PhD in Congregation Mission and Leadership
Luther Seminary
Master of Arts in Christian Lay Ministry
Luther Seminary
Bachelor of Arts
Luther College
Dr. Kristine Stache
Vice President for Vocation and Formation
Loehe Professor in Mission
Faculty Biography
Kris Stache joined the Wartburg Theological Seminary community in January 2007 as Assistant Professor of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and now serves as Professor of Missional Leadership. Kris brings a holistic, missional, and community-centered vision to her teaching and administrative leadership. Through the years she has held several different administrative roles at Wartburg, including Interim President and Vice President for Leadership Formation. In 2019 she was awarded a fellowship through Villanova’s Center for Church Management to conduct original research on visionary leadership in the ELCA that explored how one’s understanding of God shapes the way one leads. Kris received her PhD in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary, with a dissertation titled, “Feminist Theology and Missional Church: An Exploration into the Doctrine of the Trinity and its Understanding in Four Denominational Systems.” Kris and her husband Alan live in Dubuque, Iowa with their children and grandchildren.
HT105 Global Church in Motion 1
IN243 21st Century Leadership: Public, Adaptive, and Connected
IN346 Reading and Leading in Context: Methods, Media, and Entrepreneurial Practices
IN 106 Spiritual Practices
IN127 MA Colloquium
IN327 MA Capstone
Book Chapters or Essays:
“Learning to Listen: A Relational Approach to Vocation and Discernment,” Sustaining Grace: Innovative Ecosystems for New Faith Communities. Edited by Scott Hagley, Karen Rohrer, and Michael Gehrling. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020.
“Leadership and the Missional Church Conversation: Listening in on What Leaders in Four
Denominational Systems Have to Say,” The Missional Church and Leadership Formation: Helping Congregations Develop Leadership Capacity. Edited by Craig Van Gelder. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.
Journal Articles:
“Stories that Shape an Understanding of God’s Mission in the World: Visionary Leadership in the ELCA,” Ecclesial Futures, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2020.
“Adventures in Digital Learning, Teaching, and Formation: A Case Study of Wartburg Theological Seminary,” Journal of Religious Leadership, Vol. 17, Fall 2018.
“Formation for the Whole Church: A New/Old Vision of Theological Education in the 21st Century,” Dialogue, Winter 2014.
“What Happens When Those in High School Read Luther and Bonhoeffer,” The Lutheran, May 2014.
“Congregational Mission Planning with Children and Youth,” Seeds for the Parish, Fall 2013.
“Practice of Immersion in the Context.” Currents, Vol. 38, No. 5, October 2011.
Bibliography & Annotation Work:
The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution. Edited by Rick Bliese and Craig Van Gelder. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2005.
Dr. Stache has extensive knowledge in the following categories and is able to serve as a resource on:
- Congregational Mission and Leadership
- Missional Church & Theology
- Children, Youth, & Family Ministry
- Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Practices & Creativity
- Planning and Facilitation with group gatherings, retreats, and events