Convention Workbook

Who’s Who Candidate Profiles
Board of Directors Commissioned Member Region 1
Nancy J. Durkovic
Home Congregation: First Lutheran, Manhattan Beach, CA
Occupation: Preschool Director
Experience Pertinent to Position: I have had 31 years’ experience as a Lutheran educator and
administrator, 17 of which have been served in the Pacific Southwest District.
My Vision for the ministry of the PSW: That all will come to know the saving grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ!
Faith Spelbring, DCE
Home Congregation: First Lutheran, Venice, CA
Occupation: Manager, Regional Outreach Conferences, Lutheran Hour
Ministries
Experience Pertinent to Position: I have served in professional church work for
more than ten years. After graduating from Concordia University - Irvine, I was
blessed to serve as Director of Christian Education of University Lutheran
Chapel serving the UCLA campus for seven very educational years! There, I led
Bible studies, coordinated national and international mission trips, oversaw
campus outreach, acted as UCLA's advisor for the Veritas Forum, served as Vice President of the
University Religious Conference (a group formed by the chancellor of UCLA to encourage interreligious
dialog), and cofounded the PSD College Ministry Taskforce. When my husband entered
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, I began working for Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) and am
currently one of their deployed staff members. I work out of my home office in Los Angeles,
managing LHM's Regional Outreach Conferences. My goal is to train God's people to be missionminded
witnesses of Jesus Christ. I am a fellow of the International Academy of Christian
Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights of Strasbourg, France, working on my thesis to
complete my master's degree in Theology from my alma mater, wife of a wonderful new pastor and
a mother of three. Through all of the above, God has blessed me with passion and enthusiasm for
sharing the Gospel, creative problem solving skills, education and experience in reaching the
Millennial generation, and a love of team work. I would be honored to use these skills to serve the
people of the Pacific Southwest District.
My Vision for the ministry of the PSW: My vision" as a member of the PSD Board of Directors
would be to support PSD congregations, church workers, and individual members in their vision to
carry out God's mission in their communities and around the world. Some key things I would enjoy
seeing include laity equipped to and active in sharing the Gospel, congregations equipped to engage
the Millennial generation - who are largely disinterested in "church" (small "c") -and partnerships
strengthened with other organizations that are making great headway in the above, so we do not
have to recreate the wheel or invest in things that are already available. I would also enjoy helping
find creative ways to enhance or develop mission efforts in places where we currently struggle to
reach out with the Gospel, especially College campuses and urban areas.
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