Want to meet the person who may be your next pastor or Christian day school teacher? This series profiles the men and women who are in their final year of preparation for the public teaching or preaching ministry at our Immanuel Lutheran College and Seminary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Zachary Sippert
Age: 24
Program: Seminary
Year in School: Senior
Where were you born?
Valentine, Nebraska.
Where did you grow up?
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Married? Unmarried? Tell us about your family.
I’m unmarried. My mom, dad, and two older sisters are my family. They have been one of the greatest blessings for me my entire life. Being the son of an Immanuel professor, I’ve spent most of my life in Eau Claire on the campus of Immanuel.
What hobbies, sports or extracurriculars interest you?
I like soccer, football, golf, listening to music, singing, meditative walks, and reading.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people don’t know.
I play the bass guitar. It’s been a while since I’ve played, so that fact about me may have fallen into obscurity.
Which academic subjects especially interest you?
Liturgics (especially hymnody), Church History, Dogmatics, Greek, and Hebrew
How did you first come to consider the public teaching or preaching ministry as a career?
It first came into my mind when I was about twelve and it hasn’t left my mind since. Though I thought many a fear and nervous quirk would be my undoing, during my long wait from twelve to twenty-four, I learned it is not I, but the Lord Who will guide me. As the Lord worked through the prophet Moses to lead Israel, and the apostle Paul to preach Christ to the Gentiles (both were leaders who were filled with fears and nervous quirks, Exodus 4:10-12; 2 Corinthians 2:1-5), so the Lord does today through his ministers. I pray for and rejoice in His grace as I strive to preach the Word.
What have you appreciated most about your time at ILC?
One of the most appreciated blessings about my time at ILC has been the faculty and staff that the Lord has led to serve at the campus of Immanuel. During my time in seminary, college, high school, and even my early childhood, the teachers here have served me not just by bringing to me a knowledge of His Word and His creation, but also by being Christian role models. Each one of them has made a positive impact on my life. I want to thank them for all that they do, and I also want to thank the Lord for providing them as gifts.
What qualities do you think will most be needed by the future leaders of the church?
Many qualities can be given in answer to this question. Compassion, empathy, diligence, integrity, and wisdom would be some, but one of the most important is faithfulness. Faithfulness can be applied to all the responsibilities of a leader of the church. I pray that the Lord grant the church’s leaders faithfulness, that they may remain faithful to their callings, faithful to their responsibility toward others, and faithful in their presentation of God’s Word in all its truth and purity. We find such faithfulness in Christ and His Word, which strengthens and sustains our faith in His justification.