SA国际传媒

Farming and the church are both deeply ingrained in Steve Struecker鈥檚 life. It would be hard to leave one for the other. Fortunately, he doesn鈥檛 have to.

A student in the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program at SA国际传媒, Struecker is a lifelong farmer born and raised in West Bend, Iowa, two and a half hours north of Des Moines in The Lutheran Church鈥擬issouri Synod (LCMS) Iowa District West. Struecker and his son, Andrew, along with a partner, grow corn and soybeans on a large farm that has been in his family since 1870. For most of his life he has worshiped at St. Paul鈥檚 Lutheran Church in nearby Whittemore, Iowa.

This summer鈥檚 vacation Bible school at Zion Lutheran Church in Lu Verne, Iowa, as pictured on June 18, 2015, the largest in years, brought many children and their families to church, most for the first time. Vicar Steve Struecker, top row, second from left, is thankful for this opportunity to share the Gospel with so many new faces. Photo: Kathleen Struecker

鈥淚鈥檝e been active in the church all my life,鈥� Struecker said. 鈥淏ut I didn鈥檛 grow up wanting to be a pastor. I鈥檝e always wanted to be a farmer.鈥� As he became increasingly involved at his congregation, he realized there were other rural churches that needed help, too. Struecker鈥檚 response to that was to complete the deacon program through the district in conjunction with Concordia University St. Paul, in St. Paul, Minn., enabling him to fill in for pastors at rural congregations in his area when needed.

With mentoring by Dr. Steve Turner at Trinity Lutheran Church in Algona, Iowa, who was recently elected president of the LCMS Iowa District West, Struecker began helping out every other week at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Livermore, Iowa, and Zion Lutheran Church in Lu Verne, Iowa, both congregations in small towns of about 250 people. He found he enjoyed rural pastoral ministry, despite the extra time it required. When the pastor at one of the churches retired, and with the encouragement of his mentor and other pastors in the circuit, Struecker decided he wanted to do something more.

鈥淎s a deacon I was able to preach, but I had the desire to bring more stability to these congregations,鈥� Struecker said. 鈥淭hey needed a pastor, and I thought, either I do something or they would both close. Everyone had given up on them, but I wasn鈥檛 willing to do that.鈥� With Turner鈥檚 support and encouragement, Struecker decided to enter the SMP program at the Seminary. That meant both congregations, each worshiping 30-40 people per weekend, would remain open, and Struecker could continue farming while also shepherding the congregations.

鈥淭he SMP program continues to do what it was designed to do, and it is doing it well: forming pastors in specific ministry contexts and situations who otherwise would not be able to benefit from a seminary program leading to Synod certification and ordination,鈥� said Dr. Andrew Bartelt, director of the Seminary鈥檚 SMP program. 鈥淲hile rostered as specific ministry pastors, these men are well-qualified to bring the gifts of God鈥檚 Word and the Sacraments as administered through the pastoral office to those who otherwise would not have any regular or full-time pastoral ministry.鈥�

Thanks to modern technology, Vicar Steve Struecker is able to participate in online courses and discussions while out in the field in his combine, Nov. 2, 2013. Photo: Kathleen Struecker.

Technically a vicar, Struecker now leads worship at both churches every Sunday. He begins with an early service at Immanuel at 8:30 a.m., and then heads over to Zion, 15 minutes away, for a 10 a.m. service. The timing is cutting it close, but Struecker and his wife, Kathleen, make it work. Apart from Sunday services, he also attends to the pastoral care needs of both congregations, something he enjoys and wasn鈥檛 able to do as a deacon.

鈥淪teve is a good example of the SMP program meeting the changing needs of the church,鈥� said Rev. Wally Becker, assistant director of the SMP program. 鈥淗e is serving the pastoral needs of two small congregations that possibly would no longer exist except for someone like Steve taking care of them on a part-time basis.鈥�

When he completes the program, Struecker will receive a certificate to serve as pastor at both churches. He is halfway through the program and will be ordained in December 2015.

鈥淥ur farm has been in my family for generations, so walking away from farming to go to the Seminary just wouldn鈥檛 work for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he SMP program provides a great alternative. I get to study to become a pastor and continue farming.鈥�

Through weekly online classes, residential seminars, and intensives, SMP students complete 16 courses that are taught sequentially, one per academic quarter. The program typically takes four years to complete and students stay with the same group of men, their cohort, for their entire course of study.

鈥淢any SMP students are bi-vocational, working full-time jobs and serving a congregation on a part-time basis,鈥� Becker said. 鈥淭he extra coursework and studying adds even more time to an already busy schedule, and these men need to manage their time well in order to make sure they also have time for themselves and their families. Our SMP students are really making it work.鈥�

It is a lot of work, but with the support of his wife, Struecker manages to balance his studies with his farm work. In fact, Struecker often finds time to complete his studies in an unusual place 鈥� inside his combine and tractors while out in the fields.

鈥淲ith computers and satellites, we don鈥檛 have to drive the machines anymore,鈥� he said. 鈥淒uring the busy spring and fall seasons, I鈥檒l take my computer along in the combine or the tractor and can be participating online with the rest of the group for the Monday night classes.鈥�

Through the SMP program, Struecker and others can fulfill their calling to serve the Church in both Word and Sacrament, while also serving in another vocation. In Struecker鈥檚 case, two congregations remain open and he can continue to farm the land that鈥檚 been in his family for generations. It鈥檚 beneficial to his community, too. Case in point: This summer鈥檚 vacation Bible school at Zion was bigger than ever, and provided 38 children and their families, many of them unchurched, with an opportunity to learn more about Jesus. That鈥檚 extra work Struecker is glad to have.

The need for pastors is great, and the SMP program is one of the ways God is bringing more shepherds to His flock. To find out more about the SMP program, visit www.csl.edu/smp.