LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION - Winter 2008 Wartburg Magazine - Wartburg College

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From doctor to pastor: Alumna heeds call to ministry

Dr. Caroline Boehnke-Becker ’83 decided against returning to her full-time medical practice and chose instead to go to seminary. Today, she is a teaching pastor for adult ministries at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, Iowa, one of the fastest growing Lutheran churches in the country.

by Michelle Caldwell ’08

Alumna heeds call to ministry

Early on, Dr. Caroline Boehnke-Becker ’83 was confident in her decision to be a doctor and didn’t question that she would practice medicine.

After graduating from Wartburg, Boehnke-Becker went on to earn a medical degree from the University of Iowa. She did her residency at the University of Indianapolis and married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Tom Becker. Caroline practiced medicine while Tom, a cardiothoracic surgeon, completed the last few years of his fellowship.

Afterward, the Gardner, Minn., natives, decided to begin their careers in Iowa— Caroline as an obstetrician/gynecologist and Tom in cardiology. With a toddler in tow and another one on the way, the couple set out to find a home and church in the Des Moines area.

“I just went to the Yellow Pages and started visiting churches on the weekend,” recalled Boehnke-Becker, who now lives in Cumming. “We were both on call at the hospital, so finding service times that met our lifestyles was key.”
She grew up in a small church setting and knew she wanted that for her family. That knock at the door provided an answer. It was a friendly pastor from Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, a congregation of two dozen members in search of new members.

Getting involved in the church family was easy with so few members. But raising a family and being part of a medical practice was a strain on the family.

“There’s a difference between one-on-one defense and zone defense,” Boehnke-Becker explained. “We got to a point where we were never home. One day I sat down and realized we didn’t have kids to not be there and raise them. So I decided I would step out of medicine for three years and then go back.”

That decision only opened up more opportunities for Boehnke-Becker to get involved in Hope’s mission. She joined the parish council and building and vision committees and found an enjoyable experience in teaching adult Bible study.

“I really had a lot of fun with it,” she recalled. “But it was also time to get back to my practice. … I talked to the pastor and said I just wouldn’t have time to do both.”

But the pastor did something that startled Boehnke-Becker; he challenged her decision. Putting the ball in her court, he asked, “If it’s something you’re sad to give up, then are you supposed to be going back?”

Though she did find her church work rewarding, Boehnke-Becker was not about to move her family so she could attend seminary. It was out of the question. Hope’s leaders, however, were exploring ways to bring more leaders into the church, and Boehnke-Becker was a prime candidate.

She decided to enter an accredited program at Bethel Baptist Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and enrolled in the five-year program. She loaded up on the online courses and earned a Master of Divinity degree in two years.

This change in careers brought questions.

“People were asking me why I went from medicine to church, and I found that it’s absolute proof that God has a sense of humor,” Boehnke-Becker explained. “I wanted to be a doctor from the time I was 5 years old, but this is what God wants me to do. And if God calls me to go back to medicine, then I will.”

Boehnke-Becker keeps her licensing and medical boards active, if that time comes. But for now, she’s working with adult men and women, couples, parents, skeptics and nonbelievers.

“It’s just a lot of fun with our Alpha program to take someone who is a skeptic and walk along side them,” she said. “I see them come in as a nonbeliever, and by the end of the course, become a believer. I’m able to have the ringside seat. To see what God has done for them is great.”

Editor’s note: Dr. Caroline Boehnke-Becker is a member of the Commission on Mission Faith Task Force. In coming issues of Wartburg Magazine, we will continue to profile task force members and others, as well as keep readers apprised of the ongoing work of the Commission.

Caldwell is a communication arts major from Washington, Iowa.