Speaker Series Event

First Lutheran Foundation Dialogue in Action Speaker Series 2026. Join Austen Hartke, author of “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians,” for an evening of education and storytelling. Tuesday, May 12, 2026 5:00 p.m. Austen will describe his experience growing up in and out of church, touching on a few of the Bible stories that helped him feel seen along the way, before moving focus to our current context. What does it mean to be transgender today? What struggles do trans people face, and what unique joys do they bring to the world? How can we, as friends, family, and neighbors, support the gender-expansive people in our lives? A Q&A and book signing will follow the lecture. Austen Hartke is also the founder and former Executive Director of Transmission Ministry Collective, an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation and leadership potential of transgender and gender expansive Christians. Austen is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing from the same institution.