This is Ben, and this is Keith, and this is Main Street Lutherans. Today we have the opportunity to speak with Lamont Anthony Wells, who is the executive director of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities. And I'll let him explain to us more about what that organization does and how colleges and universities relate to the ELCA and the work that we do as a denomination. But I really thought, you know, Ben, you and I could talk a little bit about our college experience since both of us did eventually attend at least one ELCA college.

Yes.

In fact, it was the same one, Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Well, you were there first, so I was going to invite you to speak first.

Oh, sure. So when I, you know, when I was growing up, so I went to a church outside of Columbus, Ohio, and we had members of our congregation that were historically on the board of directors or the trustees of Capital University. And so when it came to students in the. Well, as we've talked about before the elementary school and then coming up through that church, was sort of assumed that you'd at least consider going to Capitol, because we had congregational ties there, and so they knew how to get strings pulled in different directions and all that. I really went to Capital, though, because I took voice lessons with a woman who became a professor there. I mean, we both had voice lessons with Michelle Horsfield. And so Michelle was a professor there, and she highly recommended that I also wanted to go to Berkeley School of Music in Boston. And she highly dissuaded me from going there for some pretty good reasons, it turns out.

Michelle was good at being highly dissuasive.

She was. And so I really didn't have many options. You know, everything in my. In my history pointed me to Capitol, and nobody ever told me no. And so that's kind of how I ended up there. I don't think I'd ever told you that before.

No, not. Not certainly in that much detail. Especially the part about the membership of your congregation having ties there, which isn't surprising given the proximity to Columbus and the size.

Yeah.

Yeah. That's cool.

I also had a math teacher in high school. It was her 50th year of teaching math in our school district. She taught in two school districts before that. Yeah, it's unfathomable. But she went to Capital, and so she highly recommended going to Capital. I'm sure the professors changed, right?

That would seem likely. So I came to Capital as a transfer student. Well, long story short, I had spent a good chunk of my young life thinking I was going to Become an architect. And then that didn't seem to be working out in my senior year in terms of getting accepted into architecture programs. I would have, you know, I could have started at a place like Penn State as an undecided major and then transferred to main campus and gone. Gone that route. But I just, I don't know, I wasn't, I wasn't comfortable doing that. And DeVry at the time was DeVry Institute of Technology. Now they're DeVry University, I think had done some aptitude testing in my school and suggested that I would be. Would do well in their computer programming track. So in fact they offered me a good sized scholarship to go and do it. So I started in Columbus at DeVry and that, that I did that for about a year, but then I was interested in transferring. But in the meantime, you know, a number of factors kind of influenced my, my next choice. For one thing, I had really gotten attached to Columbus. I liked the community. I liked the city. As first, I'd never lived in a big city before and I was really happy to be there. I had gotten involved in a martial arts program and with people that I was really connected to. And I was attending Calvary Church that you and I both had connections with as well. Yeah. And the pastor there, Brad Schmeling, and I talked quite a bit about, you know, if I were to. And devry being a technical school, if I was going to change majors in any significant way, I'd have to try a different institution. So that's where this conversation came about. And Brad actually recommended I check out Capital. And here I am, you know, a lifelong Lutheran attending a Lutheran college or a Lutheran church in Columbus. And I'd never, I never knew about Lutheran colleges this.

And literally just down the street, I mean it was a long distance on that street, but Livingston Avenue just straight over, right?

Yeah. I mean you're talking. It was like five miles from my, from my apartment.

Yeah, but like two turns, right?

Yeah, yeah. And so, yeah, Brad and I talked about, you know, my developing a, choosing a major based on a passion, especially if I was. Because I was already considering going to seminary, which again, I never thought about before until I was in college. So I chose majoring in English. I transferred to Capital. And then because it's directly across the street from Trinity Wiesburn Seminary, which at that time was a separate institution and we'll even talk about that a little bit. I think in this episode I just stayed yet longer in Columbus and went to seminary there. And I don't. It's funny, I don't run into very many Capital grads in Pennsylvania, although there's a retired pastor who's a member at St. Matthew that is also a Capital graduate. And there's a local family that I know, a pastor at another congregation and his family that his daughter, who's the same age as my oldest child, attended Capital. And they deliberately sought out a school, a Lutheran private school that really had a strong sense of its Lutheran identity. And they checked out a few in, you know, at least kind of the east coast area, and they selected Capitol. And so that's where their daughter graduated from.

Yeah.

And I suspect that that will. Well, as will be evident in the interview there, the several Lutheran institutions there in Pennsylvania. So, you know, going between York and Columbus would. Would you cross the paths of several. And so that probably is why a lot of Lutheran kids don't end up at Capitol from Pennsylvania. But. But yeah. So. So we both have kids. You have a child older than mine, and I've got a senior in high school and a. And a sophomore in high school. And then you've got a younger kid. I was just, I've been thinking because of this discussion we're having that my, my oldest is not considering a Lutheran school. Part of that's because we don't have any local to us. And he's, he seems to be more of a. Well, he's a kid we, we feel like we need to watch a little better. He's got some, some neurodivergency. And so we want to transition him into, into college better. And so being close by is a good piece of that. And there just aren't.

Sure. Yeah.

Any Lutheran colleges in, in our part of Michigan anyway. And so, so there's that my younger. He wants to go into jazz and Capital has a great jazz program or it has, but I'm assuming it's still that way. And so I think the professors are still the same in saxophone anyway. And so we're going to investigate it, but I'm not really investigating it because it's Lutheran investigating it because I know the program.

Right. Yeah.

So. So considering that, I think Lamont Anthony would maybe be disappointed with me in that. But that we're thinking about Capital at all or any Lutheran institution is probably a good thing.

There's. How about for you?

How did that.

Yeah. So my oldest child did not pursue college right away out of high school. Just was sort of unsettled on career path, unwilling to commit financially to something that they weren't quite. Quite sure of yet, but in the last about a year and a half have started taking classes online through a, actually through a Penn State school, even though they live out of state, but because Penn State has a really good online degree program, so they're taking online college degree there. My younger child, who's currently in seventh grade, is pretty set at this point in her life on wanting to be a teacher, which means going to college. And you know, right now I would say that she is really strongly connected to everything about church at the moment, and that's probably just the developmental stage she's in. You know, I would hope that that's going to last for the rest of her life, but I know better. And so, you know, I know that might, might shift. I'm not saying it's going to go away, but there will be developmental stages. And so I wouldn't be at all surprised if a Lutheran school would speak to her. But yeah, we'll see. There's still a few years between now and then.

Yeah.

And I think even after we were done talking for the official interview, I think you asked about if there were any enticements for Lutherans in this.

I did. There was this myth. I don't know if it was ever true. Maybe it was like, you know, before you and I even went to college or maybe around the time you and I went to college, but that, you know, if you were an ELCA pastor, at least some of the ELCA colleges would like, give, give your child a discount, you know, a scholarship or a grant, whatever you want to call it, to, to attend their institution. I don't, I don't know if that was ever true.

I, I think it was true. While we were there, there were an awful lot of pastors, kids who were, were there who it was part of that financial package. I, I think, I think in, in all honesty, I think most people got similar discounts as scholarships, at least at that point in time were really discounts on, on the price. And so we had tuition inflation in effect. And so that was one of their ways of attracting that segment was giving a discount through scholarship to clergy families. But yeah, it's questionable whether that exists. We did learn of one college that has just for ELCA members.

That was Augustana.

Augustana.

Augustana University in South Dakota. Yeah.

Yeah, we'll have a link to their program there just because it was mentioned. So. All right. Well, this is a great discussion. Lamont Anthony Wells is a dynamic advocate for our colleges and universities in the elca. It was a pleasure to talk with him, and I hope you enjoy.

Well, thanks again for being here today. We have the opportunity to have with us Lamont Anthony Wells, and I will let him tell you what his title is and the organization that he is here to speak to regarding Lutheran colleges and universities, some of which are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and some are not. So, Lamont Anthony, thank you for joining us today.

Thank you. Good day, everybody. Thanks, Keith. I appreciate this opportunity to share with you. So again, I serve as the executive director of a network of 28 colleges and universities, 26 ELCA colleges and universities, along with one relational connection with Luther College in Regina, Canada, and Valparaiso University, which serves as an associate member of the network making up the full 28 colleges and universities.

So we want to talk about the colleges and universities today. So we have this network of Lutheran higher education institutions. Keith and I went to capital and to us, well, at least to me, that's the only one that matters, right? I'll tell you, I went.

When I'm there, I actually say that when I'm in other places, I change.

And when I was at Capitol, pledged find me office in Phonia. And one of our pledge tasks was to go to Wittenberg because Wittenberg has Wally Witt sitting on a wall. And Wally Witt was carved or was sculpted by one of our art professors. And he has a Wittenberg J jacket on. But in truth, and we've seen the pictures, it's a capital jacket that he changed the C to a W. And so we went and put the C back on for this pledged ask. So we know there are others, but just how many, how big of a network of colleges and universities do we have here?

Right?

So. And what you have just described, Ben, is great synergy that has always been a part of the different collection in this consortium. Particularly, we get the opportunity to serve about 60,000 students, right. Which is no small number when you take the composite of what these colleges are. Our first Lutheran college, our oldest Lutheran college, is Gettysburg College, founded in 1832. And our baby college, which is actually now the largest college within the network, is California Lutheran, founded in 1959. So we have a range of east coast, Midwest, obviously some strong colleges there in Ohio and in Minnesota and Iowa, but also stretching westward to Tacoma, Washington, where Pacific Lutheran College is, and California Lutheran and Thousand Oaks, which is about an hour outside of Los Angeles, all the way down to Texas, which where Texas Lutheran is, and then all over to the south where Newberry College is in Newberry, South Carolina. And these Consortium of colleges have a breadth of heritage. Norwegian, Scandinavian, Swedish, all of the connections historically in their roots, their historical roots. But our tagline now is in this network that we're rooted and open. We are 28 colleges that are rooted in the Lutheran tradition and in the Lutheran history, but yet we have expanded our reach and making, as Martin Luther wanted, for education in the beginning to be open and accessible to all. And we're carrying forth that tradition. So our tagline is that we're rooted and open so that all may flourish.

Right.

And that's our common calling. So, Ben, I appreciate you helping me to really bring that to this audience because there's so many opportunities and we're accessible to so many that want various forms of education and particularities, and particularly to gain many kinds of experiences which are varied. You know, about the famous St Olaf choir that, you know, everyone loves and reflects. But there are many groups around our Lutheran colleges, like Capital University and Concordia, that have excellent music ministries. And, you know, at Valparaiso, one of the largest, which is one of the largest chapels on any college. I believe it is the largest chapel on any college on US Soil, the second to a college in England. So, again, NICU is vast and we're here doing our work, educating the world.

Yeah. Ben and I both had the honor of participating in the chapel choir capitol. Not at the same time, though, which was disappointing. And I. I don't know about the largest chapel. I. I'm certain that VALPO has the largest altar I have ever seen in a Woodford worship. Yeah, yeah. It was enormous.

Yeah.

So there are many distinctions in nicu.

Yeah, yeah.

So are we talking, you know, as far as these colleges go, Would you. Would you describe all of these predominantly as liberal arts colleges?

Definitely. But there's some that have concept, comprehensive approaches. Like, I would say, out west, our Pacific Lutheran College can be bit of a higher technical engineering kind of school.

Right.

Because their focus has shifted. And just think about the tech industry that's out there. So they have adapted to their culture, which. And their community, which is also very Lutheran.

Right.

How we want to kind of bring the gospel or our education or our gifts, if you will, to local communities. But also we have some institutions that are clear that they want to maintain a sense of that liberal arts education. But all of them were founded, Keith, as a part of the liberal arts tradition, which is key to our Lutheran heritage.

And just for my own curiosity, does the. Do the graduate schools that some of these colleges have, do they fall under necu's purview. As well, or are they considered separate?

They are.

Okay, so like Capital Lance University's law school, for example.

They do, and that is a lot.

Yeah. And now many of the. Not all, but many of the ELCA seminaries are affiliated with some of these colleges as well, like Capital and Trinity, where I attended. You know, Trinity is now considered a graduate school of Capital University.

It is still a seminary, right? Yeah, but it is affiliated with it. So because of history and because of how things have changed and transformed in higher education, period. Three schools out of the seven ELCA college. I'm sorry, ELCA seminaries are embedded within NICU schools or higher education schools. And one is Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, which is connected to and embedded within California Lutheran University and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary recently just moved from Columbia, South Carolina to be physically present after 10 years of being embedded within Lenore Rhine University in Hickory, North Carolina. And as you described, around the same amount of time. Trinity is strongly connected still as a seminary, not quite considered a graduate school. But the approach is what you described.

Yes, with Capital.

Yeah.

And with Capital. It's interesting because they were merged originally. They came out of the same institution in the first place. So. Yeah, so that's kind of a coming back together again.

Coming back.

They're literally across the street because many.

Times we don't often celebrate or hear that There was a history of them being connected.

Right.

And then they grew and now there's a need for many reasons for them to reconnect. And I see that as low hanging fruit and an opportunity to expand religious education in ways that it has been separate or siloed.

Well, and we heard when we were speaking with Dr. Mark Granquist about our, our Lutheran history, both in, in Europe and then in North America, that many of the institutions of higher education began in part for the need to educate pastors in the New World. Not, not all. And there were certainly other influences as well. But so it makes sense that some of these Lutheran colleges, you know, grew out of that. That initial need for. For educating clergy, but then, you know, other. Other higher education as well.

Yeah. Many of these schools obviously were founded by immigrant communities that were really just seeking to kind of preserve the language that, you know, of their heritage and their history, their faith and their culture, but while also contributing to civic life here in America as things were changing and shifting and dynamics were growing. But primarily originally, yes, for clergy to train clergy in those particular ways. Like one of the key things that we maintained. Think of Grandview University in Des Moines, Iowa. Grandview is now the only Danish American founded college that is still open in the United States of America. Yeah. So we have, we're carrying rich history of some of our ancestry.

Now, how about you mentioned as an example, kind of at the other end of this, of the time spectrum, the other end of this structure, California Lutheran, you know, starting up in the late 50s, do they, you know, and I don't mean this in a critical way, but do they have sort of that, you know, ethnic tie in a particular way that, you know, we know that, you know, some of our other schools do, or were they founded in more of a, I don't know, that melting pot of America that we also value from, you know, kind of the other way we look at our history.

Again, Kalu was created and founded as a gift. Brother Pedersen, right. One day said, we're out west and we are going to be the bastion of Lutheranism out here. And so he wanted to amplify that and then gifted the land early to the founding of California Lutheran. And it has grown exponentially in ways that he probably could have never imagined. Primarily. Now, again, so founded with the same virtues, the same core values, the same understanding of Lutheran identity, which is based on vocation for all, we realize that this education that we have, this preparation that we're going to engage and get in is not for you just to become a millionaire, Right. Or the billionaire in these times.

Right.

But so that you can serve the neighbor, so that you can help someone else.

Right.

That this is a vocational call.

Right.

And so that makes it hard for many people to understand how we still are relevant. But I'm telling you right now more than ever, schools like California Lutheran have become relevant for populations like the Hispanic population in California in that particular area, Thousand Oaks. And so much so that California Lutheran became one of our early hsis, or Hispanic serving institutions. We have several. Texas Lutheran is the same way. Pacific Lutheran serving the Asian population, strongly Augsburg College with Minnesota, the high Somali population there has become a minority serving institution. And Muhlenberg College in Allen, Allentown, right, founded again under the Lutheran tradition, is predominantly Jewish or high Jewish content in that particular area. So growing and serving the need. And so much so I always have to lift it up as a graduate of an HBCU, and so I don't have any HBCUs within the network. But Newbery College has also expanded its reach from its history to about 35% descent African descent student population. So I called Newberry College my HBCU of nicu. So again, you see the vast ways that we have grown and committed ourselves to educating everyone, but particularly being the gospel, being the mission right there in the areas in which we were birthed and growing where we're planted.

Yeah, yeah. Being here in Pennsylvania, the same state as Muhlenberg, I have Jewish friends that live right around the corner from my house. Their daughter graduated from Muhlenberg just a few years ago.

Yeah.

And really spoke highly of. Of her experience there. Really feeling. I mean, and she was able to describe a university setting that was very proud of its Lutheran roots, but also very open and welcoming to people coming out of different religious traditions. And so to see that. That marriage happening is really, you know, I think a. I think a wonderful thing. And I would attest, you know, as you said, you know, my experience at Capital was that. And, you know, this is going back 30 years now, but it was very much a part of not. Not indoctrinating us to be Lutherans, but. But preparing us, as you said, to be of service to neighbor. Yeah, that was that. That was baked into everything that we did in that institution, and I really appreciated that.

We can't do. Because we can't do it in isolation.

Right.

If we're true about serving our neighbor.

Right.

That means that that goes beyond just your own sect and. Or tribe and. Or family.

Right.

The neighbor could be anybody, especially here in. In America.

Right.

So they. These schools have been clear about that. And that's one thing that's beautiful, particularly about the Evangelical Lutheran Church and our commitment to religious pluralism.

Right now.

We get often. We get tapped in on, you know, people don't often like it, and there's some other traditions within the Lutheran diaspora that diverge, you know, from us and create a differentiation. But our commitment is that we believe that we can stand, as you described.

Right.

The Red Doors are still there at. And their meaning is understood by many of the students there. At Muhlenberg College, they just had a whole whole series.

Right.

Called the Red Door Series, helping students to understand this beautiful heritage that helped found this school and that they get to participate, that there was a people that built these places so that everyone can flourish, not just our own clique or our own tribe. So I think that's the beauty of being a part of a Lutheran tradition like ours in the elca.

Yeah, absolutely.

So. So that's sort of a. You have to dig a little deep to know that that's Lutheran. Right, Right.

How.

How do. How do these schools express their Lutheran identity aside from that?

So I think what. One of the things. And that's A big piece of my work as the. As the director, kind of helping, keeping that lifted. You know, again, this year, I've had 11 new presidents that have come, so that's almost one third of the population of leadership that are leading our schools. And so I fastidiously make myself available to kind of convene them and to connect them and to educate these presidents who may not be Lutheran, because many of the designations for our college presidents, it used to be that you had to be a Lutheran.

Right.

And now many of them, and very few of them still still have that requirement, but the requirement that they're expanding to is that the institutional leadership has to uphold the Lutheran core values. So, Ben, what are those things?

Right.

Maintaining a sense of. A strong sense of connection to academic freedom, which is what we need now more than ever.

Right.

Not just about tenure, but just the academic freedom and open and critical inquiry. All those things. Faith. We were created for it to be kind of a bastion of faith and reason.

Right.

And not seeing it and seeing it as connecting and creating a synergy rather than being something that is divisive.

Right.

And then preparing our graduates for service and vocation. Vocation. Vocation. That is something that is very key. So holding for the Lutheran core values. And, Ben, what I've experienced is this. I have some presidents who are not Lutheran, don't know much about Lutheran, but have upheld these core values. And they are more interested, hear me, they are more interested in espousing and connecting and leading institutions that put these values forward and impart them into the students than I have seen in some other historical leadership that were Lutherans and. Or Lutheran pastors did. And many of them have dropped the ball. And I've seen many of these people, particularly women, who are now leading our institutions and carrying it further and deeper than I've ever seen into the Lutheran core values. And I'm proud of that. I'm actually hippopotamus happy and peacock proud of that.

Well, I wonder if, you know, as in just Lutheran congregations, for example, if it's easy to take for granted that we know who we are and we know what we stand for and that that's going to just continue down throughout the generations like it's absorbed in the water.

Yeah.

And now we're in an environment where that is just no longer the case, and we're starting to figure that out. And that it takes great intentionality and deliberation on part of leaders.

Yes.

Whether you're congregational pastors or college professors or presidents or. Or the director of A parachurch organization to make sure that that identity is maintained. Not because we're trying to say that as Lutherans we're. We're better than anybody else. Oh, simply that we have, we have something to bring to the table that is to the benefit of all, to us and to. And to our non Lutheran neighbors.

And people see that. Like I, again, I host a student summit every year. I envision, when I first took this role about three years ago, to pull, like, I want to coordinate every, every affinity group that I could, obviously the presidents on my board. I want to convene the provost once a year, actually a couple of times a year at their conference, the enrollment managers, and then I convene the chaplain. So the different affinity groups. To your point, I see a need to be. Be able to be clear, particularly with our missional people, because many of the mission officers or the church relation groups or leaders are no longer employed in that way. So to convene these groups and to impart this understanding. I have seen even particularly students, students in my student summit, as I was trying to refer to, who are Muslim and can espouse the Lutheran identity and the Lutheran core values better than those of us who might have been born in Wittenberg, Germany. Like, I mean, I've seen, I've seen it. I have seen it because again, they see it as an openness and an ability to connect and not just tolerate others, but to see kind of a sense of, as we described earlier, a religious pluralism instead of just a religious tolerance that we're offering the world.

Yeah.

How can we be connected? Stronger together, better together are kind of the, the themes that rise up in Lutheran higher education and should rise up in all of Lutheranism everywhere.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

Speaking of connections, so, you know, we've, we've talked a bit about some of these different, different colleges and universities and sense of identity there. But tell us, if you would, a little bit about the network of colleges and universities, what it is, why it exists and what it does.

One of the key messages that we want to do is realizing that, and particularly in times like these, that there is a need for us because of our size. We often cannot compete with the recruitment of other institutions. We, we don't have some of the brand identity that some of the Ivies may have or some of the state schools. I think of your institution, like capital, a strong school there in Bexley, but it sits sometimes considered in the shadows of the Ohio State.

Right.

And. But yet serving great purpose. Look at you. All right. Like here and Producing great fruit that is needed. And as Jesus would say, fruit that, as the Scripture teaches us, fruit that remains. So how are we doing that? So our schools in the network particularly, is designed to assist them in areas that they may find themselves a little deficient. The elca, as you know, according to the Pew foundation some years ago, has been listed as the most least diverse church or Protestant denomination.

Right.

I don't like that term, whitest church in America, but maybe the most least diverse church or Protestant denomination. And that spills over to many of our parachurch organizations and institutions, and it did in our colleges and universities.

Right.

But look at what can happen in Newberry, South Carolina, as a beacon light and an example of understanding the high concentration of black populations there in South Carolina. And look at their ability to pull and to navigate and to. To encourage the young people there that made them connected to this institution. And when I tell you those students love Newberry College, love the heritage, love the professors. Like, I looked at the old dorms, and many of them are still struggling, you know, with their old landscapes and old building footprints.

Right.

But. And I looked at some of those dorms, I was like, I wouldn't want to stay in some of the dorms.

Right.

But the students love what they are getting there. The family, the community. And you can't get that everywhere because NICU is a culture. Nicu. And not a culture that we are some type of, you know, fanatic group, but a culture that is open to making sure that we are helping as many people as possible and providing those ways. We get a lot of government assistance. Every college does.

Right.

But there are also people who are still funding and supporting these private institutions that want to root themselves in diversity and inclusive efforts of recruitment and in curriculum, teaching, and educating them in those ways. So through the liberal arts tradition. So my answer for you is yes, there have been some disconnects in history, but the opportunities that our colleges are leading and showing us is that if you are committed to those core values. I say it like this. When I used to pastor my congregation and it was offering time, I would say that wherever there is vision, God makes provision. And that's exactly what is happening. Providing Jehovah Jireh.

Right.

The God who provides is manifesting God's self within our institutions.

So in light of that great segue there, we're finding smaller universities and colleges across the country, no matter what their affiliation is, if they have any affiliation with anything, are struggling.

Yes.

It's been described to me that. That students are stepping down so people who would have maybe paid to go to the Ivies are now stepping down to say, the Kenyans, Oberlins and such that are the Midwestern elite colleges. And then those people are moving down and down and down because of the cost of education and other maybe related issues with that. How is that affecting our colleges? I know that Suomi College or Suomi Finlandia, speaking of ethnic institutions, you know, their closure affected a lot of people, especially here in Michigan. But we even had people at Capitol that came from, at the time, Suomi and moved to capital for a variety of reasons. But so how is that happening? How are we dealing with that?

So, Ben, you brought up a sore spot for me because my first 100 days when I took this role three years ago, I got a phone call within 30 days that I had to go to Hancock, Michigan and talk to the leadership there at Finlandia University and subsequently by May of that year, close that school at the completion of their graduation. And that was disheartening for me, particularly because when I went to Hancock and looked at the area, right. And the times that we were in at that time, and I saw the need. I saw the need and what. What Finlandia stood for as a bastion of hope in that particular area in the Upper Peninsula, in those areas of Michigan. And we still need it there, right? And although it closed because of financial troubles and things like that, which May. Many institutions are dealing with and struggling with, I saw, and I wish I had, it was more than I had more than 30 days to try to help them, and I didn't. But it had been a problem that had been going on for many, many years of decline in resources, which many of our schools have done. I wish the church could have stepped up in a way to kind of upgird that, because when I think of the population and what is needed, a liberal arts education is needed, needed there in that community and area more than I would even say in Allentown, Pennsylvania and in other areas, right? And I'm not trying to overgeneralize or kind of make them, but I. I am trying to say that there is a purpose for a school like Finlandia that is now defunct, that we could have still been manifesting and more fruit that was available for us to prime and to plant and to nurture. But that didn't happen because of what's happening in the reality around higher education, right? There's enrollment decline like most schools, right. Our schools face the same demographic cliffs right now many times this year, 2025 is the biggest class for many of our institutions because we've done hard work at trying to recruit. But next year starts the decline according to the birth rates that will produce the demographic cliff that is going to make competition harder and stronger. That's why we need a stronger distinction for the value of what Lutheran higher education can do.

Right.

So some of our schools are trying to respond to that by creating more online programs and hybrid programs and adult education programs. We know that in our church tradition, many of our pastors are having to become bivocational. So why don't we lift up not just a seminary degree.

Right.

But also other degrees that can help people remain employed and care for their families in way.

Right.

So I think we should be lifting up bivocational nature, but also getting the funding that is necessary and needed. Many of our institutions have grown to support their communities. As I said like that are MSIs minority serving institutions, Hispanic serving institutions. But we see in our news today, right. Literally even those kinds of programmatic things are being attacked. Many of our schools are first generation education students. Many of them have some social media determinants that prevent them from being able to afford and pay for college. And we've been in our network, been trying to emphasize and provide generous financial aid and scholarships that are open, particularly even for ELCA members who are eligible for these matching grants and scholarships. But it's tough because of the noise that is the cacophony that is in the world around us and that we're trying to respond to and continue to be that beacon light. So again, we've got to reinvent ourselves or we've got to at least innovate ourselves. Not necessarily reinvent, but we've got to innovate ourselves to focus on things that are stronger and better and make us more palatable and more accessible for everybody in spite of the challenges. Yeah.

So. So how do we, you know, ELCA members, how do we help that?

Yeah.

How's the best way for our congregations to mobilize and do something about this?

One way is to lift the brand itself.

Right.

I am so discouraged that many times, as many graduates as we have of Lutheran higher education institutions that are pastors within our congregation even still today.

Right.

Like it's not a thing of the past.

Right.

I'm experiencing that there is a, an ignorance, a lack of knowledge, of knowing that we even have these 26, 28 colleges and universities available for them. I've heard and talked to pastors who pastored down the street, if you will, in some ways from some of our institutions and didn't realize that those institutions were connected to our tradition. So the biggest thing I would say is being able to lift up and uphold and see the beauty that is there in our colleges and universities. Some of the most beautiful college campuses we have. St. Olaf was just an Architectural Digest.

Right.

As one of the most beautiful college campuses that there is.

Right.

A great area there in Northfield, Minnesota.

Right.

The strong Muslim population that is There is in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

Right.

Has amplified the enrollment there at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. And it's almost like everyone else is receiving the benefits and the fruits of the thing that is open and accessible for us as well.

Right.

So, again, I think, Ben, it is about amplifying the brand. One of the ways that I've been trying to do it is.

Right.

Sometimes you have to. I can't use that term. I was going to say something my grandmother would often tell me about how to get around things. But is through. But there have to be multiple in routes, right. To entryways and pathways to make the connection. One thing for me is through athletics. We're out here, and I'm from Philadelphia, so I'll always be an Eagles fan. I don't know who's listening if they have some problems.

Right.

So I'm always. But again, that's me always. And I've lived in Atlanta, Georgia, never was a Falcons fan. I've lived in New York, never was a Giants fan. I remain committed to being an Eagles fan. And I say the same thing for our athleticism within NICU schools. We're out here wearing the Ohio State shirts and things like that. Why don't we promote Augustana University there In Sioux Falls, South South Dakota? August Stanley University has a Division 1 hockey team. Their stadium is amazing. Why don't we lift that up, right. And support and rally, if you will, behind our institutions. This past year, many of our schools are Division 3. Lenore Ryan and St. Olaf and California Lutheran were the number one champions or the championship champions in hockey, in soccer.

Right.

So the girls team and the boys team. So we have so much to celebrate. And it's like we are like the Beatitudes where Jesus was like, we hiding our light under a bushel. That's exactly what's happening. And so one of my biggest ways, besides saying that we need funders and we need donors and things like that, but we need to stop allowing our light to be hid. Because as Jesus, as Paul says, if this gospel be hid, it's hid to those that are lost. And I'm not talking about Preaching.

Right.

But I'm talking about our being these things, our Lutheran core values and our heritage for the community and the world around us. So those are just a few ways that I see that many of us could partake and engage. Go to a game, go to a college game there in Morehead, Minnesota. Go to a college game in Newberry, South Carolina or Roanoke, Virginia.

Right.

Look at the poll, look at the research that is being done for even our political science things that are coming out of Roanoke College there biggest, you know, instead of the Gallup poll, quote the Roanoke poll that about the things that are going on again, lifting up our brand to me is going to be key and important.

That's amazing. And I'm assuming that we've got social media brand. Do we have something that consolidates all that together? I'll get links from you and.

We'Ll.

Put them up necue Elca on Instagram and we are redoing our website because we're so excited. With the passion that I'm bringing into this moment, we're so, so excited about our new website. And I'll send you that information that you could also share with your, your network. Right now we are, we are changing our website from imaginecolleges.org, which didn't present anything about our Lutheran identity.

Right.

You wouldn't know that it's a Lutheran school. And we're changing our website to necue elca.org right. So we're changing our brand as we speak. Literally. I got off a call earlier about completing that. So by the time this is aired we should have the new website up.

Awesome.

Great.

I look forward to having a Lutheran colleges and universities hockey jersey of some sort. Right?

Yes.

Yeah, yeah.

And show up and speak up, you know, and share what, what, what is happening. Many forums, I talked about the Red Door forums at Muhlenberg College, lifting up the heritage of William Passevant and other leaders there in Pennsylvania who are the heritage of Lutheranism. And they are, they're having great forums there, the ethical forum at Susquehanna University there in Sellings Grove, Pennsylvania that those are key things that all of our members should be engaging in and seeing the true value of the great things that are happening within our Lutheran higher ed arena.

I am blown away. Lamont Anthony, this has been just fabulous. The energy, I mean our university students, faculty are all mind blowingly talented. I think that's just, that goes without saying and I think it's, it's wonderful they have such a passionate advocate in you and I really appreciate you Sharing that with us.

Nobody's going to be a bigger cheerleader.

For higher education than me.

Again, I think this is the greatest role and I see it is needed the most. I didn't take another position. I had an opportunity to run for one of our high offices within our church and I decided to pull my name out of the that election process because I was clear that this part of my life is my vocation. Vocation is my vocation. And helping our students to, to amplify their lives and to be successful and to serve the neighbor and so that they can flourish as well. That's what I see.

Wow.

Well, thank you for that. Thank you for being here with us today and thank you certainly for the excellent work that you're doing on behalf.

Of the colleges and universities.

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Well, thanks again to Lamont Anthony Wells for his, for his passion and his advocacy for our ELCA colleges and universities. I really think that they are certainly, I don't know, an under appreciated, underrepresented resource for us as church. And I think that his discussion speaks to that a little bit, but also speaks to how we can, you know, turn that around a little bit. So thank you for that. And now for our wrap up portion, we do have a submission for our better Noah congregation.

Yes, this one is so Unity Lutheran Church in Southgate, Michigan. I live pretty close to there. It is in the Southeast Michigan Synod. It has Pastor Carm Yarrow is the pastor. The website is unitysouthgate.com of course we'll have links in the episode notes there. It has 103 baptized members. Average attendance is 39. The programs they are proud of. There's an ELL program that just started back up after a year's hiatus. That is English Language Learners. It used to be esl but I don't know if it's a move from ESL to ELL or what. We'll talk a little bit about the reason for maybe changing stuff to be less identifiable. There is a new cross being dedicated on October 12th. This episode is set to launch on October 11th. So if you're anywhere near, come on by and see this 19 foot cross being installed in the front of this church. Pretty cool. Unity also has a blessing box which is like a little library but for a food pantry. And so instead of having food pantry times and things, the congregation and members of the community stock a box that's out on the curb and people stop by to get things out of it. So that continues all year through all weather.

Types.

And there's a. Actually, in metro Detroit, there's a network of those, lots of congregations and different organizations that have those out. And it is providing a nice service where people don't have to be on a particular schedule and they don't have to have to be recognized as being needy in order to make use of it. Unity has worship times at 10am on Sundays. That's a hybrid service, so it's somewhat traditional service with some contemporary music. And it has a Wednesday study service that also has communion. So it's a church service that in the middle of it has sort of a book study, which is an interesting form. A favorite hymn or song. 10,000 reasons is probably the favorite. It certainly is the pastor's favorite. Our question, if your congregation had a mascot, what would it be? Well, it would be a sloth, and that's because Pastor Carm is infatuated with sloths. So our congregation member says, what does everyone need to know about our congregation?

About.

Not our congregation. Your congregation. Well, Unity is a merged congregation on the border of three different. Three different communities that are changing demographically. The building was being built when seminex happened, and because it was a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation that chose to be aelc, its drop in attendance and resources made it not so. It didn't get completed. So there's a vacant area of the property where the congregation's sanctuary was supposed to be built, which makes it kind of an interesting church, but it has an interesting history that way as being a merged congregation that is affected dramatically by a schism that we talked about in the prior episode to this one. The person that completed this form, their name is Benito Fugetaboutit. So I don't know who that is, but thank you, Benito. Forget about it. Happy to talk about Unity Lutheran Church there in Southgate, Michigan. So what do you think of that? Does that seem like a place you'd want to go?

Absolutely. Absolutely. I think I've been to a church very similar to that close by. There could be.

Could be. Oh, they also have a. They also have a rummage sale happening that same weekend as the Cross dedication. So. So if you're hearing this as it's released on. On August or October. October 11, 2025, head down to Unity Southgate and get some. Get some rummage and baked goods.

All right.

Yes, it is my congregation. Happy to share it.

Absolutely. As well you should be. Main Street Lutherans is hosted by Keith Fair and Ben Fot, and the show is produced by Forget About It Media Productions. Find all our contact information, links and a transcript in the episode notes. Until next time, go in peace, Serve the Lord.

Thanks be to God.