Student Reflection: Ben McCrimmon

It is always intimidating to begin a new school year at a brand new place. You don’t know the staff, the students or exactly what the academics will look like. You don’t know the community expectations or the general tenor of campus. And you don’t know what campus will bring out in you, for good or for ill.

I am excited to report that, despite these initial anxieties, I feel at home with the North American Lutheran Seminary.

When I was looking for a place to call home for this last year of my academic studies, NALS was on the top of my list. My mentor and friend had highly recommended the program to me for its openness to theological reflection and its mission-focused direction. And so far, the reality has lived up to the expectation. From my first two weeks on campus, I am happier and more thrilled about seminary than I’ve ever been before. I’m excited to be a part of a school that not only desires to form me, but also wants to engage with me in the theological task. I’m excited to be a part of a place that not only teaches well, but also is committed to excellent practice. And I’m excited to learn from a faculty that is committed to the Lutheran Confessions in their distinctiveness and dynamism, and are therefore just as committed to loving God’s people for the sake of the world. All of these things go together at the North American Lutheran Seminary. I am humble and grateful to be able to call the NALS my home for the completion of my Master of Divinity degree. And above all, I’m looking forward to the opportunities for service my time at seminary will open up in the North American Lutheran Church congregations.  

— Ben McCrimmon