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Series editor’s note: The 2026 theme for “Deeper understandings” is faithful witness in challenging times. This year, various authors will explore what it means for the ELCA, and each of us as Lutherans, to face the headwinds of societal fracture, loneliness and political contention, and to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ that forgives, frees and transforms not only us individually but the whole world. We hope you will be encouraged and empowered to plant your feet firmly on the rock of our faith and speak joyfully and hopefully about the power of the gospel to foster peace and justice in a world desperately in need of both.
—Kristin Johnston Largen, president of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, on behalf of the ELCA’s seminaries
Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:19).
Before I became a college president, I was a lawyer and a politician.
Nearly 30 years have passed since I began my career working for a judge in the federal district court in Pierre, S.D., yet I still have vivid memories of certain witnesses and their testimony in both criminal and civil cases. I recall moments of intense emotion in the courtroom, especially in criminal cases: the anxiety of victims, the remorse of defendants and, at times, the frustration of prosecutors and defense attorneys.
I ran for Congress a few years later. Though this was over 20 years ago, I distinctly remember standing in the dusty office of a grain elevator in north-central South Dakota, talking with the manager about market prices and agriculture policies. I could sense his initial skepticism of me, and I recall feeling some initial discomfort with him, but before long, we connected. I was grateful for his time and insights, and he seemed impressed that I had shown up, listened and asked questions.
Over the past nine years, I’ve had the privilege of leading Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. It’s been an extraordinary time in higher education. Demographic shifts, the COVID-19 pandemic, policy changes, technology and artificial intelligence have all been disruptive. Yet I feel truly blessed to be in a professional setting that surrounds young people with care and opportunity as we witness their growth and discernment. We’ve navigated a lot of change together.
In addition to the chapel in the heart of Augustana’s campus, we established an interfaith reflection room in the student union in 2014. A few years ago, we built a new residence hall next to the beautiful campus green, which included a space that administrators thought would be better suited for the interfaith room. During the winter break, the room was moved from the student union to the new residence hall, which did not go over well with some students. They expressed their anger and dismay on social media, the local newspaper decided to cover the issue, the university was in reaction mode, and hurt feelings were felt all around.
Moving the interfaith room had included some prior consultation and communication, so we might have held firm. But I thought it important to convene a broader meeting among student leaders, faculty advisers and administrators to discuss what had happened, why, and how we might move forward. As the meeting started, emotions were running high. I began by apologizing to the students on behalf of the university for moving the interfaith room during the break. Then two recent graduates offered helpful historical context about why the room was originally located in the student union.
If make time to form new relationships and repair damaged ones, we honor God.
Over the course of the meeting, everyone listened respectfully, asked good and challenging questions, offered diverse perspectives, and deepened their understanding of the situation. We all learned from this honest interaction. After the meeting, the administration made the decision to move the interfaith room back to the student union. (I came to know well one of the student leaders who attended the meeting. He graduated last spring, and his parents traveled from Nepal to celebrate him.)
The document “Rooted and Open: The Common Calling of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities” states: “The essential relationality of Lutheran theology believes that individuals flourish only as they are embedded in larger communities, families, civic spaces and ecosystems that are also empowered to flourish. Cherishing and protecting healthy communities go hand-in-hand with cherishing and protecting the well-being of individuals.” The anecdote of the interfaith room highlights the importance of history, spaces, agency and communication in cherishing and protecting both communities and individuals.
When I reflect on my career and my leadership journey, I recognize clearly the importance of building context and relationships in serving other people—as individuals, communities or organizations. This always begins with listening and learning; it also requires both showing up and convening gatherings with care and attention. The purpose: so we can share stories, experiences and perspectives that facilitate mutual respect and flourishing. The challenge: a social environment in which people are prone to judge quickly and harshly as well as a political culture marked by outrage and distrust.
Bearing witness requires a daily recommitment to overcoming that challenge, which can be very difficult. It requires discipline, courage and emotional energy. But if we remain curious, ask good questions, and make time to form new relationships and repair damaged ones, we honor God. And when, as servant leaders in our families, communities, churches and workplaces, we convene meaningful gatherings and lean into society’s tensions with humility rather than seek to avoid or perpetuate conflict, we do the hard work God calls us to do—the holy work of reconciliation and renewal.
