Dr. Bernie Tonjes presented Lifetime Service Award

During Homecoming weekend, the Concordia Alumni Association honors alumni and friends for their outstanding service and accomplishments. The Lifetime Service Award is presented to emeriti or retired faculty or a staff member who demonstrates outstanding Christian service and leadership in the community, church and world through contributions of time, talent and treasure. 

A skilled educator with decades of experience, Dr. Bernie Tonjes ’74 served Concordia University, Nebraska as professor of education, director of student teaching and director of dual credit from 2006 to 2018. 

In 2018, he was invited to re-establish a successful student services program at Lutheran High School of St. Charles County in St. Peters, Missouri. He served as interim director of student services and taught Concordia Nebraska dual credit services at the school until his retirement in 2025. 

Tonjes has a bachelor’s degree in education from Concordia Nebraska, a master’s degree in education from California State University in Los Angeles and a doctoral degree in education foundations from St. Louis University.  Immediately following college graduation, he served as director of youth and fifth through eighth grade teacher at Immanuel First Lutheran Church in West Covina, California. He has also served as a biology, science and religion teacher at Los Angeles Lutheran High School in Burbank, California; as director of youth at Faith Lutheran Church in Tujunga, California and as teacher and director of guidance at Lutheran High School of St. Charles County.  In addition to administrative duties, he taught a dual credit psychology course each year beginning around 1995. 

Tonjes said he is “gleefully retired at present.  I am responsible for the lawn work, all woodworking projects and other duties as assigned by upper management also known as my wife.” 

Tonjes and his wife Janet (Cummings) Tonjes ’74 have two children: Mike and Rebekah ‘06. Mike and wife Shawn have two children: Reina (5) and Adrian (3). Rebekah and husband Mark Frigy have two children: Jacob (4) and Emily (1).  

Since retirement, Tonjes has enjoyed giving informational presentations to faculty and students at Lutheran High School of St. Charles when invited. He currently serves as co-chair of the Planting Seeds of Faith Ministry Expansion Committee at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles and occasionally teaches Sunday morning Bible study. He is editing an ASL-friendly overview of Edward Wilhelm August Koehler’s “Summary of Christian Doctrine” for the deaf ministry program in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Missouri District. He is also a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church leadership team. He previously was a member of the Missouri District Church Worker Recruitment Committee, the Lutheran School Counselor Association and the LCMS Task force regarding Domestic Violence and Child Abuse. 

“My current vocation is to be retired and serve as husband, father and grandfather and to work with our church to develop a plan for building a new preschool building,” he said. “I still like doing things to be helpful and that will last for a while. I volunteered to work through our church’s policy manual because I know what a pain a poorly written policy can be. Policy manuals have an ongoing subtle influence on the operation of an organization. We are also working to raise the funds to build a new preschool building at our church, and I anticipate that when that is done, the building will last beyond my days and continue to serve the needs of my home congregation and the community at large for many years to come.“

“I wasn’t really sure I wanted to be a teacher until I went student teaching. Once I experienced the challenges and joys of having my own classroom, I was all in!” 

Tonjes helped start Lutheran High School of St. Charles County in 1982 and was the school’s first full-time teacher.   

“The school continues today as a wonderful school with an outstanding reputation not only for academics and athletics, but also for service in the community,” he said. “I was also on the original committee and then board of directors that established Child of God Lutheran Church and School in St. Peters, Missouri.  They just celebrated their 25th anniversary. I am also pleased to have been able to help with re-invigoration of Concordia’s dual credit program which now serves hundreds of students and dozens of high schools across the nation!” 

The Tonjeses enjoy spending time together as a family. Bernie enjoys helping his children with home improvement projects and may even be found building furniture on occasion. He loves to read and stay current on psychology themes because he still finds the topic interesting. 

Tonjes said his time at Concordia Nebraska not only allowed him to meet his wife, but he also made many lifelong friendships and discovered his love for teaching. 

“I wasn’t really sure I wanted to be a teacher until I went student teaching. Once I experienced the challenges and joys of having my own classroom, I was all in!” he said. “I think my professors were wonderfully tolerant of my indecision, disorganization and lack of focus on a teaching career…We had a lot of excellent role models. They showed us that they could teach with integrity and faith and hold their own against the forces that weaken the church.  They also showed me that a life in church work was an okay way to go. You’re never going to get rich, but the Lord provides. He always has!” 

He said his time at Concordia helped to develop his faith, but that the university continued to support his work in the church and teaching ministry long after his time in Seward was done. 

“Concordia helped me by giving me resources to return to when I was out in the field and actually felt the challenges of real ministry.  For example, when my youth group kids in California wanted to participate in a re-baptism with another church, I had the basic tools I needed to answer and discuss their issues.  Because I was responsible for teaching teens about sometimes complex or controversial ideas, I returned to a lot of the information I had learned in college.  How many times did I lament that I wish I had listened better!” he said. “Because I was also assigned to teach religion classes, my need to properly prepare lessons made me a regular consumer of important resources I learned about as a student. I expected to be a biology teacher and maybe a school counselor. Teaching others about the faith has served as a consistent renewal of my own faith.” 

Tonjes said that his ministry has been full of joy, but that there have been challenges, too. He encourages others to remember that “God is always with you.” 

“Even in the times when you may not feel like He is there, or you may find it difficult to find His will in the face of substantial challenges, He is still there,” he said. “I used to tell my students that the advantage I had over them was that I had a longer path to my life and so it was easier to turn around and look back and see where God had been guiding me without my knowing it.  By starting me out in a large grade school and youth ministry in California, God prepared me for challenges that I never would have anticipated.”   

During Homecoming and Alumni Reunion Weekend, Concordia University, Nebraska joyfully celebrates alumni and friends whose faith-filled service, leadership and achievements inspire the Concordia community and beyond.