Director of Christian Education (DCE) Program

I first heard about Concordia at my home church, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in San Francisco. My DCE is an alumnus, and the Christ-like love I received from him inspired me to go into full-time ministry. I also learned from church volunteers who attended Concordia before me and shared about their studies and future vocations. I began volunteering at my church in high school where I participated in worship, learned to be comfortable in front of a crowd, led summer camps, and served in a church community

Cindy Steinbeck, MA ’02 and Steve Schedler ’84 both walked through seasons of great personal hardship. Now, as spouses and partners in the Voice in the Vineyard Ministry, they are supporting ministers with teaching, renewal retreats, and the healing power of relationship. 

Beth Agner ‘05 came to Concordia University Irvine with a love of numbers and accounting and has used that gift to start two financially profitable ministries within the church. But when her younger sister was murdered, it challenged her ability to forgive.

When I came to Concordia University Irvine I wasn’t sure of my path. I wanted to be a church worker but was navigating what that looked like and how my gifts and talents would be best used. My fellow students really helped me find my purpose and kept me accountable to rely on God for everything, small and big. On group projects and mission trips we bonded outside of class hours and really became a family. Those people became my forever friends and colleagues in ministry.

Tom and Debi Going ’90 have spent 18 years in Japan teaching English in local schools. Today, Tom teaches at Urawa Lutheran School, which was founded by Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) missionaries in the 1950s.

I first heard of Concordia University Irvine through the Director of Christian Education at my home church in North Carolina. I admired her love for Jesus and her passion for teaching people about Him. Because I really wanted to follow in her footsteps, I decided to check out Concordia, too.

As a high-school student, Madison's DCE made an impression on her life and inspired her to pursue a calling in ministry. Her time at Concordia has been shaped by the connections she's made with faculty, staff, and fellow students, most notably through the Around-the-World Semester®.

Adam Dougherty ‘19 felt an internal call to the Theological Studies: Christian Education Leadership and Director of Christian Education (DCE) program at  Concordia University Irvine, trusting in the academic rigor and the theological depth of the program to prepare him to be a well-educated student and minister in the LCMS.

I do a lot of work with Rio Grande Valley Mission Action Council (RioMAC), a collaboration of twelve Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod churches in the Rio Grande Valley which focuses on unity within our circuit, within our individual congregations and within our communities. We also engage in outreach, specifically to those who do not know how incredibly loved they are by Jesus. Our outreach efforts have placed us in some very unlikely places and situations, which make for interesting ministry stories