Concordia Nebraska's Institute for Religious Education names scholarship winner

Seward, NE (11/11/2026) — Concordia University, Nebraska's Institute for Religious Education (IRE) recently announced that senior Ardin Mignea of Las Vegas, Nevada is the first-ever IRE student scholarship recipient. Mignea will receive a $2,000 scholarship and will be tasked with supporting the promotion of the IRE among the university's campus church work students and will also partner with IRE leadership to develop a resource to be made available on the institute's website.

"Since its inception in 2006, the IRE has worked to provide research and resources to help enhance the intentionality and effectiveness of Christian education in the church," said Concordia Nebraska Director of the Institute for Religious Education and Alumni Council Member Dr. Mark Blanke '95. "The institute is providing this scholarship to one Concordia Nebraska DCE student per year to help promote the IRE to the church work students on campus."

The IRE scholarship is available to juniors and seniors at Concordia Nebraska who are majoring in Christian education leadership and seeking a director of Christian education (DCE) certification. Interested students apply via a written essay addressing what should be done to make parish-based education more intentional or effective. The scholarship winner is chosen by the university's DCE program faculty and Blanke.

Mignea's essay focused on the idea of improving student instruction through increased parent involvement prior to a student's confirmation. In The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), confirmation is not a sacrament but a public rite of the church where a baptized Christian makes a personal, public confession of faith and a lifelong pledge of fidelity to Christ following a period of instruction.

"Most adults forget the core components of Lutheran doctrine that they had once learned when initially going through confirmation instruction at a young age, so re-education on these subjects is extremely important," said Mignea. "I hope to put out a resource that works toward that re-education process, whether it is a curriculum to do so or even a retreat to help with that process. Receiving the scholarship and being a part of the program is very important to me, and I hope to use the time to contribute to the IRE in order to best benefit current and future church workers as well as parish education as a whole."

Concordia Nebraska's Institute for Religious Education was established in 2006 as an institute of Concordia University, Nebraska and exists for the purpose of enhancing the intentionality and effectiveness of Christian educational efforts in the church.

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