Meet Luke Bentz (’24), who will serve as the December Student Commencement Speaker. His deep desire to be in meaningful relationships with others will be a defining trait of his eventual pastoral ministry.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories highlighting Concordia’s “uncommon graduates”. View more stories at blog.cuaa.edu/live-uncommon.
Why would a person who hates long-distance running commit hours upon hours to it, even electing to endure training and competition at the collegiate level?
For Luke Bentz, quite simply, it was all about the relationships he was able to keep while pounding the pavement.
“Cross country is a grind,” notes Luke, who was a four-year member of Concordia University Ann Arbor’s cross country and track teams. “It wasn’t about showing up to run that kept me excited. It was about the teammates I became super close with. They are the people I can always fall back on.”
A comfort amid change
These teammates, and many other individuals in the CUAA community, were the ones who coaxed him out of his comfort zone in his early days as a college student. A self-described homebody, Luke admits he made frequent trips to his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, throughout his first semester at CUAA.
“Moving to college was a difficult time for me. I was feeling the anxiety of being away from home for sure.”
Luke certainly isn’t the first person to retreat to the familiar in times of transition or uncertainty. Sometimes people need a little extra encouragement to rise to their God-given potential. In many ways, this is CUAA’s specialty – scooping up the reticent and infusing them with the confidence of knowing they were created in God’s image and that they have something worthwhile to offer the world.
On Sunday, Dec. 15, Luke will cross CUAA’s commencement stage poised to continue his training for a vocation that, had his Concordia professors not emboldened him to pursue, he might not have considered. Following commencement, Luke will continue on to seminary to become a pastor within The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. He was selected to be the December Commencement Student Speaker and he was among this year’s Academic Excellence Award recipients. He graduates Summa Cum Laude with his bachelor’s degree in social studies and a minor in theological languages.
Called and encouraged to become a pastor
Before he began to consider which university he would attend, Luke felt the Lord’s calling to pursue church work. CUAA, with its proximity to home, won out among the Concordias he visited. Initially, he thought he would become a Lutheran school teacher like his older sister, Abbey, who also attended CUAA. However, various people on the Ann Arbor campus independently began to suggest he would make a great pastor. Daunted by the thought of the task, Luke sought out then-Pre-seminary Director Rev. Ted Hopkins, PhD.
“Dr. Hopkins was the one who assured me that I’d gain a lot of confidence during seminary that would help me be able to do the pastoral role,” Luke says. “I felt intimidated at the idea of becoming a pastor at first, but I’d always felt the call to church work, and there’s a need for pastors. Ultimately, if I feel I can do it, then I should do it, and I believe God will equip me to do it.”
Hopkins wasn’t the only one to step in and offer encouragement. During his junior year, Luke participated in a study abroad experience in Greece led by Rev. Dan Flynn, an adjunct instructor at CUAA who recently retired from his vocation as an LCMS pastor. Flynn took an interest in Luke and began inviting him to lunches in the cafeteria, which served as a sort of mentoring moment between the two every Tuesday.
“Luke is a thoughtful and faithful man who seeks to be deeply rooted in his relationship with Christ Jesus,” Flynn says. “Through the abundance of conversations, I have seen the authentic heart of a young man who is willing to be reflective of who he wishes to be as a man. His relationships with the people around him have consistently demonstrated an openness to create and sustain community. Besides his misguided commitment to the University of Indiana football, he is a man of integrity who I will miss seeing around campus and our weekly conversations.”
I felt intimidated at the idea of becoming a pastor at first, but I’d always felt the call to church work, and there’s a need for pastors. Ultimately, if I feel I can do it, then I should do it, and I believe God will equip me to do it.
Luke Bentz (’24)
And in return…
These are the types of relationships Luke hoped for when he was deciding on a college.
“Even on my admissions visit to Concordia, professors were so willing to talk to me and answer questions,” Luke recalls. “I knew that when I came here, I was going to be able to have those one-on-one conversations. When I talked to students here, the community seemed like my vibe.”
As Luke grew in self-assurance throughout his time at CUAA, he took on leadership roles, including serving as a resident assistant. This position helped to increase his community of support by introducing him to fellow RAs with whom he could learn and grow.
Luke is acutely aware how each of the relationships he formed at Concordia played a role in helping him to develop into the person he is today. And he’s eager to find ways to do the same for others in the future.
“It’s the relational aspect of the pastoral ministry that excites me the most,” Luke says. “You have to find ways to be proactive in forming those relationships so that when people are going through tough situations, they know they can go to you. That’s the biggest thing that I want to strive to do as a pastor.”
Want in?
CUAA will continue to offer a variety of degrees in 2025-26 and beyond. Pursue a degree in healthcare at our North Building with its newly remodeled features and state-of-the-art simulation equipment. Or earn your master’s degree in education through one of our well-established online programs. In the near future, Concordia will look to reintroduce church work training opportunities in Ann Arbor by building a new vision and model for the undergraduate degree programs here.