Pastor Erin Heidelberger

Despite one of her professors asking about it, there was no way Erin (Weber) Heidelberger ’96 was going to seminary after graduating from State. After working two stints at the Office of Admissions, a friend told Heidelberger the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, had started a distributed learning program, which allowed her to do most of her coursework online. That information got Heidelberger thinking.

“I decided it’s a pretty good program and this was a good indicator it was time to get serious about going to the seminary and getting ordained,” said Heidelberger, who earned a master’s degree in divinity at Luther after earning bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and political science at State. “It also meant we could stay in Madison, which was important at the time because my husband (Cory ’94) could stay and finish grad school at Dakota State.

“While I was involved in student ministry at State and knew that some sort of ministry might be in my future, I didn’t know what that was going to look like,” she continued, noting David Nelson was the one who asked about her going to study at seminary.

Heidelberger is one of two pastors at Zion Lutheran Church in Aberdeen. She went there after a one-year internship in Spokane, Washington.

“Most interns are typically placed in the same church with their supervising pastor but I was solo at a tiny church, which couldn’t afford a full-time pastor so it hired interns,” she said. “Before being ordained, I had the experience of being the only clergy member with a congregation. You just dive in and start doing it all at that point.

“I got to do it all, including having a funeral within a few weeks of starting the internship,” Heidelberger continued. “We have lots and lots of classes—some are better than others for preparing us—but those three years of classes can’t quite cover everything we’re going to face with a congregation.”

Heidelberger’s duties now range from teaching confirmation, coordinating youth and family ministry, attending committee meetings and, of course, preparing sermons.

“Being a pastor is a place of honor,” she said. “It’s a privilege to be the person who people invite into their lives, to be there at the times in their lives that are the most critical, whether it’s baptizing babies, visiting people when they are sick or helping plan funerals or weddings. It’s really difficult to do that at times, but it’s a privilege and honor to be asked to do that.”

– Matt Schmidt