CUW is blessed to announce that six faculty and staff members have become new LCMS called workers.
Congratulations and God’s blessings to those CUW faculty and staff members who were recognized in Chapel today for completing the LCMS Teacher Colloquy Program at CUW, and enter the status of LCMS called workers as they continue to serve as faculty and staff of Concordia university Wisconsin:
- Dr. Mark Paterson | Assistant Professor, Biology
- John Saleska | Head Coach, Men’s Soccer
- Dr. Justin Speck | Assistant Professor, Microbiology
- Dr. Nancy Stoehr | Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Dr. Aaron Viets | Assistant Professor, Physics
In addition to those who recently completed the Colloquy Program, Tina Jacoby, who has been a called LCMS worker in the past, was recognized as a newly called church worker in her position as Coordinator for the School of Arts & Sciences.
Those who are called workers become “commissioned ministers of the Gospel,” which means “they will continue their duties, with this extra base of knowledge of the faith,” explained Rev. Steve Smith, who officiated the Chapel ceremony this morning, along with CUW President Dr. Erik Ankerberg.
Serving Christ in the church and the world
The Teacher Colloquy is designed for members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod who have received their teacher training at a non-Synodical college and would like to be certified for teaching in schools of the Synod. It is just one of the church work programs available at CUW, both through traditional undergraduate education and accelerated adult programs. In fact, CUW is proud to have the highest number of church work candidates for the 2022-23 academic year of any school in the Concordia University System.
“We are so proud of our colleagues who have spent the last year and a half completing the requirements for colloquy,” said Dr. Jim Juergensen, CUW’s director of LCMS placement and chair of the colloquy interview team. “They have taken a wide variety of theology courses taught by our own theology and education faculty at CUW, culminating in a final interview with our colloquy team.
“Now that they have been officially installed, we welcome them as our new colleagues in the Lutheran teaching ministry as Commissioned Ministers of Religion, Teachers in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. They will continue to be in our prayers as they seek to fulfill their calls to share the Good News through their teaching and leading at CUW.”
Want in?
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. If you seek to serve the Lord through a career in church work, you have plenty of options at Concordia! Whether you’re new in your faith or have grown up in the Church, Concordia’s programs are specifically designed to help cultivate your God-given gifts so that you can have the greatest impact for His Kingdom.