An Ending and a Beginning

Last week marked the end of my vocation as a professor of undergraduate theology. After thirty-one years of such teaching, twenty of which were spent at Valpo, I have decided to take early retirement.  My last day was August fifth.

Although Valpo's administration recently announced that the theology major and minor will be spared discontinuation, those programs are nevertheless slated to undergo what will likely be a radical process of "reimagining." What will come from that process of revision is unclear to me, but it does seem to indicate that the institution will no longer favor the kind of Lutheran theology that once was crucial toward helping to make Valpo "Valpo."

After the administration announced in late March the possible discontinuation of our theology programs, I was told that if that discontinuation took place, I would lose tenure, I would no longer receive support for my research, I would have a larger teaching load, and I could be laid off "at any time." That announcement led me into a period of careful, intentional vocational discernment....

While Valpo's theology programs will not be discontinued, I have concluded that there doesn't seem to be much of a future at Valpo for the kind of theology I have enjoyed teaching and supporting for the past several decades. More and more, the liberal arts and humanities, including theology and philosophy, have been marginalized at Valpo, a trend that has been taking place at similar institutions as well. (The administration has announced the discontinuation of the philosophy major and minor. It has also announced the discontinuation of the German major, a program I have tried to support by teaching my course on Luther and Bach, as well as one on Christians in Nazi Germany.) 

Consequently, after much prayer and discussion with my wife and colleagues, I decided that it was time for me to move into a new vocation.

Big Canoe

   On June 26, 2024, Big Canoe Lutheran Church and Highland Lutheran Church, two rural congregations near Decorah, Iowa, formally called me to serve them as their pastor. On July 5, I accepted this call. The installation service has been set for Sunday, October 6.

   For more information about these two congregations, go here.

Highland

   While I will still be serving Valpo as a "senior research professor" (and thus will still be engaged in scholarly pursuits, e.g., completing the Edmund Schlink Works project), I will be doing that work on the side, since my principal calling will now be to serve as pastor to these two sister congregations in NE Iowa.

Because of my upcoming transition to Iowa, as well as the basic challenges  of pastoral ministry, I don't  foresee posting to this blog very often in the future. I know that I'll need to focus my time and energy  in  different directions.

I'm grateful for those who have read my posts over the years. Thank you!