2024 Graduates and Emeriti

Lutheran Brethren Seminary’s commencement service was held on April 26, 2024 at Bethel Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

The following is information about the 2024 graduates and the recognizing the emeritus status to Dr. David Veum, Dr. Eugene Boe, and Dr. Gaylan Mathiesen.

Before applying for LBS Zach lived in Fargo, North Dakota, with his wife Kelsey. The call came to Zach, as they were just newly married and living in an apartment. Zach was working construction and as a youth director at Atonement Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND, and Kelsey was working for Unseen (an anti-trafficking ministry). Zach felt a call to ministry not knowing what that fully looked like, but through meeting with Dr. Veum and talking with others, it became evident it was time to apply.
 
Zach and Kelsey have two children, Sophia who is three and Walter who is one. Zach attended high school in Battle Lake, MN. He received his undergraduate in Exercise Science from Minnesota State in Moorhead. And is now serving as a full time pastor at Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church in Mayville, ND.

Zach graduated from LBS with a Master of Divinity degree.

Ben Miller grew up attending Maple Park Lutheran Brethren Church in Lynnwood, Washington. His parents, Kevin and Lisa, faithfully made sure that he attended Sunday School and Sunday worship, Wednesday night activities, and Confirmation, giving him a solid theological foundation. In 2017, Ben was offered the Youth Director position at Maple Park Church. Ben and Madison (Goodman) were married in May of 2020. The following year, Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church in Sidney, Montana, offered Ben a call to be their Interim Associate Pastor, allowing him to work part-time while focusing on his seminary education. When Head Pastor Mike Hussey took a different call, God set an unforeseen plan into action. Madison accepted the position of CEO at the local Boys and Girls Club, and Ben was installed this past October as Head Pastor at Sidney. Ben and Madison live with their loving dog, Mac, and their spiteful cat, Meatball.

Ben graduated from LBS with a Diploma in Christian Ministry.

Logun grew up in Camrose, Alberta. He spent ten years working in youth ministry preceding his attendance at Lutheran Brethren Seminary. Logun has been married to his wife, Merrill, for four years and they have a fourteen month old son, Maguire. Logun graduated from Lutheran Brethren Seminary with a Master of Theological Studies. After seminary he plans to continue to work planting a ministry called The Potter’s Boards on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, where Logun and Merrill currently live. Logun crafts surfboards and teaches others how to do it, as a tool for ministry. His vision is to serve the local community and have an impact in the marketplace.

From The Potter’s Boards website:
“What we do? Empower youth and communities through the power of the gospel and shaping surfboards… We believe that shaping surfboards can connect people with something deeper, and that the lessons learned in shaping and surfing a board can transform a life forever.”

Ellie Szobody is originally from East Hartland, Connecticut. After high school, she spent about three years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Costa Rica, then returned to the U.S. to study nursing. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Southern CT State University and worked for a couple of years at a nursing home in Queens, New York. In early 2021, she went on a vision trip to Chad and consequently decided to move to Fergus Falls, MN in order to attend Lutheran Brethren Seminary. She initially intended to pursue a Certificate of Theological Studies in missions, which she completed in 2022, but she stayed an additional year for further studies that she hopes will benefit future ministry. She graduated this time with a Master of Theological Studies degree. Ellie married Matthias Szobody last summer, and the two of them have been called and commissioned as Lutheran Brethren International Mission missionaries. They are currently in transition to Chad.

In addition to honoring our graduates, we also recognized the services of Dr. David Veum, Dr. Eugene Boe, and Dr. Gaylan Mathiesen. On March 19, the LBS Board voted unanimously to award both Dr. Veum and Dr. Boe emeritus status. Dr. Mathiesen received the status when he retired two years earlier. Dr. Veum joined LBS in the fall of 2005 and served as its president from 2006 to his retirement in 2023. Dr. Boe has served LBS for forty-one years. He was Dean from 1998 to 2018, and as our Research Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, he has shaped the identity of the CLB with his passion for the work of Christ and his view of life and ministry as a gift. Dr. Mathiesen joined LBS in the summer of 2005, teaching Mission and Evangelism for seventeen years.

The contributions of Dr. Veum, Dr. Boe, and Dr. Mathiesen cannot be overstated. These men have given their time and their lives to serve the Lord through LBS, leaving the organization healthy and well-positioned for the future.