The Associated Press is reporting that Ellefson, 47, is one of many non-traditional students who are enrolling in an on-line ministry program at Concordia Seminary, which is run by the conservative Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The school boasts of enrollment in their Specific Ministry Program by electricians, farmers, and entrepreneurs who want to become pastors, but Ellefson is in a league of his own.
Raised in a religious family in Minnesota who attended church every Sunday, by 1983, Ellefson had left home and moved to Los Angeles where he formed the heavy metal rock group, Megadeth - which is named for the unit of measurement equal to the death of one million people by nuclear explosions. He was soon playing on the same stage with big metal bands such as Metallica and Slayer, belting out songs with titles such as "Killing is My Business . . . and Business is Good!"
But the lifestyle eventually got the best of him and by age 25, he was in a 12-step recovery program where he was re-introduced to his faith. He embraced it wholeheartedly.
"I came from a good family, not a broken home," Ellefson told the AP. "That became a model for me, and I saw church at center of it."
He moved to Arizona where he married, started a family, and became a member of the Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church in Scottsdale.
Jon Bjorgaard, pastor of Shepherd of the Desert, asked Ellefson to start a contemporary worship service which led to him writing songs based on lyrics from the Old Testament. He named his new music ministry MEGA Life and it was an instant hit with the congregation.
"For a Christmas service, I remixed some classics, not quite in a Megadeth fashion, but in a pretty heavy rock fashion," Ellefson said.
This lead the pastor to ask him to take yet another step closer to Christ - to enroll in Concordia's Specific Ministry Program. Once again, Ellefson responded generously.
"Most people want to become a rock star," Bjorgaard said. "David's a rock star who wants to become a pastor."
He still plays for Megadeth, however, and will tend to his studies during down time on an upcoming tour. It won't be easy because the Concordia program is demanding. Every Tuesday night, Ellefson and eight other students attend an online two-hour live session with a professor. Once a week, he meets with his pastor to discuss the week's work before uploading it to the professor to grade.
For now, he keeps his faith and his onstage persona separate but admits that he tries to "stay away from darker themes" in his songwriting.
"Some people want to morph things together into one, but I have a hand in both worlds," he said. "I love praise and worship music, and I love heavy metal."
After two years at Concordia, Ellefson will be eligible for ordination.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
