In this episode, hosts Rev. Tom Schlund and Katie Gaschler are joined by one of Concordia Seminary's newest professors, Dr. Ryan Tinetti. While studying journalism during his undergraduate years at Michigan State University, Tinetti felt a call toward ministry. After graduation, he followed God's call with a few different stops along the way. He says, "Ministry is a trailhead, not a terminus. When you get into ministry, it could go into so many different directions... Don't think, 'I've just got to fit into this box and this is what it's going to look like.' It can take so many different shapes and God is going to use who you are in order to shape the ministry that you're in."

After serving in the parish for more than 10 years, Tinetti now is a professor in the Seminary's Practical Theology department. He shares some of his passions as a professor and what excites him about the courses he teaches. He also gives some insights into his specialty as a homiletics professor and shares his favorite things about St. Louis and the Seminary Community.

When discussing future students and people considering full time church work or applying to the Seminary, Tinetti shares, "My advice to anyone is not to rule yourself out... There are so many different paths [to Seminary]. What's important is the Lord and his call and claim on your life."

Do you like eating toasted ravioli? Find out who does during the recurring segment "Ripe for the picking or leave it on the tree." You'll also find out who enjoys camping, who goes blueberry picking and how everyone feels about Imo's Pizza.

Interested in vocational ministry? Start a conversation with our admissions team at https://ask.csl.edu/register/Request-Information. Learn more about Concordia Seminary at http://www.csl.edu or by contacting the admissions team at [email protected] or 800-822-9545.

“Under the Fig Tree” is a video and audio podcast of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. New video and audio episodes are added during the academic year. “Under the Fig Tree” can be found on YouTube, the Seminary’s Scholar site (scholar.csl.edu) and most podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.