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Ever ask yourself, “Who are these people who write for Forward in Christ?” Through this series, you can find out.
David Scharf, professor at Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., has assumed the role of the “Question and Answer” contributing editor with this edition of Forward in Christ (FIC). Each month, he will answer readers’ questions about doctrine and Christian life.
“I have always enjoyed this aspect of ministry,” he says. “I love when people ask questions and I get to dig into God’s Word to learn about whatever they’re asking and give them a good biblical response, saying what we know is true and being careful not to delve into theological speculation.”
An opportunity to study abroad in Germany while going to MLC is what sparked his interest in addressing theological and doctrinal questions. Many of the friends he made while there did not come from Christian backgrounds, and he would regularly have conversations with them about faith and God’s Word.
“That was a good encouragement for me to continue on in pastoral ministry training,” he says. “Interaction with that group of friends made me realize what better thing could I do with my life than to read and share God’s Word for a living.”
Scharf currently teaches a Bible History and Literature course and the systematic theological courses at MLC, where he has served since 2016. Prior to teaching at MLC, he served Immanuel, Greenville, Wis., where he was assigned after graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., in 2005.
Scharf grew up in the Milwaukee area where his dad was a pastor at Good Shepherd, West Allis, Wis. He was the seventh of 14 children. Scharf and his wife, Beth, walked down the aisle the first time in seventh grade when his older sister married her older brother, and they stood up in the wedding. They reconnected in college and officially walked down the same aisle in the same church in 2001, exactly ten years after their older siblings’ wedding.
He and his wife have six children, ranging from a first grader to a high school junior. Scharf jokes that his father calls six a good start.
Outside of teaching, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, playing basketball and golf, and reading everything from classic to theological literature.
Read more in Scharf’s first article in this issue. Check out his corresponding Bible study too.
Volume 107, Number 01
Issue: January 2020
