Rev. Timothy Scharr has accepted the call to serve as director of Placement at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis beginning in August. He will be formally installed during the Opening Service of the 2025–26 academic year Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.
Scharr succeeds the service of Dr. Glenn Nielsen [1], who has served as director of Placement since 2017. Nielsen remains on faculty as a senior professor of Practical Theology.
A seasoned pastor and leader in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), Scharr brings more than four decades of pastoral, administrative and missional experience to his new role. His deep familiarity with the Synod’s congregations, districts and global partnerships uniquely positions him to guide seminarians and deaconesses as they prepare to enter the ministry.
“We are grateful for the Lord’s provision of Rev. Scharr for this important role,” said Seminary President Dr. Thomas J. Egger [2]. “I have worked with Tim on a Synod committee for the last couple of years and have witnessed his pastoral demeanor, fairness and integrity, love for the church, and clear theological convictions. As a former district president, he knows most of the brother district presidents and has a deep understanding of the call process and what goes into finding a good fit between pastor and flock. He will be a blessing to our church in this role and to our future pastors and deaconesses as they walk through the process of their first assignments.”
A native of Detroit, Mich., Scharr graduated from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., (1980), and earned his Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1984. He has served congregations in Iowa, Washington and Illinois and was president of the LCMS Southern Illinois District (2010-25). Since 2020, he also has served as assistant pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Carlyle, Ill.
Throughout his ministry, Scharr has been active in LCMS district and Synod leadership. His service includes roles on various district boards, as circuit visitor in two districts and as pastoral counselor to the Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) Washington-Alaska District. He has represented the LCMS internationally, working in South Africa and Botswana through a district partnership with the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa.
Scharr’s leadership also has extended to national church initiatives, including service on the Lutheran Hour Ministries Board of Directors and as a longtime member of the LCMS Colloquy Committee for Pastoral Ministry. Also, he chaired floor committees at the last three LCMS conventions.
“I am honored to join the Concordia Seminary family as the director of Placement. This is a wonderful opportunity to use my decades of experience in congregations, district and on the Synod level to work with pastors and deaconesses entering their first calls,” said Scharr. “I am eager to work with these men and women in their preparation for full-time church work. One of my goals is to prepare candidates to have a smooth transition from seminary life into the parish. Success in a first call is critical for healthy, life-long ministry. The Lord’s harvest fields need faithful workers. What a blessing it is to part of the placement process.”
About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) [3]. To learn more, visit csl.edu [4].