Concordia Blessed by Servant Leaders-
Letter From The President

Present and past Board members remind me of Jesus’ words, “Whoever would be a leader must be a servant just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”

In this national election year, citizens of the United States will think deeply about leadership. People in many nations envy our opportunity and responsibility freely to elect our next national President. Leadership stands important not only in our national life but also in our individual lives and the function of our institutions. This edition of “Concordia St. Paul” will inform and hopefully inspire you about the leadership given by the members of our Board of Regents and by many other people involved with Concordia University, St. Paul.

As President, I begin by publicly expressing my personal and professional gratitude for the time, talent, commitment, prayer and care that past and present Board of Regents members have given and continue to give to Concordia. I watch them in board meetings visualize grand opportunities as well as agonize over hard practical issues. To be a member of the Board of Regents requires appreciation of the past, understanding of the present and a realistic, strategic vision of the future. Paraphrasing Matthew 20:27-28 under the theme of leadership, present and past Board members remind me of Jesus’ words, “Whoever would be a leader must be a servant just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”

We are proud to introduce present board members in this issue and I ask you to remember them in prayer. Thank God that they have accepted the opportunity and responsibility to be servant leaders. Having been blessed for a decade with almost continuous membership service on the board, because of term limits, Concordia is now blessed with many new members. Three relatively new members serve on the board’s Executive Committee, i.e. Chairman Brad Hewitt, Vice Chairman, Tom Evans ‘81, and Secretary Darlene Johnson ’55. LCMS Minnesota South District President Lane Seitz continues his long term service on both the board and the Executive Committee. Ask that God will guide and bless the whole board because, in many ways, God has placed the future of Concordia University, St. Paul, in their hands. They often sacrifice personally by leading with time, talents and support; they receive no monetary remuneration. They lead by sharing the gifts that God has given them and by inviting others to find joy in supporting Concordia’s mission of preparing “students for thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and humanity and for the enlightened care of God’s creation, all in the context of the Christian Gospel,” as our Mission Statement proclaims.

Each Board of Regents member has an impact and leaves a legacy. It may be unfair to single out any member because each, in her or his own way, gives exemplary servant leadership. Nevertheless, today at Concordia, we celebrate our women student athletes winning the NCAA II National Volleyball Championship because The Gangelhoff Center stands not only as a testimony of Ron and Doris Gangelhoff’s service but also as an example of the servant leadership of other Board of Regents members as well.

I think that you will enjoy getting to know more about our present Board members. They are outstanding people – blessings to Concordia. Concordia stands embraced by talented leaders – students, faculty, staff, alumni, benefactors, friends, and, in the forefront, members of the Board of Regents. May this issue of “Concordia St. Paul” give praise to God and show gratitude to all of you who serve the Lord, care for Concordia and thus, in your own way, serve as a leader in the world and in Concordia’s mission in education.

In Christ,

Bob Holst
President