By James Baneck
In August, the Rev. Ryan Wendt, president of the Montana District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), dropped his daughter off for her freshman year of college at Concordia University Chicago (CUC), River Forest, Ill. In a social media post, he described emotions that are experienced by many parents at this time in a child’s life, calling it “a time to rejoice … and a time to cry” while at the same time being excited “to watch this next chapter of her life unfold.” Wendt’s daughter, Elizabeth, aspires to be a Concordia university professor.
It’s not easy for any parent to drop a child off at college and drive away. This includes the parents of children who are pursuing full-time church work. And it doesn’t make it any easier when these parents are church workers themselves or when their children are attending a Synod institution. The emotions are universal, cutting across all backgrounds and situations.
The Christian parent’s love for a child does not lessen the difficulty of seeing that child leave home, but it does provide a peace that comes only from knowing he or she is in our Lord’s hands. Parents whose children are preparing for full-time church work also take deep comfort in knowing that their children are pursuing a vocation dedicated to teaching God’s Word, through which the Holy Spirit creates and nourishes saving faith.
Meet a few of our Lutheran students who just began their journey toward being church workers in The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).
Elizabeth Wendt moved approximately 1,200 miles from her home in Billings, Mont. — an 18-hour drive — to attend CUC. While “it was hard to go so far away from everything and everyone I know,” Elizabeth says, it’s all been worth “the community I gained. I have never had so many close friends or Christian peers. … I couldn’t have asked for better.”
Heidi McKeage, a deaconess student at CUC, moved nine hours from her family. Heidi’s parents, like Elizabeth’s, were sad to see her move so far away but strongly support her desire to serve the church. Heidi especially appreciates being on a Lutheran campus and describes CUC as “a safe place for me to grow and mature.”
Dylan Buechler is a pre-seminary student at Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE), Seward, Neb., which is eight hours from his home in Rapid City, S.D. His parents are also supportive of his decision to move away and study for a church work vocation, and although he wasn’t sure what to expect, he said he has “gained a lot of independence. I also have gained so many new friends and loved ones, so much knowledge, and a closer relationship with God.”
Emily Lindau, another CUNE student, wants to teach history in a Lutheran high school. She didn’t move too far — only from Omaha to Seward — but she still misses “ordinary evenings at home.” Also in the pre-deaconess program, Emily says, “It was difficult to walk away from significant mentors at my home church because those ties are hard to maintain over distance.” But like many other church work students, she believes she is gaining independence and creating friendships that will enrich her formation as a church worker.
Joshua Price, who moved eight hours from home to enroll in the pre-seminary program at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., said the hardest part of moving away was adjusting to college life, getting to know new people and taking on a new workload. But he shared that he has experienced “increased resilience, a fantastic education … and growth in faith that comes from attending a Concordia.”
Lillian Hildebrand moved 173 miles away from her home in Fort Wayne, Ind., to attend CUC as a Lutheran elementary education major with a music minor. Lillian believes college gives young adults the opportunity “to put into practice the lessons and virtues instilled in them from a young age by their parents, churches and schools.” This allows them “to carry with them what they have learned at home” while taking “ownership of those values as they begin navigating adulthood.”
The transition from the safety and security of home to the new experiences and challenges of college life are not easy for either our future church workers or the loved ones they leave behind. But we know that the Lord holds all of them — both the young adults embarking on this journey and the parents, siblings, friends, and church and school communities that have encouraged, prayed for and supported them to this point — in His loving hands. As these students have been nurtured by so many back home, they will continue to be nourished in their faith and formed for their future service to the church by their professors and other leaders and mentors at their respective universities.
The Rev. Dr. Jon Bruss, president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, is known for saying, “Families, do not hold back your sons, but help them see what a blessing it is to serve in the ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament.” I want to echo Dr. Bruss’ words but adjust them to include all church work vocations, commissioned and ordained: Families, do not hold back your children, but help them see what a blessing it is to be “set apart to serve” and to pursue full-time church work — especially at a Concordia university or seminary!
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Posted Oct. 19, 2026
It was hard to leave our son at CUC when we live in the Thumb of Michigan. I think my wife cried from CUC to the Michigan border. He went to study history, and within a semester he announced he was going into the pre-sem program. Now he pastors a dual parish and is the interim for another parish who is seeking to call a pastor.