natbothwell
About
My name is Nat Bothwell, and I currently serve the community of Bethlehem Lutheran Church (BLC) in Slater, Iowa as their pastor. A rostered leader in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), I serve BLC as a theologian, evangelist, advocate, and care taker. As a pastor, I'm called to wrestle with big questions. I'm called into tough realities and matters of ultimate freedom, truth, purpose, and the mystery of God (among other things).
The road to here has been scenic to say the least. Through it all, I've collected a few stories worth telling, and that's one hope for this blog.
I hold a Master of Divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. I completed my Clinical Pastoral Education work at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. I additionally hold a Master of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And with all of that said, my informal training continues.
High Places and Low
Wake Forest University
1994 - 1996
Graduate school at 24. I studied marketing and brand theory. Even then, I was interested in stories. My education included a sports marketing internship with Nationsbank in Charlotte. That, and an introduction to Carolina barbeque (served with a bottle of Cheerwine). I learned that unique strengths are a thing to be claimed. In business, they call them "brand attributes" or "order winners." In the church, they call these things "gifts."