Carlson receives 2021 NLSA School Shepherd Award

The Rev. Eric Carlson, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Hannibal, Mo., greets students before school chapel on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Carlson has been selected by National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) as the 2021 NLSA School Shepherd. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

The Rev. Eric Carlson, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Hannibal, Mo., has been named the 2021 School Shepherd by National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA). According to NLSA, the award honors a pastor who “provides outstanding encouragement, support and service to his school” and who articulates “a clear philosophy of Lutheran education.”

St. John’s has an enrollment of 136 students from preschool through 8th grade. Carlson said that, when he first arrived on staff, he decided to have his office in the school rather than the church so as to be better connected to the school community. He acknowledged that it can get “very noisy” but said he likes being readily available to the staff, students and parents “to talk about joys and challenges at the school and in their lives.”

“We have time for prayer and encouragement throughout the day,” Carlson said. “It is easy for me to stop by the playground and lunchroom to visit with the students. Throughout the years, parents have felt comfortable to approach me with questions about the faith, prayer requests, concerns and, best of all, to ask if I can baptize their children. Many of these situations have come about because I am present, available and willing to talk.”

Carlson’s duties at the school include leading chapel for both the preschool and the elementary students, teaching catechism classes to the staff, presenting occasional lessons in the classroom, and meeting with students and staff during the day about individual concerns or prayer needs. He makes it a point to be present when students are arriving or leaving the campus. It “gives me the opportunity to see the students and the parents regularly,” he said. “I greet them by name, see how they are doing and wish them a good day.”

Carlson also regularly attends school staff meetings “so I know what is going on and can best support the school” and Board of Christian Education meetings “to help guide the school in the best way to shine the light of Christ in our community.”

Carlson is a second-career pastor who previously worked in Resort Operations for Walt Disney World. He graduated from the University of Vermont and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Before arriving at St. John’s in 2017, he was pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Chicago (2011–2015), and Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, Penn. (2015–2017). He and his wife, Korie, have been married for 23 years and have five children ages 7 to 15. Carlson enjoys “spending time with my chickens, working on puzzles and reading classic literature.”

Reflecting on the last two years, Carlson said the pandemic “presented a unique and challenging situation, especially with the school” but that “what helped our community was respect for other people’s concerns and views. We needed to balance community sensitivities and the many unknown risks that we faced early in the pandemic with the mental and spiritual well-being of members and students. We sought a balance between physical safety and emotional needs. It was difficult to work through all the individual views and opinions, but we were able to follow a middle path that nearly everyone was satisfied with.”

Carlson added, “We got through it with careful planning, prayer and love for others. I couldn’t have done it without the Boards of Elders and Christian Education. Along with parents, they are wonderful partners in the Gospel.”

Carlson was nominated for the School Shepherd Award by the NLSA Validation Team during the team’s visit to St. John’s earlier this year. His nomination was endorsed by the LCMS English District, and a committee of pastors made the final selection. Carlson said that Lutheran schools are crucial at this time in history because, “as the country continues to drift away from biblical values, Lutheran schools give students an excellent education while building up faith and instilling moral values. … As Proverbs 22:6 says, ‘Train up a child in the way that he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.’”

Posted Dec. 13, 2021