THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CHAIR

Floy and Paul Cornelsen Chair in Spiritual Formation

Julie Ryan

Decades of involvement and leadership in their congregation instilled in a couple from St. Louis a deep commitment to theological education and the preparation of pastors for ministry. Last spring, Floy and Paul Cornelsen decided they had a unique opportunity to act on that commitment. With their daughter-in-law Barbara, they established a new endowed chair at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago: the Floy and Paul Cornelsen Chair in Spiritual Formation.

The Cornelsen Chair endows a full-time position to serve as both dean of the chapel and director of spiritual formation. Coupled with the construction of the new Augustana Chapel, the Cornelsen Chair demonstrates the seminaryÕs commitment to preparing students who are not only academically and professionally trained for ministry, but also have a deep and sustaining spiritual basis for their work among GodÕs people.

To create the Cornelsen Chair, the family pledged the largest single gift in the seminaryÕs history, $1.5 million. One year ago, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago recognized the Cornelsen's remarkable generosity by presenting them with the 2001 Distinguished Service Award.

Behind every generous gift is a story. Who are the Cornelsens? What moved them to endow the chair in spiritual formation, and, in the years before that, to make significant contributions to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for information technology and communications?

Their story begins in Kansas before World War II. When asked who stands out in developing his sense of the importance of the church for his life, Paul said, "My mother had a great deal to do with it. She taught us that you don't have to be a Lutheran and speak German to go to heaven." Floy came from Wichita, and Paul from a farm south of the city. She was raised Presbyterian, and he, Lutheran. They met in high school and married young.

Shortly thereafter, Paul left to serve in Germany in World War II. When he returned, he went to work at a feed mill owned by Ralston-Purina. Their son, John, was about a year old when PaulÕs mother told Floy, "Dad and I'll keep Johnny while you go to class." "Class" was instruction at the Lutheran church. After completing the course, Floy was confirmed, and has been a Lutheran ever since. It didnÕt feel too different from being Presbyterian, because "weÕre all headed for the same goal."

During the first years of their marriage, Floy and Paul moved 12 times, as Paul was transferred by Ralston-Purina and called back into the Army during the Korean conflict. Other moves took them from coast to coast, setting up households in California, Washington, Colorado, and New York. Eventually they landed in St. Louis, where they have lived for more than 30 years.

At a time of transition for Ralston-Purina, Paul was an officer of the company and discerned that the moment was right to make a change. He left Ralston-Purina and bought into a small business, which he renamed MiTek. Operating in 17 countries, MiTek manufactured engineering fastenings for construction and provided custom engineering design facilities. Ten years later, Paul sold MiTek and used the proceeds to create a foundation. Since then he has been involved as a consultant with various industrial companies and charitable boards.

Harry Mueller, a member of the seminary's foundation board of trustees and long time friend of the Cornelsens, said Paul has been a model to him as a corporate executive and family person who lives according to his values, and is generous with time, talent, and treasure. According to Mueller, Paul bought into MiTek for the purpose of "righting the ship and growing it," and has subsequently applied his finely-honed management skills to many businesses and non-profit organizations. He has served as an intermediary for negotiating, helping groups deal with corporate issues such as growing pains or difficulties among investors. Mueller described him as "a sounding board to bring resolution to things. Paul is a doer; he will bring things to closure. He's very analytical and a genuine individual; people listen to the guy. He's had a lot of experience and success, and heÕs very smart and even-handed."

In the mid-1960s Floy and Paul joined a Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LC--MS) congregation in greater St. Louis because it had a flourishing youth group that their 15 year-old son could join. Until then they had had "no experience of high-level church politics," but soon found themselves near its epicenter.

In the early 1970s, as conflict loomed within the LC--MS that led to the creation of Christ Seminary-Seminex, they elected to leave the congregation and joined Living Word Lutheran Church, a congregation of the newly forming Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC). Dr. John Tietjen, the president of the newborn Christ Seminary-Seminex, was a founding member of Living Word (on December 31, 1987, Christ Seminary-Seminex united with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and the two schools entered as a unified body into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as it came into existence on January 1, 1988).

Dr. Arden Mead, the pastor who began Living Word, is called exceptional by the Cornelsens. They credit his creative and steadfast leadership as the reason their participation in Living Word was "a wonderful experience."

In 1988 Living Word consolidated with Christ, Webster Groves (a suburb of St. Louis). Paul characterized Christ as "the most blessed congregation weÕve ever been in, filled with young people who work hard É Its racial diversity is unusual. It's a very active operation" that's accomplishing "amazing things." Floy added, "The church has meant more to us in the last few years than ever before."

Their son John died at the age of 41 in Geneva, Switzerland, while supervising Mid-East and African operations for the Caterpillar Corporation. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, two children, and three grandchildren.

Beyond the congregation, Floy and Paul have immersed themselves in Lutheran Family and ChildrenÕs Services of Missouri (LFCS). After the sale of MiTek, Ralph Petering, another member of the congregation who was on the LFCS board, got Paul interested in the organization. Floy said, "[Paul] gets involved and we both get involved É We consulted with each other, but it's he who took the initiative." Over the past decade, and especially as co-chair of their "Defining Moment" campaign, Paul has done major fundraising for LFCS.

Floy used to volunteer more, but now enjoys playing with her 14 month-old great-grandchild, visiting friends, and playing bridge. She and Paul are headed toward 60 years of marriage. In Floy's assessment, they have stayed together by making an effort to work things out and by taking things a day at a time. Paul said, "Thank God we're still here to talk about it."

Their commitment to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago emerges from their experience of an outstanding pastor leading a vibrant congregation. Paul said it will be hard to fill the shoes of Dr. Mead and to find someone to continue in the tradition of "what he's tried to teach us." He continued, "Dr. Echols' idea for spiritual formation struck both of us. It really reached a point for the times. It rounded off something and anticipated something." By endowing the chair, Paul said they want to help the seminary attract the highest caliber of students and train them to articulate their faith, advance their preaching, and "get the message across."