Beautiful Feet Mission Conference

Reverend Quinton Anderson

Quinton Anderson graduated from Concordia University Irvine in 2000. His time as an undergraduate was shaped not only in the Pre-seminary program but participation as a Cross Country student athlete and two years as student body President. After teaching middle school for two years at Christ Lutheran, Costa Mesa he continued his education at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, graduating in 2006 and receiving his first pastoral call to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lakewood Colorado. He came back to Concordia University to serve as campus pastor in 2009. In 2013 he moved on campus with his wife Summer (Concordia alum 2001) and kids (Kaden, Jonah, Hope) to help launch the new Living Learning Communities. In addition to serving as the campus pastor, Quinton also directs the Pre-Seminary and Pre-Deaconess programs. He is currently working towards completion of a Doctorate of Ministry from Talbot in Discipleship for the 21st Century.

Michael Thomas, Ph.D.

President, Concordia University Irvine

Dr. Michael A. Thomas, the President of Concordia University Irvine, has served at CUI since 2020. Dr. Thomas brings a passion for higher education to his tenure. His deep commitment to the Lutheran intellectual tradition, along with his extensive experience across multiple disciplines, including curriculum, faculty and staff development, governance, enrollment, and student life, have prepared him to lead Concordia into a new era.

Prior to coming to Concordia University Irvine, Dr. Thomas served as the Executive Director of the Lutheran Institute for Theology and Culture at Concordia University Portland (CUP). The Institute combined three academic departments (Religion, Music, and Art) with Campus Ministry, Church Relations, and the Center for Applied Lutheran Leadership. Previously, Dr. Thomas served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Honors Program at CUP. As Professor of Religion and Ancient History, his academic interests include the history and literature of early Christianity, early Judaism, and the classical worlds of Greece, Rome, and the Ancient Near East. Dr. Thomas frequently leads tours of Italy, Greece, and Turkey with travelers in the summer.

Michael A. Thomas earned his B.A. at Concordia University Portland in 1993, his M.A. at the University of Washington in 1996, and his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia in 2008. View Curriculum Vitae.

Dr. Thomas and his wife Kim have 2 children. A son who finished his degree and is starting a career in Japan this summer. Along with a daughter who just completed high school in Oregon and is now adjusting to Southern California life style.

Reverend Doctor Michael Gibson

Prior to his election as President of the Pacific Southwest District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in June 2018, Mike served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church and School from August 2006 to August, 2018, leading the congregation’s vision of supporting, equipping, and launching people into mission - locally and globally. He is a 1984 Master of Divinity graduate from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO and was awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1996 from Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, CA, in organizational pathology and leadership. He also served as pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, CA (1984-1987) and Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Milpitas, CA (1987-2006).

Pastor Mike is engaged globally in China, Southeast Asia, and India. His missional passion includes helping the Body of Christ understand the shift of Christianity to the Global South and the beneficial influence that the Global South can bring to the church in the post-Christian Global North. His Personal Purpose Statement reflects this focus: “My purpose is to awaken within the Body of Christ a local and global perspective on the Mission of God and to influence organizational systems so as to free and empower them for mission fulfillment.”

Mike was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. He and Kathy were married in 1979. Kathy works at Concordia University Irvine as Assistant Director of Advancement Services. The Gibson’s have two adult sons, Andrew and Tim.

Jean-Enock Berus

Jean-Enock Berus has been a Concordia University Irvine student since 2015 and is from Haiti. He graduated in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Theology. That same year, he entered the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center (CMC) to become a pastor. Currently Enock is a vicar at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Los Angeles under the Rev. Dr. S T Williams, Jr. Enock is in his last year of the CMC program and looking forward to graduation in May 2023 and becoming a pastor.

Dr. John Norton

John Norton is a Professor of English and director of Concordia's Around-the-World Semester program (ATW). A global service-learning program, the ATW adventure has taken John, his family, and over 100 university students to 47 different countries in the last twelve years. The ATW program not only involves intense cultural, linguistic, and literary study, but its missional nature connects the team with churches, community leaders, and missionaries all around the world. John's most recent publication, Around the World Family: Stories of Adventure and Grace, is a compilation of short stories drawn from his experiences abroad. John and his wife Erica have been married for 24 years. They have three children, Jack (21), Naomi (18), and Sheffield (10).

Dr. Glenn Fluegge

My wife and I (along with our five kids) served as LCMS missionaries in Togo (1998-2009) and in South Africa (2009-2012). We then returned to the States where I currently serve as Director of the Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC) at Concordia University Irvine and teach courses on theology, missions, and culture.

Dr. Steve Mueller

Dr. Steve Mueller is Vice President, Chief Mission Officer, and Professor of Theology at Concordia University Irvine. He also serves as assistant pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine.