Who is Steve Stutz and Why Should I Listen to Him?
Fair question. Here's the honest answer.
I have spent nearly thirty years as an ordained Lutheran pastor — in congregations ranging from a small rural church in west Texas to a diverse urban parish in the Houston area. I have preached thousands of sermons, buried hundreds of people, baptized babies, married couples, and sat with families in the worst moments of their lives. I have watched congregations thrive and I have watched them close. I closed one myself. That is not a résumé line — it is the kind of experience that either breaks you or forms you, and I am still here.
Formation and Academic Credentials
I earned my Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction and Formation at Houston Graduate School of Theology, where I later served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Spiritual Direction from 2015 to 2023 — teaching and supervising practicum experiences for MA and D.Min. students across multiple Christian traditions.
My initial formation in spiritual direction came through the Formation in Direction Program (FIND) of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in 2006. I went on to serve as a faculty member of the FIND School for Spiritual Direction for fifteen years, regularly teaching first and third year students in contemplative spirituality, discernment, and the theology of spiritual accompaniment.
I also served on the formation team at St. Peter Upon the Water, a three-year program forming spiritual directors for the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
My M.Div. is from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, with a concentration in Systematic Theology. My B.S. in Environmental Science is from Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri. I hold a Certificate in Catholic Philosophy and Thomistic Studies from the New St. Thomas Institute — which means when I talk about natural theology, philosophical anthropology, or the intersection of reason and faith, I am working from actual graduate formation in that tradition, not general reading.
Spiritual Direction and Contemplative Practice
I am trained and experienced in a wide range of contemplative and formational practices, including:
Retreat and Workshop Experience
I am an experienced retreat leader and workshop presenter. I have worked with groups in the United States, Belize, Canada, and Uganda — including three weeks teaching all clergy in the Archdiocese of Uganda. I developed and led the Oil of Heaven Ministries retreat and formation curriculum for five years, offering programs to Lutheran and ecumenical congregations across Texas and beyond.
I am comfortable with formats ranging from a single session to a full weekend retreat, and I have designed and delivered content for clergy gatherings, lay formation programs, parish retreats, and interdenominational conferences.
Counseling Credentials
I hold a Licensed Pastoral Counselor in Belief Therapy (Board Certified) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor in Belief Therapy, both through the Therapon Institute. These are faith-based, non-clinical pastoral credentials — they reflect a serious framework for pastoral care and counseling within a ministerial context, not state licensure for clinical mental health practice.
Military Background
I am a former U.S. Army Major. That background shapes how I think about leadership, structure, accountability, and the care of people under pressure. It also means that when a military family asks me to officiate a funeral with full honors, I am not guessing at what that room requires.
Ecclesiastical Identity
I am an ordained minister on the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Gulf Coast Synod. I am a life-professed friar in the Anglican Order of Preachers — the Dominican tradition — which has shaped my commitment to the integration of study, prayer, and active ministry. I have been part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas community for over twenty years.
I am not a one-tradition pastor. I have been formed by Lutheran confessional theology, Anglican contemplative practice, Catholic philosophical theology, and the charismatic renewal movement. That breadth is not a lack of conviction — it is a long formation in the richness of the whole Christian tradition.
The Short Version
I have been doing this work seriously, across multiple traditions, for nearly thirty years. I have the academic formation, the contemplative practice, the parish experience, and the hard-won wisdom that only comes from showing up — in the pulpit, in the hospital room, in the council meeting, and in the director's chair — for a very long time.
If that's what you're looking for, I'd be glad to talk.
I have spent nearly thirty years as an ordained Lutheran pastor — in congregations ranging from a small rural church in west Texas to a diverse urban parish in the Houston area. I have preached thousands of sermons, buried hundreds of people, baptized babies, married couples, and sat with families in the worst moments of their lives. I have watched congregations thrive and I have watched them close. I closed one myself. That is not a résumé line — it is the kind of experience that either breaks you or forms you, and I am still here.
Formation and Academic Credentials
I earned my Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction and Formation at Houston Graduate School of Theology, where I later served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Spiritual Direction from 2015 to 2023 — teaching and supervising practicum experiences for MA and D.Min. students across multiple Christian traditions.
My initial formation in spiritual direction came through the Formation in Direction Program (FIND) of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in 2006. I went on to serve as a faculty member of the FIND School for Spiritual Direction for fifteen years, regularly teaching first and third year students in contemplative spirituality, discernment, and the theology of spiritual accompaniment.
I also served on the formation team at St. Peter Upon the Water, a three-year program forming spiritual directors for the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
My M.Div. is from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, with a concentration in Systematic Theology. My B.S. in Environmental Science is from Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri. I hold a Certificate in Catholic Philosophy and Thomistic Studies from the New St. Thomas Institute — which means when I talk about natural theology, philosophical anthropology, or the intersection of reason and faith, I am working from actual graduate formation in that tradition, not general reading.
Spiritual Direction and Contemplative Practice
I am trained and experienced in a wide range of contemplative and formational practices, including:
- Lectio Divina — I have taught this in parish, retreat, graduate, and continuing education settings for over twenty years
- Centering Prayer — I served as Chapter Coordinator for Contemplative Outreach of Houston
- Dreamwork — individual and group contexts; I consider this one of my strongest and most distinctive competencies
- Individual and group discernment processes
- The charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit in mainline congregational contexts
- Christian healing ministry — prayer for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing
- The labyrinth as a contemplative practice
- MBTI and prayer — the intersection of personality and spiritual practice
Retreat and Workshop Experience
I am an experienced retreat leader and workshop presenter. I have worked with groups in the United States, Belize, Canada, and Uganda — including three weeks teaching all clergy in the Archdiocese of Uganda. I developed and led the Oil of Heaven Ministries retreat and formation curriculum for five years, offering programs to Lutheran and ecumenical congregations across Texas and beyond.
I am comfortable with formats ranging from a single session to a full weekend retreat, and I have designed and delivered content for clergy gatherings, lay formation programs, parish retreats, and interdenominational conferences.
Counseling Credentials
I hold a Licensed Pastoral Counselor in Belief Therapy (Board Certified) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor in Belief Therapy, both through the Therapon Institute. These are faith-based, non-clinical pastoral credentials — they reflect a serious framework for pastoral care and counseling within a ministerial context, not state licensure for clinical mental health practice.
Military Background
I am a former U.S. Army Major. That background shapes how I think about leadership, structure, accountability, and the care of people under pressure. It also means that when a military family asks me to officiate a funeral with full honors, I am not guessing at what that room requires.
Ecclesiastical Identity
I am an ordained minister on the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Gulf Coast Synod. I am a life-professed friar in the Anglican Order of Preachers — the Dominican tradition — which has shaped my commitment to the integration of study, prayer, and active ministry. I have been part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas community for over twenty years.
I am not a one-tradition pastor. I have been formed by Lutheran confessional theology, Anglican contemplative practice, Catholic philosophical theology, and the charismatic renewal movement. That breadth is not a lack of conviction — it is a long formation in the richness of the whole Christian tradition.
The Short Version
I have been doing this work seriously, across multiple traditions, for nearly thirty years. I have the academic formation, the contemplative practice, the parish experience, and the hard-won wisdom that only comes from showing up — in the pulpit, in the hospital room, in the council meeting, and in the director's chair — for a very long time.
If that's what you're looking for, I'd be glad to talk.
Rev. Dr. Steve Stutz Ordained Lutheran Pastor · Intentional Interim Minister · Certified Spiritual Director La Porte, Texas · Houston Area
[Contact] · [LinkedIn] · [The Marginal Note on Substack]
[Contact] · [LinkedIn] · [The Marginal Note on Substack]
