Faith Formation
Story: Amy Crawford
Photos: Hope Rickords '21
Concordia Nebraska’s faith formation classes help faculty and staff grow in their understanding of the intersection of the Lutheran, Christian faith and their professional practice.
Faculty and staff at Concordia University, Nebraska enjoy a workplace that features a unique, Christ-focused community. Whether they serve remotely or work on campus, Concordia Nebraska’s faculty and staff are part of a university family that is supportive, encouraging and caring. In order to further strengthen these members of the Concordia Nebraska family, the university recently introduced a series of faith formation classes for both new and seasoned university faculty and staff.
“The people whom God calls to lead and serve at Concordia Nebraska are key to living out our mission in ways that bless and equip students, and that is at the center of these faith formation classes,” explained Concordia Nebraska President Dr. Bernard Bull. “Living out such a distinct and important mission like what we have at Concordia calls for lifelong learning and growth together, sharpening and encouraging one another along the way. We learn together so that we can be a blessing to those whom God calls us to teach, mentor, serve and equip.”
The idea for the classes emerged from a university strategic plan objective that is focused on ongoing, community-wide faith formation.
“This is a worthwhile but substantial task,” said Assistant Professor of Lutheran Education and Faith Formation Rev. Dr. Pete Jurchen ’04. “How do we continually cultivate a community that actively engages in learning God’s truth? This process is multi-faceted and will continue to grow in scope as we seek to foster enduring faith formation and flourishing on campus.”
Jurchen and others sought to answer this question, which led to the creation and development of a series of courses for faculty and staff to help guide them in their ongoing education and faith growth at Concordia Nebraska.
Three courses were proposed, developed and implemented on a small scale last year. Beginning this year, the full suite of classes will be offered to faculty and staff in a more structured way.
“We are off to a good start with these course offerings,” said Concordia Nebraska Provost Dr. Tim Preuss ’83. “They are being well received by the nearly 40 university faculty and staff members that are attending the weekly sessions being held this first quarter. These classes allow us to model being lifelong learners for our students and one another. They are also producing thoughtful conversations about how our biblical world view can and should be reflected in our policies, procedures, communication and daily interactions.”
The current courses offered are Concordia Nebraska and Higher Education, the Lutheran Tradition and its Reformation Insights and the Beatitudes and Concordia Nebraska.
“The three main objectives of these courses are to create a theological baseline for what faculty and staff should know related to our mission, vision and beliefs; to foster skill in applying these understandings to equip the community to navigate the intersection of faith and culture; and to build relationships among the community that promote ongoing faith formation,” said Jurchen.
The classes are offered in quarter or semester length, depending on the course. Different courses are offered each semester on a rolling basis, and additional course offerings are being planned for the future. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend, and the classes do not have a size limit.
Concordia Nebraska Marketing Specialist Olivia Dunklau ’24 recently began CUNE 101: Concordia Nebraska and Higher Education as part of the class series.
“This course is a great opportunity for me to learn and grow in the higher education field, especially as a new employee at the university,” she said. “I’m looking forward to learning more about the long history and promising future of higher education in our ministry. I’m excited to interact and collaborate with my coworkers, listen to different perspectives and ideas, learn more about how I contribute to Concordia’s mission and strategic plan and understand how we can work together to better serve the church and the world.”
Jurchen said the class offerings are under continual review, and that he and others are always seeking feedback from faculty and staff as new class sections begin and end.
We learn together so that we can be a blessing to those whom God calls us to teach, mentor, serve and equip.
“We will continue to develop these classes, and work on refining both our content and our delivery as we receive feedback from the Concordia Nebraska community,” said Jurchen. “In addition, we will likely begin to implement ‘Christ and Culture’ seminars and ‘Christ and Curriculum’ workshops for faculty and staff in the future. These initiatives will not be structured like courses but will provide pointed opportunities for faculty and staff to gather around specific topics and grow in their understanding of the intersection of the Lutheran, Christian faith and their professional practice.”
All Concordia Nebraska staff are also encouraged to take advantage of the excellent campus-wide faith formation that happens each day in on-campus chapel, devotions and by way of other opportunities.
“These and other initiatives will help to continue to form a climate and culture at the university that is focused on Christ in all aspects of our life together,” said Jurchen. “Concordia is a Christ-centered community. That is obvious, especially when talking and praying with fellow faculty, staff and students. It is a real pleasure to be able to attend chapel every day and talk and pray openly with all participants about my faith.”
Concordia Nebraska Vice President of Institutional Advancement Derek Engelbart ’01 is currently participating in the course titled CUNE 102, which focuses on the Lutheran tradition and Reformation insights.
“The class has been even more relatable than I first thought. I have enjoyed the nature of conversation and the opportunity to grow personal relationships with my campus colleagues,” he said. “I have grown in my understanding regarding the intersection of the Christian faith and my role at Concordia. I’ve gathered some important reminders around Law and Gospel, the Lutheran Tradition, the Sacraments and how I can apply these aspects to my vocation in working with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the university. I also feel like I’ve learned a deeper lesson about spirituality through discussions regarding justification, faith, evangelism and redemption.”
Engelbart said he believes these classes are a valuable addition to offerings available to university faculty and staff.
“I truly appreciate the ‘adult learning’ in an environment where I feel welcomed to share my thoughts and beliefs, while also hearing other perspectives,” he said. “This only helps us unify as a campus and grow together in our faith.”
Current instructors for the classes include Jurchen, Emeritus Professor Dr. Russell Moulds ’76, Emeritus Professor Rev. Dr. Charles Blanco, Chief Operating Officer Dr. Kim Boyce. Guest presenters also include Bull and Assistant Professor of Theology Rev. Dr. David Coe.
“These courses are just a small part of our overall desire to cultivate a community here that is actively engaged in the ongoing learning of God’s truth,” explained Jurchen. “As we do so, we seek to infuse faith formation and learning around our distinctly Lutheran Christian identity into everything we do here as faculty and staff. We do so to be better prepared to equip students for lifelong learning of God’s truth in service to the home, church and world.”
Concordia Nebraska Strategic Marketing Team Leader Hope Rickords said the classes have provided her both invaluable learning opportunities and the chance to get to know other faculty on staff on campus, as well.
“I have learned a lot about in-depth pieces of our Lutheran beliefs and some key components I can take to share with others in conversation beyond Concordia’s campus,” she said. “I really enjoy getting to meet different faculty and staff on campus beyond those I work with day to day.”
Jurchen said that his work on campus revolves around two main vocations: teaching classes focused on teaching the faith and helping to cultivate faith formation on campus, especially among faculty and staff.
A graduate of the university, he received a Lutheran Teacher Diploma and bachelor’s degree in secondary education with emphasis on history and English in 2004. He then attended Concordia Seminary, St. Louis where he earned a master of divinity. He also has a master of science in education focused on curriculum leadership from Drake University, and a doctor of education degree in andragogy from Lindenwood University. He has served at Concordia Nebraska since July 2024.
“Concordia Nebraska is an amazing Christ-focused community, and I am honored to play a role in preparing future generations of Christian scholars for service in the home, church, and world,” he said. It is a blessing to work with fellow devoted Christian faculty and staff, forming students for future service in their various vocations.”
