LCMS President Harrison Meets and Greets Concordia Students

by Abigail Wisniewski and Benjamin Middendorf

Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison stopped by campus on Monday, Aug. 29 to meet and greet students and faculty. The meet and greet allowed Harrison to learn the majors and vocations of students as well as offer support and encouragement to future church workers in the LCMS.

“Coming back to Seward and this great institution is always a joy,” Harrison said. “This school puts out more church workers for the Missouri Synod than anybody else and most of the schools combined. We love all God’s Concordias, but of course each has its strength, and Seward’s strengths are numerous and evident, so it’s always a blessing to be here.”

Harrison took the opportunity to become acquainted with students’ names and majors, as well as get a sense of their mission. He also posed for pictures, recommended books, shared experiences and even took a few minutes to jam on the banjo with senior Joe Pierson.

“To have him ask about what we’re all doing I think is really cool…he really does care,” senior Megan Suter said.  

Harrison is no stranger to Seward. Though he graduated from Morningside College, he took some classes at Concordia, which allowed him to study from professors with a Lutheran worldview before heading to seminary in Fort Wayne.

Harrison recalled the influence lessons learned at Concordia have had on him, including reading “Walther’s Law and Gospel” by C.F.W. Walther and “Theology to Live By,” by Herman Amberg Preus.

“That gave me an introduction to Lutheranism on a level I had never had before,” Harrison said. “That changed my life.”

Concordia also marked the beginning of Harrison and his wife’s journey as missionaries in a Cree Indian village in Ontario. During a visit to Seward, Harrison heard a missionary speak in chapel about his journeys, causing Harrison to return home and say, “This is what we need to do.”

Harrison’s visit demonstrates the continued support the LCMS has given Concordia throughout the university’s history.

“At one time, all students were preparing for full-time church work, and the LCMS provided most of the funding for the university,” President Brian Friedrich said. “We are thankful for the LCMS and are blessed to continue to prepare workers for our church, equip men for the pastoral ministry through our pre-seminary program, while at the same time equipping all of our students to learn, serve and lead in the vocations to which God is calling them.”