Meet Rev. Todd Kollbaum, Director of Partner Engagement with Lutheran Family Service. A husband, father, grandparent, and pastor, Todd comes to LFS with a background in connecting congregations and church workers with ministry resources and support.

Email:  [email protected]

Phone: 660-221-8973 

What is your role with Lutheran Family Service?

My role is Director of Partner Engagement. I came on with LFS to develop partnerships that benefit the organization overall in its ministry. A lot of places focus on how to get the ministry funded, but LFS is really a partnership, relational kind of organization. The idea of developing partnerships and engaging those partnerships, so that we can carry out the ministry in all its various facets is key to us.

Tell us a bit about your background and how you came to serve in this position at LFS.

To go way back, my first career was as a nursing home administrator for about 10 years. After going to the seminary, and getting into the parish, I was in the parish in Cole Camp, Missouri for nine years and that is where I met Wanda (Pritzel), who has been a key member of the LFS ministry for long time. That was when I first became aware of LFS.

Moving forward, I became the director of LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission and I was always on the lookout for models that could help rural and small town congregation throughout the synod function, and maybe function better, who we could partner with. The model of Lutheran Family Service and, alongside it, Perry Lutheran Homes, piqued my interest.

Then I took a call back to the parish here, in Nebraska, and my wife, Angie, finished up her degree in counseling and came on to work as a counselor for LFS in the Norfolk office. Eventually, they were looking for someone to do this partner engagement. It made sense and fit my history and my interest, so here we are!

Why do you feel called to this work? 

One significant aspect of Rural and Small Town Mission was the development of resources between congregations, between congregations and RSOs. I’ve worked a lot with districts on developing partnerships and how we can use them not only as a way to survive, but instead to look at how can we develop relationships that thrive and thrive the ministry. That aligns with the desire of LFS to create partnerships that help ministry to thrive.

How do you spend your time carrying out this role?

Right now, we’re still in kind of a learning mode. I’m still serving in the parish, so that happens concurrently. What I try to do, first of all, is to learn the ministry Lutheran Family Service does, in all its aspects and facets. I was unaware of even how much is done. Then there’s the learning of systems and such.

On the development side, we’re looking at what’s gone on in past, how we might take that into the future, along with identifying some opportunities to expand. It’s a lot of building relationships and being a good listener; all about learning, really!

How does your faith inform your work?

It’s really the key. In any secular organization you try to build partnerships and relationships and things like that. And that’s good, but they’re all built around the goal of making money or accomplishing a certain goal or set of goals. The beauty of doing it in this realm is that it is all focused on faith. We know that going in, it’s a common bond. So we ask how can we grow together in the Lord, and trusting that the Lord is going to develop these things? He already has the plan, we just faithfully carry it out. It’s really at the heart and soul of everything.

How do you live out the mission of LFS is to walk with people as God has been there for us in your work? 

Just understanding that we’re walking with the Lord, He is walking with us, and He brings us to these places where we can serve others. It’s really that that’s our calling in life, in all of our various vocations, to walk along with others whether it’s as a parent, or now for me as a grandparent, as a husband, and now with the ministry of LFS and in the parish.

It goes hand in hand with our faith, we know we’re walking with the Lord and the Lord is leading us somewhere as the perfect Good Shepherd. We just faithfully, prayerfully try to walk in the right direction and then keep doing the things He’s calling us to do.

Where can people expect to find you? 

One never knows! Well, online is the easiest, quickest way since I’m in northeast Nebraska. I’ll be at conferences, district conventions, LWML events, things like that. And I’ll be visiting with individuals, too, learning their stories and why they have had an interest in the ministry of Lutheran Family Service. I’m all over the place.

Email ([email protected]) is always a great way to connect, or a phone call (660-221-8973), too.

What do you enjoy most about the people you work with?

Because I’ve known some of the crew at LFS for a while now, I think it’s really kind of a family atmosphere and everyone gets along really well, there’s good, open communication. Everyone is in it together, so no one is territorial about this, or that, or the other thing.

When it comes to engaging partners, I’ve always been a bit of a social person, I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. It’s a big, cool part of connecting in this role.

Is there a Bible verse or passage that has been particularly meaningful to you?

I am a big 1 Peter 1 guy. I love the concept Peter talks about– we’re born again into a living hope. That is one of those passages that is always bouncing around in my mind because all that we do is about that living hope that we have. The world is always promising vain hope, but we bring the message of living hope. And then Isaiah chapter 6, the call of Isaiah, “Here I am, send me.” Those two are kind of, if I have sort of mission statement scripture passages, those are the two that sort of rise to the top all the time.

Want to learn more about partnering with Lutheran Family Service? Connect with Todd today!

[email protected] | 660-221-8973 | lutheranfamilyservice.org/contact