Concordia Nebraska Honorary Bulldog Award: Rev. Russ Sommerfeld

During Homecoming weekend, the Concordia Alumni Association honors alumni and friends for their outstanding service and accomplishments. The Honorary Bulldog Award is presented to friends of Concordia Nebraska who have demonstrated faithful and significant support of the university through contributions of time, talent and treasure.

Rev. Russ Sommerfeld most recently served Concordia University, Nebraska as interim director of the Institute for Rural and Small Town Ministries. He retired in 2026. He also previously served the university as director of church engagement, interim president, and assistant professor of theology, philosophy and Biblical languages. He was the Nebraska District Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) president from 2003 to 2015.

Prior to his time at the university, he served as pastor at Immanuel and St. John’s Lutheran Churches in Canton and Moundridge, Kansas; as sole pastor and then senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arapahoe, Nebraska; and as senior pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church and UNK Campus Ministry in Kearney, Nebraska.

Sommerfeld has an associate’s degree from Concordia College, St. Paul, a bachelor’s degree from the former Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a master of divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and a doctor of letters degree from Concordia University, St. Paul.

He and his wife Donna (who goes by Nino) have two sons, Alexander and Nicholas, and a daughter, Victoria Ruskamp, who is married to husband Jason. They have four granddaughters.

“My primary vocation is caregiving for my wife who is coping with chronic health challenges. I have retired from two and a half years of part-time interim leadership for Concordia University, Nebraska’s Institute for Rural and Small Town Ministries (IRSTM). The purpose of the IRSTM is to aid LCMS congregations and schools as well as their church workers and lay leaders to offer ministries in rural and small town contexts,” he explained. “I have worked remotely to create a rural and small town ministry recommended reading list, write some book reviews, locate resources, and do video interviews. I also developed concepts for future involvement of Concordia church students in preparing to serve in rural and small town ministry contexts.” 

“While not an alumnus of Concordia Nebraska, I have been privileged to engage with students, faculty, staff and administration as a regent, a faculty member and a staff member. Concordia Nebraska is a place that fosters an enduring relationship with Christ and with one another.”

With a history of church and community involvement, Sommerfeld has served on the Jamaica Lutheran Mission Society Board of Directors; the Arapahoe, Nebraska Public Schools Strategic Planning Committee; as the Kearney, Nebraska Ministerial Association President; on the Buffalo County Community Health Partners Board of Directors; with the Concordia University, Nebraska Board of Regents Chair; and with the Concordia Nebraska Foundation Board of Directors.  

He has also worked extensively with the circuit counselors in Kansas and Nebraska LCMS Districts, as Lutheran Hour Ministries Nebraska District pastoral advisor, with the Nebraska District – LCMS Board of Directors, served as Nebraska District – LCMS vice president and with the LCMS Council of Presidents, as Synod convention delegate, as chair of the Synod convention elections committee, with the Synod convention nominations committee, with the task force for congregational participation in Synod International  Mission, and with the task force for addressing licensed lay deacons.  

He has also served with and supported the Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska Board of Directors, the Wheatridge Foundation (We Raise) Board of Directors and the Ambassadors of Reconciliation Board of Directors. He has also served as rotary club president, was on the Rotary District 5650 committee for the global eradication of polio and was the faculty sponsor of the Concordia Nebraska Rotaract Club.

 The Sommerfelds recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary. They met while working in psychiatric nursing care while he was in seminary. Nino was a psychiatric registered nurse throughout her medical career and Russ was a nurse’s aide when they met.

“While not an alumnus of Concordia Nebraska, I have been privileged to engage with students, faculty, staff and administration as a regent, a faculty member and a staff member. Concordia Nebraska is a place that fosters an enduring relationship with Christ and with one another,” he said. “While at Concordia, my wife and I shared in times of joy and grieving with the Concordia community and learned to live even more by the hope we have in Christ, sharing it with respect and gentleness.  We have loved Concordia’s chapels, music concerts, dramas, art shows, athletics, forensics, academic lectures, and community involvement. The Concordia Nebraska community is a special gathering of Christ’s people that my wife and I will always cherish.”  

During Homecoming and Alumni Reunion Weekend, Concordia University, Nebraska joyfully celebrates alumni and friends whose faith-filled service, leadership and achievements inspire the Concordia community and beyond.