New Seminary Faculty

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, we find Solomon’s “poem for the seasons.” It reminds us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (3:1). Although it’s not stated explicitly in that poem, one of the seasons the Lord leads us through is transition. Lutheran Brethren Seminary is entering this season right now as we prepare to say goodbye to some faculty and to welcome new faculty. We look back with sincere gratitude and thankfulness for the contributions of long-time professors, even as we look ahead with excitement for the contributions new instructors will make for our pastors, missionaries, and CLB congregations.

Lutheran Brethren Seminary serves the Church and the world by preparing servants of Christ for a life of ministry in God’s mission and for equipping His people to serve in His mission.

Dr. Nate Larsen began teaching at LBS in a part-time capacity in January 2021. Nate teaches classes in Spiritual Care, Personal Wellness in Ministry, and Supervised Ministry Education (formerly Field Work). He has an extensive educational and occupational background in psychology and currently works as a full-time licensed psychologist in the mental health field. Nate spent his years as a young child living in Japan where his parents (Morris and Myrtle Larsen) served as missionaries with Lutheran Brethren International Mission. Nate has served as an elder at Triumph LBC in Moorhead, MN and now resides in Fergus Falls, MN with his wife, Debi. Nate is especially gifted in addressing areas of personal and pastoral health.

Dr. Joel Christenson is no stranger to the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. Joel and his wife, Liz, have served as missionaries in east Asia since 2001 through a secondment agreement between LBIM and OMF International. Starting August 1, 2022, Joel will fill the full-time role at LBS of Professor of Mission and Evangelism, teaching courses in Mission, Cross Cultural Communication, World Religions, Church History, and Evangelism. Joel holds a PhD in English Literature from Marquette University. He has had vast experience in teaching and in pastoral and administrative leadership within Christian organizations. Joel is currently taking graduate courses in Mission from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL) to more fully prepare for teaching at LBS.

Rev. Clint Knutson came to LBS from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as a student in 2012. He began pastoral ministry in Birch Hills, SK in the summer of 2015, graduating from LBS as a distance education student in the spring of 2016. Clint has continued to serve the two-point parish of Birch Hills Community Church (Birch Hills, SK) and Saron Lutheran Church (Hagen, SK) while also taking PhD courses through Concordia Seminary–St. Louis. In the summer of 2022, Clint will move to Fergus Falls where he will begin a full-time role with LBS. During his first year, he will focus on completing his PhD comprehensive exams and dissertation in Doctrinal Theology, as he simultaneously begins part-time teaching duties. He will incrementally increase his LBS teaching load in the coming semesters, taking on courses in Systematic Theology and Ethics along with some in Church History and Preaching. He will assume the full load of these courses by the fall of 2025.