The Lutheran Advantage
News from our Concordia Universities
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Greetings!
Welcome to "The Lutheran Advantage," an e-journal of the latest news across the Concordia University System.
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Rev. Quinton Anderson, Lead Pastor
Assistant Vice President, Spiritual Life and Development, Concordia University, Irvine
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Summer Campus Ministry at CUI
People often ask what summer looks like when students leave campus for the year. In some ways, a noticeable quiet settles over campus, making the absence of the vibrant rhythms of student life especially apparent. Yet this different season brings its own opportunities for meaningful ministry. Concordia remains a twelve-month university, with classes continuing throughout the year. A weekly chapel services continues, as do the conversations of faith, encouragement, and pastoral care that are woven into daily campus life. The needs of students don’t pause simply because the academic calendar shifts.
As is often the case, the early summer months included several wedding celebrations. Having watched relationships grow and mature, it is a joy to then walk alongside couples as they prepare not only for their wedding day but, even more importantly, for God's joyful gift of a life of marriage. As a pastor it is a tremendous privilege to share in these momentous celebrations. For a campus pastor, these weddings also often mark the close of a student's college years, offering a beautiful glimpse of how the Lord not only shaped their years on campus but is already reaching into the next chapters of their lives as well.
Summer also creates opportunities for ministry that simply are not possible during the academic year. One of those opportunities was leading nearly a dozen students on a three-week mission trip to Hungary, continuing a partnership Concordia has shared with local missionaries and Lutheran schools for more than twenty-five years
Together we led two English camps for Hungarian middle and high school students. While the camps help Hungarian students grow in conversational English, their greater purpose is sharing the Gospel through music, Bible studies, and countless personal conversations. Each week begins quietly as campers arrive from different cities, often nervous about meeting new people and speaking English. By the end of the week, those quiet beginnings give way to laughter, new friendships, and thoughtful conversations about Christ. Watching young people hear God's Word and ask meaningful questions about the hope found in Jesus is a remarkable reminder that the Gospel transcends every language and culture.
The trip is just as formative for our own students. They are stretched beyond their comfort zones, learn to trust God's work when plans change, and discover that meaningful relationships can be built across cultural differences through the love of Christ. It is a privilege to watch them grow in confidence as they serve and share their faith.
Even as summer ministry continues, another academic year is already on the horizon. Planning is well underway for worship, Bible studies, and the many opportunities for discipleship that fill the campus calendar. Yet our preparation must always remain grounded in prayer, remembering that the work ultimately belongs to Christ.
As another year begins, I believe I speak for all in this unique setting of ministry when I say we covet your prayers—that we would prepare faithfully, proclaim Christ boldly, and trust the Lord to accomplish His work through His Word. To God alone be the glory.
| | | Concordia University Chicago | | |
Faithfully forward: Barry Bobb, director of Concordia-Chicago's Center for Church Music, to retire after 13 years
This August, Barry Bobb, volunteer director of Concordia University Chicago’s Center for Church Music, will retire after 13 years of faithful service. Under Bobb’s leadership, the Center has expanded its physical and digital offerings while encouraging future generations of Lutheran church musicians, liturgical artists, and scholars through awards, scholarships, publications, and educational resources.
“Since 2010, Barry’s vision has shaped the Center from a treasured collection of manuscripts and composer resources into a living source of scholarship, collaboration, and encouragement for those who carry forward Lutheran church music,” said Dr. Charles P. Brown, professor, program lead, and arts division chair for the Department of Music at Concordia-Chicago. “I am grateful for what Barry has set in motion and inspired to help build upon it for the sake of the church’s song for generations to come.”
The Center will announce its incoming director this month, with Bobb continuing to serve as an adviser. Read more about Bobb’s impact here.
Rooted in excellence: Concordia-Chicago’s ECEC celebrates 50th anniversary
This year, Concordia University Chicago’s Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) celebrates 50 years of excellence in education and an unwavering commitment to lifelong learning.
Since its opening in 1976, the ECEC has grown from a single classroom into a state-of-the-art education center where more than 200 children are cared for year-round. While the program offers children a place to learn and explore, the Center also serves as a place for CUC’s education students to gain firsthand experience inside the classroom alongside certified professionals.
“For 50 years, Concordia-Chicago’s ECEC has been a place where children grow, teachers are formed, and community takes root,” said Stephanie Toms, co-director of the ECEC. “I’ve been blessed to experience this place in many capacities, and through every season, one truth has remained: Our work is centered in the Gospel, and our strength is the people who share Christ’s love with children every day.”
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| Concordia University Irvine | | |
Entrepreneur In Residence Program
This past academic year, Concordia University Irvine's School of Business & Economics welcomed Randy J. Jeter as Entrepreneur in Residence, bringing more than 25 years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, operator, and investor. Jeter has built and led innovative companies in the tech sector, focusing on cloud computing, data-driven decision-making, and emerging technologies. Opportunities like these demonstrate Concordia's commitment to sharing real-world insights with students and preparing them for leadership in business and technology.
| | Concordia University, Nebraska | | |
Registration Open for Parish Ministry Focused Course
Registration is now open for a new class - Parish Ministry in Rural and Small Towns - in Concordia University, Nebraska’s Studia Vitae non-credit continuing education and lifelong learning program. Studia Vitae offers Christ-centered continuing education opportunities in a variety of focused areas through an online, scheduled and self-paced learning platform. Registration is available at ceu.cune.edu.
Parish Ministry in Rural and Small Towns is designed for LCMS pastors, DCEs, principals, teachers and lay leaders who are currently serving or about to serve in rural and small town parishes, but the course is open to anyone. This course will include learning and conversing about rural and small town cultures and relationships, small congregation life, community involvement and ministry partnerships.
The course will be moderated by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis Professor of Practical Theology and Dean of Faculty Dr. David Peter and former Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod Nebraska District President and Concordia Nebraska Professor Emeritus Russ Sommerfeld. Sommerfeld also previously served Concordia Nebraska as Interim Director of the Institute for Rural and Small Town Ministry.
The CEU course will take place on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. CT beginning Tuesday, September 8. The course will be delivered in six one-hour sessions and is $150. Exclusive pricing is available for program participants who are members of preferred partner organizations. The short, focused sessions are available as scheduled webinars that will also be recorded for future viewing. Enrollment is flexible and open to anyone with no prerequisites required and no commitment needed to take additional classes.
For more information about Studia Vitae, please visit cune.edu/ceu.
For more information about preferred partnerships, please visit cune.edu/partners.
| | Concordia University St. Paul | | |
Concordia University St. Paul's Solus Christus Initiative
Solus Christus is an initiative at Concordia University, St. Paul that seeks to bring grace-filled, Christ-focused conversations to all areas of study. Open to all students, regardless of major or degree level, Solus Christus consists of three main elements:
- Weekly cohort discussions around assigned readings
- Social events, campus events, and service opportunities
- Attendance at university lectures and select events at nearby universities, churches, and Christian organizations
With the goal of helping students develop a deeper sense of their vocations, Solus Christus is a key part of CSP’s Lutheran identity. Solus Christus gives students a place to land, bringing Christ and His grace into focus and providing a truth to live.
| | Concordia University Wisconsin | | |
Preserving Concordia's story: Faculty-led grant project chronicles two decades of transformation
For more than two years, a team of Concordia University Wisconsin faculty and staff has worked to preserve an important chapter of the university's history through the NetVUE-funded project, Reframing the Institutional Saga.
Supported by a $40,000 grant, the project documents Concordia's transformation from 2000-23 through 35 oral history interviews with faculty and staff, many of whom are alumni. The research also includes scholarly essays and personal reflections exploring the university's identity, mission, and growth. The resulting book, Living Uncommon: Retrospections on Lutheran Identity and Mission at CUWAA, is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
The project was led by Dr. Bill Cario, Dr. Susan Mobley, and Dr. Sandra Jahns of the School of Arts and Sciences, with contributions from Theresa Kenney, Joshua La Feve, Lori Woodall, and Brenda Jobe.
As researchers reviewed interviews and historical records, three themes consistently emerged: Concordia's mission-centered culture, the central role of worship and spiritual life, and leadership rooted in faithful stewardship.
"As the university was experiencing change, we found ourselves studying change," said Jahns. "That forced us to ask deeper questions about identity, mission, and what it means to be a Lutheran university today."
Interviewees emphasized that Concordia's commitment to developing students in mind, body, and spirit has remained constant despite changes in programs, facilities, and organizational structures. They also highlighted that the university's mission has been sustained not only by presidents and administrators but by faculty and staff who bring that mission to life every day.
The project culminates in a nearly 170-page volume combining oral histories, essays, photographs, and reflections. Living Uncommon: Retrospections on Lutheran Identity and Mission at CUWAA will be available through Amazon later this summer, with a companion digital archive preserving these stories for future generations.
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CUS Campus Worship Committee
In the Summer of 2024, the CUS Board of Directors appointed a committee to study the impact of campus worship on the formation and education of students at our universities in their Lutheran identity and mission. Since that time, the committee has broadened its work to consider not only public worship in the chapel but also household worship in the dorms, classrooms, athletic facilities, and common spaces on our campuses. Grounded in Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, the committee has drawn on documents dating back over forty years prepared by the CTCR, the former Commission on Worship, and resolutions of the Synod as the basis for their discussions.
The CUS campus worship committee, comprised of representatives from our Concordia Universities, the CUS Board of Directors, and the Synod, met at the LCMS International Center June 17-18 to discuss their findings and plan a way forward. The committee heard seven presentations on topics ranging from the theological and historical foundations of the Synod's common worship practices to the place of the academy in developing new music and liturgical settings within the Lutheran confession of faith. Reverence in public worship, along with the importance of a robust household devotional practice, was discussed.
The 2026 LCMS Convention considered Resolution 7-06A: To Encourage University Worship Practices That Form Students to be Faithful to Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions. The resolution included the following:
- Resolved, That worship life in the chapel services and across the campuses of the CUS is to be planned, practiced, and aimed at the goal of forming all students, faculty, and staff to be scripturally faithful Christians, grounded in Lutheran doctrine and practice, and active members of Synod congregations; and be it further
- Resolved, That use of LSB is encouraged as the benchmark, and that other worship materials and practices must be doctrinally pure (Const. Art. VI 4); and be it further
- Resolved, That the CUS Board and its Campus Worship Committee continue working to foster a rich, faithful, and distinctly Lutheran worship and spiritual life throughout the CUS, including “an appreciation of a variety of responsible practices and customs which are in harmony with our common profession of faith” (Const. Art. III 7); and be it finally
- Resolved, That the CUS Board include in its report to the 2029 Synod convention the progress of its Campus Worship Committee.
The resolution passed with 90.66% of the voting delegates in favor. The Campus Worship Committee's work will continue through the next triennium to prayerfully and deliberately include the breadth of our university communities and produce a statement that can serve as solid ground for a common confession of joyful, reverent, Christ-centered worship in the dorms, classrooms, athletic facilities, events, and chapels across our system of campuses.
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Thank You to our Donors!
Donations to the Concordia University System have been very generous this year, and we give thanks to our Lord and our donors for this providence. Donations, both small and large, one-time or recurring, help CUS continue our mission in a variety of ways. Gifts and bequests allow us to continue our work of visiting the Concordia campuses, maintaining relationships with the university administration, faculty, staff, and students on behalf of the congregations of the LCMS, supporting our institutions, and providing scholarships directly to students studying for vocations in the church.
Donations may be made online at https://cus.edu/donate/ or by postal service to
Concordia University System
1333 S Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122
Bequests from trusts and estates, as well as the transfer of real estate and investments, may also be directed to this address. The Lord has provided many scholarships and operating funding through generous estate planning.
To all of our donors - Thank you, and God bless you!
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