President’s Office
The office of the District president performs the duties laid out by Synod. He is to serve the congregations of his District by providing the mission and vision for the District’s ministry. His work is to be carried out in a brotherly and evangelical manner of visitation with the congregations and rostered workers. This office is also responsible for maintaining accurate records for both congregations and workers who are members of the LCMS.
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Featured Paper : “What Does This Mean? Responding to Social Justice & Critical Race Theory”
President Lucas V. Woodford
Rev. Dr. Lucas V. Woodford, (MDiv, STM, DMin), is President of the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and Associate Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Farmington, MN.
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He is the author of Great Commission, Great Confusion, or Great Confession? (Wipf & Stock, 2012). He is co-author with Harold Senkbeil of Pastoral Leadership: For the Care of Souls (2nd ed, Lexham Press, 2021) and their book on contextual mission, Culture of the Word, is forthcoming from Lexham. He has written numerous articles published in The Lutheran Witness, Logia, and Seelsorger, including a monograph, "What does this mean? Responding to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory" (2021).
Woodford is a member of the Board of Regents of Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. He has served as an adjunct instructor for Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN and the Institute of Lutheran Theology in Brookings, SD. Dr. Woodford is a Fellow in the Collegium of DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel, charged with research, writing, and speaking regarding the care of souls in the contemporary context. He frequently presents on matters related to soul care, missiology, marriage, sex and gender issues, as well as critical race theory.
President Woodford is a husband to Becca and father to their seven children, five girls and two boys: Isabella (married to Zach), Thaddaeus, Aletheia, Ekklacia, Soteria, Titus, and Basileia.
Contact info
Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford
President
952-223-2165
lucas.woodford@mnsdistrict.org
Rev. Stefan Wismar
Executive Assistant to the President
952-223-2154
stefan.wismar@mnsdistrict.org
Debbie Borchardt
Administrative Assistant
952-223-2158
debbie.borchardt@mnsdistrict.org
President’s Blog
“What ethic do confessional Lutherans have to offer a conversation and culture wrapped up in endless dialogues and demands for social justice?”
“What Does This Mean? Responding to Social Justice & Critical Race Theory,” is a study that ventures to answer that and many more questions. It is an exploration of our Lutheran doctrine in light of our contemporary American context and the current varying calls for social justice. It seeks to address the issue of racism and those affected by the sin of racism in any given form, as well as erroneous generalizations about American institutions, the church, and the white community in general.
Reading recommendations
Click here to view President Woodford’s latest reading recommendations (Updated 11.20.24)
Pastoral letters
Click on any given date and title to read the full letter from President Woodford.
July 15, 2024 | A Divided Nation
First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, (1 Tim. 3: 1-3)
Recent events in our nation’s life have revealed the sad results of a perpetually heated and vitriolic political environment—an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. Sadly, our nation is no stranger to such hatred and acrimony and its destructive results. As Christian citizens, we are called to a higher standard. We are to love people and use politics, not the other way around. When Christians engage in malicious exchanges in the public square, it only demeans the Christian witness in the eyes of a jaded public. We are to refrain from vehemence, hatred, and any sinful behaviors, digital or otherwise, even as we participate in the political process and engage our civic duty with a good conscious. We are to be salt and light in a world of darkness and animosity (Matt. 5:13-14).
April 10, 2024 | An Invitation to the Theological Convocations
Easter greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life!
As we bask in the resurrection triumph of our Lord over sin and death, I write to offer a brief word of encouragement to attend the forthcoming theological convocations.
February 14, 2024 | Beware of the Wild Beast
Ash Wednesday greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Once again, we begin the journey of following Jesus on His way to the cross of Calvary. Mark’s Gospel gets us right into the action and movement of Jesus’ ministry:
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him (Mark 1:12-13).
This brief temptation account differs from the more familiar versions in Matthew and Luke. Yet it offers one tidbit the other two synoptics leave out: “he was with the wild animals.”
Advent is a time of anticipation and waiting. The church year keeps us focused on the life of Jesus. Advent, the first season of the church year, brings us to the beginning of Jesus’ life, where He becomes incarnate—where He came into the flesh—to be born of a virgin, set in a manger, and reared in a family.