School’s Out for Summer 

Synopsis
Lutheran high schools across the country are adding new students, expanding facilities and experiencing a season of growth. In every season, Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) supports our Lutheran schools. Through our collaboration with the Association of Lutheran Secondary Schools (ALSS), we’ve merged some of the most gifted high school leaders with some of the best LCEF processes. Together we bring tremendous benefits to all our Lutheran high schools. 

Article
There are two times the Apostle Peter encourages us to share our faith: in season and out of season. The regular rhythms of the year bring us to summer, and, for our Lutheran high schools, the summer season is a time for everyone involved to regroup, welcome new staff, finalize plans for the coming school year and catch their breath a bit. Understanding the inner workings of Lutheran high schools is important to LCEF because we want to be as helpful as possible to our schools.  

For this reason, in 2024 we entered a collaboration with ALSS to train exemplary Lutheran high school leaders as consultants for Lutheran high schools. Today, I’m highlighting the benefit of mutual understanding in a lending relationship.  

Every year, conversations come up with school leaders expressing disappointment with a consultant they hired. These conversations are usually connected to a leader’s reluctance to bring in an “outsider” while discussing an opportunity for LCEF to help. While I understand the hesitation, it’s important to consider that LCEF is not just another outsider. We are committed to being “ministry first” in our orientation. From our fee structure to our unique processes to choosing our consultants, we are mindful of the unique nature of Lutheran high schools.  

This desire to be as helpful to schools as possible was a primary driver in pursuing an agreement with ALSS. By inviting some of the top Lutheran high school leaders in the country to serve as consultants, we offer schools far more than they can find anywhere else. Not only can we provide guidance for a capital campaign, but our consultant can also encourage the head of school, offering counsel and advice from a place of deep knowledge and personal experience.  

Our commitment to help schools be better means we build out resources uniquely fitted to Lutheran institutions. No matter in what season your school finds itself, we’ve been there, and we can help you navigate to successful outcomes. 

School may be out for summer, but LCEF and ALSS never rest in our commitment to help you succeed. Learn more about the processes and people available to you and your school. Contact ministry_solutions@lcef.org and let’s talk about the bright future of your school. 

A message from the author, Tim Kurth, Vice President, Ministry Solutions:
It has been the privilege of a lifetime to close out the last eight-plus years of my career as part of the LCEF Ministry Solutions team. Traveling the country helping RSO’s and agencies strengthen their ministries has been a blessing beyond my wildest dreams.