The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

Luther famously said that students of the Bible need “to retain the distinction between Law and Gospel” (AE 26: 406). This became the official position of Lutherans with Article V of the Formula of Concord: “We believe, teach, and confess that the distinction between the Law and the Gospel is to be kept in the Church with great diligence” (FC Ep V 2). If we want to be distinctively Lutheran today,...

How has Set Apart to Serve become a cultural shift in the LCMS? The Rev. Dr. James Baneck (Executive Director, LCMS Office of Pastoral Education and Set Apart to Serve) joins Andy and Sarah during Sharathon 2026 to talk about the cultural shift in the LCMS surrounding church worker formation, what he's learned about the LCMS through his work with Pastoral Education and Set Apart to Serve, how peop...

How can podcasts support Christians as they uphold the value of all life? Stephanie Neugebauer (Manager of Mercy Resource Development, LCMS Office of National Mission, and host of Friends for Life podcast) and the Rev. Andy Becker (Director of Family Ministry, LCMS Office of National Mission, co-host of Friends for Life Podcast) join Andy and Sarah during Sharathon 2026 to talk about the topics th...

How does our current age of AI affect how we create content as humans? Dr. Bernard Bull (President of Concordia University, Nebraska) joins Andy and Sarah during Sharathon 2026 to talk about how he became a content creator, what he loves about the process of writing and creating content, how AI content creation is distinctly different from human content creation, what he's learned about how AI cre...

It's Sharathon 2026, and we're having a little fun! You hear KFUO team members on air or when you call in, but today you're going to learn a little more about them. The now infamous "Lightning Round" has become a staple of Coffee Hour episodes, so each KFUO team member answers the list of rapid-fire questions about their favorite things! Even Andy and Sarah are subjected to the Lightning Round thi...

We head south to Florida and Georgia for today's episode! The Rev. James Rockey (President, Florida-Georgia District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) joins Andy and Sarah to answer the now infamous Lightning Round of Favorites (which every COP member will be subjected to) and to talk about the unique things the Florida-Georgia District does, how Pastor Rockey views his leadership of this dis...

What is catechesis, and why does it matter for us in our daily lives? The Rev. Dr. Peter Bender (Senior Pastor of Peace Lutheran Church and Academy President of the Concordia Catechetical Academy (CCA) in Sussex, Wisconsin) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what catechesis is and is not, why catechesis is important for us in our daily rhythms of life, how Recognized Service Organization (RSO) sta...

What could family devotions look like for your household? The Rev. Andy Becker (Director of Family Ministry, LCMS Office of National Mission) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what family devotions can look like, why it's important for families to develop a devotional practice, some simple things to include in family devotions, how to develop a routine, and resources from LCMS Family Ministry and...

How do LCMS Camps help form future church workers? Bob LaCroix (Executive Director, Camp Omega, Waterville, MN) and Signe White (Executive Director, Camp Perkins, The Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho) join Andy and Sarah to talk about where they currently live and serve, who encouraged them to consider full-time church work, why summer camp is so important for their campers, how LCMS camps feed the fai...

Why is campus ministry important for the faith of young adults today, and how can we support those leading campus ministry? Julianna Shults, DCE (Program Manager, LCMS Youth Ministry), the Rev. Dr. Heath Trampe (Director of Discipleship Ministry for the LCMS Office of National Mission), and the Rev. Sean Kilgo (pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lawrence, Kansas; coordinator of Campus Ministry, L...

We head out East for this episode (and learn what "East" actually means)! The Rev. John Pingel (President, Eastern District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) joins Andy and Sarah to answer the now infamous Lightning Round of Favorites (which every COP member will be subjected to) and to talk about what the "Eastern" district is really East of, his experiences in seminary and various churches,...

What does a Christian and academic gathering space do to benefit students at state universities? The Rev. Dr. Trevor Sutton (Senior Pastor, St. Luke in Lansing, MI; Adjunct Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Irvine) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what a Christian Study Center is, how this space intersecting Christianity and academia benefits students, what makes a Christian Study C...

We're getting ready for KFUO Sharathon 2026, April 30-May 2!  Sharathon is a time of gratitude, stories, and opportunities to give, and we're previewing Sharathon first through conversations with President Matthew Harrison, and then Mary Schmidt and Doug Griebenaw. First, the Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison (President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about who Herman Sas...

What goes on behind the scenes to produce all of the Set Apart to Serve resources? Jennifer Duffy (Managing Director, Production, LCMS Communications) and Veronica Cheney (Production Specialist, LCMS Communications) join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve series to talk about their roles in LCMS Communications, what each of them gets to do in production, how they serve the International Cen...

How are LCMS missionaries sharing the Gospel with Persian refugees in Germany? The Rev. Dr. Christian Tiews (LCMS Missionary serving in Hamburg, Germany) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about his path to the LCMS and missionary service, the community he serves in Hamburg, how this community has changed with an increase of refugees, the historical reasoning for Persians being open to the Gospel, how h...

We head out to the West Coast for this episode! The Rev. Michael Lange (President, California/Nevada/Hawaii District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) joins Andy and Sarah to answer the now infamous Lightning Round of Favorites (which every COP member will be subjected to) and talk about how a Midwestern boy ends up as a pastor in California, Michael's journey to seminary, how an interest in...

How do we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial? Dr. Russell P. Dawn (President of Concordia University, Chicago) and Dr. Wilfred McClay (chair of classical history and western civilization at Hillsdale College, presenter for CUChicago Stand Tall for Freedom Series) join Andy and Sarah to talk about Concordia Chicago's Stand Tall for Freedom Series, why it's important that we consider the topics...

How is the Church across nations united in praise to God? The Rev. Dr. Ely Prieto (Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Chairman Multiethnic Symposium Committee, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) and Erika Petsch (Director of Continuing Education, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) join Andy and Sarah to talk about Concordia Seminary's Multiethnic Symposium! They discuss how this Symposium fits wit...

What role does music play in the formation of Christians for daily living and church work? Dr. Sam Eatherton (Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, Kantor, and the Kreft Professor for Music Arts at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) and Lois Eatherton (teacher of music at St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Des Peres, Missouri, and Project Coordinator, Children in Worship Initiative, Concordia Seminary,...

How do new ideas help monetarily support the Concordia University System? Curt Gielow (CU Ventures Executive Vice President) and the Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy (President, Concordia University System) join Andy and Sarah to talk about what CU Ventures is, where the idea began and how it serves the Concordia Universities, what the Talents Fund is and how it provides monetary support for the Concordia U...

We head out to Kansas in this episode! The Rev. Justin Panzer (President, Kansas District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) joins Andy and Sarah to answer the now infamous Lightning Round of Favorites (which every COP member will be subjected to) and talk about his journey through school to seminary, how his time at Westfield House in England was especially formative for him, interesting thin...

How does online evangelism lead to real-life church planting in Puerto Rico? The Rev. James Neuendorf (LCMS missionary serving in Puerto Rico) and the Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller (Senior Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Church, Austin, TX) join Andy and Sarah to talk about how Rev. Neuendorf is called to serve in Puerto Rico, how Rev. Wolfmueller's congregation in Texas is inv...

How has Lutheran Bible Translators made a difference for people who want to read the Bible in their own language? The Rev. Dr. Rich Rudowske (Executive Director, Lutheran Bible Translators) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the work of Lutheran Bible Translators (LBT), where LBT serves around the world, why this work is so important to him, a recent Bible dedication for the Komba people in Ghana,...

We go "non-geographical" today to learn about the English District! The Rev. Jeffrey Miskus (President & Bishop, The English District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) joins Andy and Sarah to answer the now infamous Lightning Round of Favorites (which every COP member will be subjected to) and talk about growing up in Canada and his path to seminary, how his formation led to where he is servi...

Concordia Universities have an exciting opportunity for Lutheran high school students! Dr. Jamie Kowalczyk (Vice President for Strategic Operations/Chief of Staff, Concordia University Chicago), Breana Winnes (Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission, Concordia University St. Paul), Aaron Roberts (Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions, Concordia University, Nebraska) and Leah T...