May 5, 2025
An Interview with Rev. Dr. Steve Trefz
Professor of Practical Theology; Director of the Wesley House of Study
What inspired you to pursue your field of study?
I grew up in the rural church, and I began serving as a lead pastor at the ripe old age of 25 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. After a year or two, I was burned out and disillusioned about pastoral ministry and the church as it was currently understanding itself in my context. I loved the people, I loved Jesus, but something about the expectations of the pastoral role clashed with my understanding of Scripture, theology, and sociology.
I leaned into a Doctor of Ministry program at my alma mater, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in search of answers to my experience and to the experience of my peers in rural ministry. What I discovered, was that when the people of God were given intentional space to prayerfully practice and to reflect upon what God was doing in their midst, transformational change happened. The field of ministry leadership and practical theology emerged in front of me, and it won鈥檛 let me go!
How did your academic journey lead you to 乌鸦传媒?
In 2013, my wife was serving a church near Sioux Falls Seminary, and I had just finished my Doctor of Ministry. I reached out to the school to discover if I could be of help, and Dr. Gary Strickland invited me to tag along for the DMin research and writing course. Which led to another invitation鈥hich led to some instructing, and some professor work in the DMin program. In 2015 I was asked to help join a discussion about this 鈥淜airos project鈥 thing, and to work with some United Methodist students that were interested in the program. Kairos combined my passion for research, the church, pastoral theology and practice, and transformational change. And they haven鈥檛 been able to get rid of me since!
What excites you most about your discipline?
I give thanks to God every day that I get to journey with students from original sources and research of ministry into the actual practice of ministry. The global nature of our student body and faculty/staff makes each day a living proof that God is at work in the world, and that we are called to be the body of Christ day in and day out. My discipline always has something new to explore, but it usually refers back to something very old. In many ways practical theology and congregational leadership involve ancient practice and modern awareness. Whenever the church comes to life, I get to see a glimpse of the Kingdom and gain the courage to keep on going.
What books, theologians, or resources have influenced your work the most?
Paulo Freire鈥檚聽The Pedagogy of the Oppressed聽was a game changer for me. This approach to anthropology and sociological curriculum theory opened my eyes to the ways in which intentional ministry can be life giving, both here and in the life to come. Steve Cordle鈥檚聽The Church in Many Houses聽also literally fell into my lap at a time of great discernment about my role as 鈥減astor鈥 in the church, and I found the courage to live counter-culturally from those pages. Spiritual Gifts resources and Wesleyan theologians played formational roles in my studies, but so did Aquinas and Stephen King. So that鈥檚 a range!
What do you hope students take away from your teaching?
I pray that students take away an understanding of the importance of life-long learning and intentional mentoring for their lives and ministries after graduation. I hope that in some way, the ancient testimonies of the church and the contemporary voices of faith combine to remind them that its not all on them鈥ut that they do play a vital part in the body of Christ right here, right now, and for years to come. I pray that worldly ignorance will never be an excuse upon their lips, and that they leave Kairos trained and ready to share the Gospel with whomever God invites them to share it with. I also hope that my students know that I care, because their calling is worth intentionality.
Stay tuned for our next faculty interview as we continue exploring the stories, passions, and insights of 乌鸦传媒鈥檚 educators.