that gold standard of apprenticeship to ensure interns are theologically and practically ready for public ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n In January, Moran was named associate pastor for care and community outreach at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s perfect because I oversee all our care programs and visitation, which I love and feeds my longing for chaplaincy work that I deepened in South Dakota,\u201d Moran said. \u201cThe other part of my role is to strengthen relationships with existing ministry and community partners and develop new partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n Her site supervisor at St. Mark\u2019s, Lori Hope \u201996 M.Div.<\/strong>, attended Moran\u2019s ordination. \u201cIt was tough to see her go, but what an honor to be part of her journey,\u201d said Hope, who has led St. Mark\u2019s for 15 years. \u201cMelinda is one of those people who lights up a room with her generous, loving spirit. She draws people in and truly listens to and honors their stories.<\/p>\n \u201cMelinda was open about her complicated past with organized religion, and I think many people resonated with that,\u201d Hope added. \u201cOur congregation has grown by about 35% in the three years, so we have lots of new faces. Melinda started these Fill Your Cup events, where we would gather for coffee or tea and talk through questions she wrote on cards. This really helped us get to know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Hope said working with Moran (and St. Mark\u2019s previous three Luther interns) has made her \u201cfall in love again and again\u201d with the job: \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to reexamine your role with fresh eyes and be reminded why you got into this work in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n The interns\u2019 \u201cdream-big attitude,\u201d Hope added, pushes congregations to imagine new possibilities or revisit ideas they talked themselves out of due to perceived barriers or past resistance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe interns have all brought different gifts, which reminds us that we all have gifts to share. One intern loved tennis, so he held a tennis camp instead of a traditional Vacation Bible School. They still talked about Bible stories, but he added his own unique twist,\u201d Hope said. \u201cMelinda really connected with people holding religious trauma and taught us how wonderful it is to get to know each other in deep, meaningful ways.<\/p>\n \u201cInternships truly bring out the best in us all\u2014the interns, who are given time to soul search and learn and try faithful experiments, but also the congregations and communities who welcome them.\u201d<\/p>\n How internships align students\u2019 deeply personal vocations with the needs of God\u2019s world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8196,"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":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"issue-summer-2025","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Small](\"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/IMG_0290.png\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/IMG_9018.png\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tFinding the ‘right fit’<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/Moran-1.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tReflecting Faithful Innovation<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/20241016_130107-2.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tA Shared Transformation<\/h2>\n
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‘I have one more call in me’<\/h2>\n
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Welcoming new faces, discovering new passions<\/h2>\n
Internships inform future roles<\/h2>\n
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Read more from Summer 2025<\/h2>\n
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