Posted on September 14, 2026 by Rev. Les Wolfgram
Lutheran Family Service News
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As Lutheran Family Service prepares to expand its mental health counseling services in North Dakota, we’re excited to introduce Rev. Les Wolfgram, who will help LFS bring Christian mental health care to individuals, families, church workers and congregations across the state.
Pastor Les brings more than 34 years of ministry experience as a parish pastor and emergency services chaplain, walking alongside people through grief, trauma, crisis and many of life’s most difficult moments. Now, he is building on that experience as he prepares to serve in a new way.
He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling through the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine and expects to graduate in May 2027. He plans to serve as a licensed Christian counselor with Lutheran Family Service and The Center Counseling in Bismarck, North Dakota with a particular interest in marriage and family counseling and grief care.
We sat down with Pastor Les to learn more about what led him to counseling, how his years as a pastor and emergency services chaplain have shaped him, and why offering hope is at the heart of the work he wants to do.
It really began through a relationship with my mentor. A friend of mine was going through a difficult time, and I asked my mentor what he would do in that situation. After hearing his response, I remember thinking, “I want that. I want what you have. How do I get what you have?”
That started me on the path of looking at master’s programs in counseling. Eventually, I discovered the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine. The connection felt very natural because Concordia is a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod university and the program incorporates a Christian perspective.
I love the parish and have served as a parish pastor since 1992. During those years, I have seen so much hurt and brokenness. As a pastor, I have the Gospel and the opportunity to tell people about Jesus’ love and victory. Counseling gives me another way to walk more deeply with people through the mental and emotional struggles they are experiencing.
I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS personnel who have experienced traumatic and critical incidents. Through that work, I’ve learned critical incident stress management and how to conduct debriefings.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is the value of giving people an opportunity to tell their story, not simply what happened, but how the experience affected them emotionally, physically and mentally. That experience has given me a foundation for helping people process trauma and, perhaps most importantly, learning how to simply be with people in their time of need.
Part of practicum and internship is discovering where my gifts and passions are, but there are already several areas that especially interest me.
Marriage and couples counseling is one. I’ve completed introductory training in the Gottman approach for couples, and I’m interested in helping husbands and wives communicate and strengthen their relationships.
Grief is another area that is very close to me. I’ve walked with people through grief throughout my pastoral ministry, and counseling provides another way to care for people as they move through that process.
Because of my chaplaincy experience, I’m also interested in trauma. I’ve also received training related to blended families and the unique challenges that come with bringing two families together.
As part of my training through the Townsend Institute, I’ll have an opportunity to learn more about play therapy with children as well. I’m looking forward to seeing where that experience may lead.
I see families that are hurting. I see couples who struggle to communicate and blended families trying to navigate complicated relationships and expectations.
I also see tremendous needs surrounding grief and trauma. Through both parish ministry and chaplaincy, I’ve encountered people facing incredibly difficult circumstances, and those experiences have reinforced for me how important it is that people have somewhere to turn. Many people suffer silently and alone with anxiety and depression. I want people to know that they do not have to suffer alone. God is with them and He has created us to be in community to care for one another, bearing one another’s burdens.
Another area close to my heart is caring for pastors and their families. I’ve seen the pressures pastors carry and how difficult it can sometimes be for church workers to recognize that they need care themselves. Mental health can still feel like a foreign language for many pastors. I hope we can help change that and make it easier for church workers and their families to reach out when they need support.
I first became familiar with Lutheran Family Service while serving on the LCMS North Dakota District Board of Directors. A brother pastor who had previously served in Iowa knew LFS and appreciated the services it provided.
The more I learned about LFS, the more excited I became about what it could offer people here in North Dakota, especially pastors, church workers, families and congregations.
There are many counselors available, including Christian counselors, but there is something meaningful about being able to speak the same language of faith with someone. Within LFS, there is an understanding of Law and Gospel and the hope we have in Christ crucified and risen. I think that can bring tremendous comfort and build trust with the people we serve.
One of the things I appreciate from the Townsend model is the idea that grace and truth over time bring healing. That fits beautifully with the Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel.
Another image that has stayed with me is the idea of being “in the well” with someone. Think about Joseph in the Old Testament, dropped into a pit by his brothers and left alone. People going through a crisis can feel like they are in that kind of place, isolated and by themselves.
Sometimes our role is to get down into that difficult place with them, so they know they aren’t alone. As a Christian counselor, I can walk alongside them as Christ’s representative and help bring a light of hope into that place.
That sense of hope is incredibly important. When someone comes to counseling, I want them to leave knowing, “I’m not in this by myself.”
There are two that really carry me.
The first is Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
The other is Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Those verses continually draw me back to the cross and remind me that this isn’t simply about what I am doing. God is the one who began the work, and He is the one who will bring it to completion.
He’s not done with me yet.
My wife and I live outside Bismarck on a couple of acres in the country. We have three grown children, two of whom are married, as well as two dogs and a cat.
We enjoy being outside, walking, working in our yard and spending time with our pets. North Dakota is home, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving people here in a new way.
As Rev. Wolfgram begins this next chapter, his years of pastoral ministry, chaplaincy and experience walking with people through some of life’s most difficult moments will continue to shape his approach to counseling. Through his work with Lutheran Family Service, he hopes to help individuals and families throughout North Dakota know that whatever they may be facing, they do not have to walk through it alone.
Pastor Les is available to see clients in person in Bismarck and through telehealth throughout North Dakota starting August 24 as he serves as a student intern.
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