Reverend Wes Cain '09 will serve as Texas Lutheran University’s next campus pastor. He will begin his work with TLU on January 19 in a part-time capacity where he will be responsible for chapel services and will be on campus all day on Mondays and Wednesdays. Effective February 1, he will be on campus full time.

Pastor Wes is a 2009 graduate of TLU, where he majored in Theology and minored in Biblical Greek. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his studies focused on young adult and campus ministries. He was ordained by the United Methodist Church (UMC) in 2015, and has served as pastor of Wimberley UMC since 2017. He has also served as senior pastor at Kyle UMC and as leader for Youth Ministry and Student Ministries at churches in New Braunfels and Boerne.

Pastor Wes also has a wide array of other ministry experiences, including numerous volunteer endeavors focused on the intersection of higher education and spiritual development.

“God has instilled within me a passion for college-aged student ministry," he said. "I am especially excited about this opportunity because TLU is where I first realized my call to minister to and with college students, faculty, and staff. I saw first-hand the impact a thriving campus ministry can have on a university focused on engaging a wide range of study, activity, and community.”

In his conversations with the TLU community, Pastor Wes demonstrated his ecumenical understanding of theology and faith, and noted his connection to Luther’s vision of grace and the Lutheran understanding of faith that is rooted in accessibility to all. Along with this, drawing on his own experiences as a student, he has made clear that he understands the significance of campus ministries at TLU and the breadth of leadership that is required to build and sustain this area fully. The full communion status shared between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the UMC will allow him to lead with a common faith lived out in a cross-denominational way.

The campus looks forward to welcoming Wes and his family back to the TLU community. He is married to Reverend Jessica Cain, also a 2009 graduate, who now serves as the pastor of Living Word Lutheran Church in Buda. The Cains have three children: James, Joseph, and Rebekah.

Plans are underway for an installation service later in the spring for Pastor Wes, with more details to be provided on that in the future.