Peter Nafzger

Peter Nafzger is an Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He previously served for nine years as sole pastor of New Life Church—Lutheran in Hugo, Minn. His areas of interest include the theology of the Word of God, preaching and communal formation, the theology of Scripture, and the purpose and practice of confirmation and youth ministry. He has been deeply involved in the LCMS Youth Gathering as Bible Study Director (2007–19) and Theological Advisor (since 2019).

Nafzger holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Concordia Seminary (2004, 2009). He studied at Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany (2001–02) and holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Behavioral Science from Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward (1999). During his studies at CUNE, he was a proud member of the Bulldog basketball program (and teammate of current head coach, Ben Limback).

In addition to teaching, Nafzger serves as the head coach for the Preachers basketball team at Concordia Seminary. With his family, he enjoys hiking, camping, road trips, playing German board games, and watching the World Cup and March Madness. He is married to Katie—a fellow CUNE alumna—who serves as an educational consultant and Women’s Coordinator for Families in Transition at Concordia Seminary. They have four teenage children: Olivia, Johann, August and Louisa.

Charles Vogl

Strong cultures help people support one another, share their passions, and achieve big goals. Successful communities help members grow into who they want to be. Such communities aren’t just happy accidents – they should be purposefully cultivated, whether in a school, a faith institution or among friends and enthusiasts.

What makes a belonging culture? How is community changing in America? Author and executive advisor Charles Vogl discusses these questions and introduces fundamental ideas from his books, ‘The Art of Community’ and ‘Building Brand Community’. With wisdom distilled from 3,000 years of spiritual tradition, Vogl will help leaders build loyalty, strengthen identity, and create meaning within their culture.

Charles Vogl is an award-winning author, speaker, and executive advisor. His work reflects a calling to help leadership create connections and belonging in the most lonely time in organizational history. He is a founding member of Google Vitality Lab and has worked with leading organizations such as Twitch, AirBnB, ServiceNow, and Meetup and the U. S. Special Forces. Charles began his lifelong study of change while a volunteer living in a Santa Ana, CA homeless shelter. He then worked on human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and later built teams to create high social impact media as a PBS documentary filmmaker in New York. He went on to study social movements, business, and spiritual traditions at Yale University where he earned a Master’s of Divinity as a Jessie Ball duPont Foundation Scholar. He is the author of three books, including the internationally best-selling ‘The Art of Community: 7 Principles for Belonging’, winner of the Nautilus Silver Award for Business and Leadership, ‘Building Brand Community’, an Axiom Business Book Gold Medal Winner, and ‘Storytelling for Leadership’.

Lonnie (Jake) Jacobsen

Lonnie “Jake” Jacobsen serves as the Executive Assistant to the President for Mission and Revitalization for the Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  In this role, he is honored to come alongside pastors, congregations and ministry leaders as they engage in God’s Kingdom work in their community.  He has a passion for ministry among those who might be seen as the “least of these” and celebrates the fact that Jesus calls, heals, equips and sends the “least” to be and become His disciples engaged in the great commission.  God has provided a variety of ministry leadership experiences that include church planting, international partnerships, revitalization, and congregational partnerships/ mergers. Jake and his wife Penny enjoy serving Jesus together, camping, spending time with family and extended family, and spending time with their very special granddaughter and their eight grandsons.

Kjersten Tucker

Kjersten Tucker, Lead Interior Architect at Sinclair Hille Architects, is focused on enhancing the human experience of design. Whether it be placing a window or picking a paint color, our environments shape our perceptions of ourselves and others. Driven by an interest in the psychology of space, Kjersten earned both a dual degree in Physics and Liturgical Art from Concordia, as well as a master’s at Georgia Tech. While in Atlanta, she interned at a boutique international design firm, and upon graduation in 2012 was hired by one of the largest firms in the U.S.

In 2015 she began designs for the Center for Liturgical Art in partnership with Sinclair Hille, and soon after moving back to Nebraska in 2016 joined them officially. Since that time, she has worked on Concordia’s colonnade, the Dunklau Center, and the Music Center, as well as projects for the University of Nebraska, banking and business clients, and Faith Lutheran Church in Lincoln. Kjersten was recognized as Concordia’s 2022 Alumnus of the Year. Kjersten, her husband and their three kids attend Christ Lincoln, where she can be found at the craft table of the two-year-old Sunday School class.

Jean Twenge

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 180 scientific publications and seven books, including iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood and Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future (published April 25, 2023). Dr. Twenge frequently gives talks and seminars on teaching and working with today’s young generation based on a dataset of 11 million young people. Her audiences have included college faculty and staff, high school teachers, parents, military personnel, camp directors, and corporate executives. Her research has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox and Friends, NBC Nightly News, and National Public Radio. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.