“What I liked about that was I’m not just learning these things. I would have the chance to be held accountable by friends to make sure that I actually understood it in my heart,” Batdorf said.

Batdorf graduated in May with a Master’s in Divinity supported by his wife and odd jobs at Talbot, such as teaching some of the seminary courses and working in the administrative department in some of the seminary programs.

Now, after having started around the beginning of September, Batdorf is ready to start ministering to the Austin community.

It’s been difficult getting his family down here, however.

For a while Batdorf, his wife and his 2 1/2 year old daughter Anneliese were staying with members of the church before a family the Batdorfs knew found them a place: their neighbors were looking to move to South Dakota. The Batdorfs will be moving into their new home sometime this week, as Shelley and Anneliese have stayed in Minneapolis while Batdorf has been busy ministering.

Batdorf says he and his wife love the rural setting they’re moving to and that he finds the people of Austin to be “very nice.”

For now, Batdorf is settling into the community. His biggest goal is to help people grow closer to Christ.

“I love helping people grow in their understanding of what God’s grace is about,” Batdorf said. “If I’m helping with that, and that’s happening in people’s lives, then I’ve felt like I’ve accomplished a lot, or been able to be part of accomplishing a lot.”