2026 July — From the President: The Precious Work of Pastors

The Precious Work of Pastors

Dear Friends of CTSFW,

This past weekend, I had the privilege of preaching at the ordination and installation of one of our spring graduates, Noah Dunsmore. Pastor Dunsmore is pictured above at Zion Lutheran Church in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with three of us from his fieldwork congregation, Emmaus Lutheran in Fort Wayne.

I wish I could attend every ordination. Fortunately, I can keep tabs on most, if not all, of these occasions on Facebook. It is the Lord’s answer to His Church’s prayer to “grant unto His Church faithful pastors, who will preach His Word with power and live according to His will” and to “send laborers into His harvest and open the door of faith unto all unbelievers” through Word and Sacrament.

I was reminded of how precious the work of our graduates is in the Lord’s harvest by a special visitor to our campus last Friday, singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett, who wears his Lutheranism on his sleeve. He graciously agreed to a Q&A after morning chapel, and during that conversation, he expressed to students what I hear so often.

Singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett, a lifelong LCMS Lutheran and four-time Grammy winner, talks with CTSFW President Jon Bruss July 10 after morning chapel. “I admire all of you. It is a life of service you are signing up for. Please know that those of us in the congregation appreciate your sacrifice and your dedication to give us the opportunity to hear the Word of God. And please know how important that is to all of us in attendance.” —Lyle Lovett

Builders build, and when they get done, there is something palpable: a house or an office building. At the Seminary, we build invisibly. The result, far beyond our walls, is the invisible faith in the heart worked by God the Holy Spirit through the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and the eternal harvest we will all see on the Last Day.

+ pax domini +

J.S. Bruss
President
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

MAY

President Bruss traveled to the Dominican Republic in late May for a symposium at Concordia Seminario El Reformador. While there, he and Rev. Sergio Fritzler, director of that seminary, signed a Memorandum of Understanding that identifies areas of cooperation, including faculty and student exchange and deaconess formation, and expresses an intention to explore the possibility of Concordia Seminario El Reformador becoming a satellite seminary of CTSFW. (Photo: Jana Inglehart)

JUNE

On June 16–17, the presidents of both LCMS seminaries gathered in the Central Illinois District with other church leaders for an Evangelism Enclave, continuing the discussion from the first gathering held last year at CTSFW. CTSFW has designed an Evangelism Week for seminary students, which will be held this fall and again next spring.

President Bruss and gathered guests listen to Dr. Dean Wenthe, CTSFW president emeritus, at the dedication of the theological libraries of Wenthe and Dr. William Weinrich, professor of Historical Theology, June 20. The libraries, which Wenthe and Weinrich donated to CTSFW, are housed in the W. Paul Wolf Lantern of the Wayne and Barbara Kroemer Library, and sit on shelves provided by David and Paula Daniels.

JULY

When July 4 is approaching, it’s time to recognize milestone staff anniversaries at CTSFW. Fourteen staff members were recognized on July 2, some of whom appear here with President Bruss. “Every one of our staff members plays a critical role in our mission,” said Bruss. “I see it every day that I’m on campus.”

President Bruss traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado, this week for a Higher Things conference, where he delivered a plenary presentation, “Let Us Gladly Die with Jesus,” and led a special Continuing Ed course. Next stop: The 69th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in Phoenix, where he’ll deliver the first theological essay on Sunday, July 19. (Photo: Chris Rosebrough)

Seminary Life with the Presidents

Seminary Life with the Presidents, a podcast series featuring President Jon Bruss of CTSFW, President Tom Egger of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Rev. Roy Askins of LCMS Communications, explores pastoral formation at our two LCMS seminaries. You can see the whole playlist, including the most recent episode, “Convention Resolutions on LCMS Pastoral Formation,” by clicking the button below.

SEE THE PLAYLIST