Local pastor building at church, online seminary

It was only natural for the Rev. Jon Jensen to be involved with the founding of an online seminary.

After all, he spent some 30 years in the corporate world developing online training systems, and he owned his own company.

“I have been involved with online education for quite a while,” said Jensen, who spent much of his career in Europe.

Since last May, the 62-year-old has served in Cataula, Ga., as pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church, but he remains on the board and is acting president of Saint Paul Lutheran Seminary, with headquarters in Missouri and Minnesota.

“About a fourth of my time is spent with the seminary. My primary job is building Reformation Lutheran,” said Jensen, who came here from a role as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Oregon.

Reformation Lutheran consists of about 30 members and is currently located in a former seafood restaurant in a small shopping center on Veterans Parkway. The church was formed in 2010 by congregants who broke away from St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Columbus.

Jensen, a married father of five grown children, came here after hearing about the opening from a friend.

Church members were informed Jensen had experience building churches.

He said much of the church membership is older but “our older folks don’t act old.”

He and the members are working to create growth.

“Growth comes through the Holy Spirit,” he said. “We believe if we are a community of faith, if we serve our neighbors, growth will happen. We must behave as God’s people. We must go and serve our neighbors. If we are just pew sitters, it is unlikely there will be growth.”

He said all churches need to work hard to grow their numbers, as statistics show fewer people in this country are attending church.

“Empty churches are a reflection of the country’s values,” Jensen said. “Things must change. We must know our purpose is to serve the Lord.”

The pastor said it is exciting to be part of a church community at Reformation Lutheran that embodies a great spirit of fellowship, faith and service to others. He hopes Lutherans and others will come to see what is being offered by Reformation Lutheran.

Saint Paul Lutheran Seminary began in summer 2011. Around that time, Jensen had been working as a consultant for another seminary and believed its “theology to be lacking.”

Saint Paul offers master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees.

Seminary literature says its program is built on a firm foundation of biblical and theological studies while also training students in the practice of parish ministry and mission development.

“My work with the seminary is administrative,” Jensen said.

He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, with degrees in management and leadership. Jensen said that while working in secular jobs, he stayed involved with the church and always felt a calling to be a pastor.

“The ministry was on my mind,” Jensen said.

Jensen likes the idea of an online seminary.

“There is no distance problem. We are getting education into the hands of the computer user,” he said. “As a Lutheran seminary, we are providing an excellent place for people to be able to adhere to the Lutheran Confessions.”

The seminary does provide some residential education at churches.

Jensen said the online seminary can operate at a lower cost than one of traditional mortar and bricks, and those savings are passed on to students.

“We invest in education, not boilers,” he said.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Local pastor building at church, online seminary."