Trinity Lutheran Seminary

📅 Save the Date!

Join us for the 2026 Kantonen Lectures at Trinity Days, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Mark Allan Powell.

🗓 October 1–2, 2026

Together, we’ll explore “Surprising New Insights into the Social and Political Teaching of Jesus.”

Registration opens soon!

We can’t wait to welcome you back to Trinity for two days of learning, conversation, and community.

Trinity Days Mark Allan Powell is now a Retired Professor of New Testament after teaching 32 years at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. An internationally known biblical scholar, he chaired the Society of Biblical Literature’s section on Matthew’s Gospel for ten years and the section on Historical...

Capital Rising is a shared commitment that extends across every part of Capital University, including Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

Rooted in a rich Lutheran tradition, we remain committed to theological education that equips students for lives of ministry, service, and faithful witness while embracing the opportunities of a changing world.

Learn more about Capital Rising and follow our progress: www.capital.edu/rising

This week, At Work in the World looked like:
Worship at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Pickerington, Ohio, with Pastoral Intern Tony Maggio;
a Mudhens Baseball Game in Toledo, Ohio, with Capital University Alumni & Friends;
and current and former students enjoying a photo opportunity during their Summer Clinical Pastoral Education Experiences in Columbus, Ohio.

What books are inspiring our Trinity Lutheran Seminary faculty and staff this summer? We'll be sharing recommendations that encourage thoughtful reflection, faithful living, and lifelong learning.

Dr. Kerstin Hedlund, Director of Contextual Education, is reading The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams. The publisher says: “In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, one of the world's most famous naturalists, and Douglas Abrams, the internationally bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her "Four Reasons for Hope": The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.”

Dr. Denise Rector, Instructor of History, Theology, and Society is reading Music Is History: Questlove connects Black music's evolution to America's social movements across every decade. By Questlove
From the publisher: Questlove, the five-time Grammy Award winner and visionary drummer of The Roots, takes readers on a decade-by-decade journey from 1971 to the present. In this New York Times bestseller, he explores how the melodies of our lives are inextricably linked to the shifts in our politics, our culture, and our collective identity.

What books are inspiring our Trinity Lutheran Seminary faculty and staff this summer? We'll be sharing recommendations that encourage thoughtful reflection, faithful living, and lifelong learning.

Joel Wildermuth, Region 6 ELCA Archivist and Instructor of Biblical Studies is reading God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible, by Candida Moss.
From the publisher: “From an award-winning biblical scholar, the story of how enslaved people created, gave meaning to, and spread the message of the New Testament, shaping the very foundations of Christianity in ways both subtle and profound.”

Rev. Mary Ann Siefke, Director of Congregational Engagement and Advancement, is reading Go As a River, by Shelly Read.The publisher begins its synopsis like this: “Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado—the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land and determined to live as he chooses.”

One week ago, Interim Dean the Rev. Dr. Rachel Wrenn, Dr. Schier, and Pastor Mary Ann gathered at Weber Grill in Indianapolis with nearly 40 Trinity alumni!

It was a wonderful evening filled with memories, laughter, joy, and the gift of community. ❤️

It is amazing what can happen when Trinity gathers!
We are grateful for each of you and the many ways you continue to be At Work in the World!

Welcome to our newest faculty!
Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University is thrilled to welcome three new faculty members this August:
The Rev. Dr. Miles Hopgood
Assistant Professor of Lutheran Theology and History, a Luther scholar and ELCA pastor whose research spans Reformation exegesis and Jewish-Christian relations
The Rev. Diandra M. Darby
Instructor of Homiletics, a preacher and scholar whose work centers transformative preaching and Black women's voices in the pulpit
The Rev. Dr. Kerstin Hedlund
A familiar face stepping into a new role as Professor of Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy after serving as our Director of Contextual Education
Join us in welcoming them to the Trinity community!

What books are inspiring our Trinity Lutheran Seminary faculty and staff this summer? Throughout the season, we'll be sharing recommendations that encourage thoughtful reflection, faithful living, and lifelong learning.

Dr. Suzanne Schier, Graduate Admissions Counselor for Seminary Discernment, is reading two things this summer.

🌳 The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, is the first of three in a series called “Mysteries of Nature.” From the publisher: Are trees social beings? In The Hidden Life of Trees forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration that he has observed in his woodland.

🥾 Hiking with Nietzche: On Becoming Who You Are, by John Kaag, is a tale of two philosophical journeys—one made by John Kaag as an introspective young man of nineteen, the other seventeen years later, in radically different circumstances: he is now a husband and father, and his wife and small child are in tow. Kaag sets off for the Swiss peaks above Sils Maria where Nietzsche wrote his landmark work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both of Kaag’s journeys are made in search of the wisdom at the core of Nietzsche’s philosophy, yet they deliver him to radically different interpretations and, more crucially, revelations about the human condition.

Dr. Rachel Wrenn, Interim Dean of the Seminary and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, is reading Brené Brown’s Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit.
Brown writes, “Individuals and organizations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground—that athletic stance—is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.”

Interim Dean Wrenn, Dr. Hedlund, Dr. Schier, and Pastor Mary Ann are excited to greet you tomorrow evening in Indy!

It was a great trip!

Beyond the Classroom: Trinity Seminary Takes Learning to Egypt In January 2026, students and community members from Trinity Lutheran Seminary traveled to Egypt alongside 27 travelers from Wartburg Theological Seminary for the biannual Middle East Travel Seminar. Led by Dr. Rachel Wrenn and Dr. Troy Troftgruben, the...