A Door That Never Closed: Jason Becker and the Journey to Principal

Jason Becker never planned to become a principal. He just kept saying yes to the next thing God put in front of him.

Growing up the son of a pastor, Jason moved around quite a bit — Louisiana, southwest Missouri, and eventually a small town just north of Effingham, Illinois so small it had fewer residents than the total enrollment at Lutheran North today. He attended a Lutheran elementary school, then a public high school, before heading to Concordia University in Chicago, where he studied secondary math with a focus in Lutheran teaching. Math came naturally to him, but it was never the whole story. "I always said I loved Jesus more than math," he reflects. In college he tutored others in the subject, and that experience only deepened his desire to work with students in a Lutheran high school setting.

After graduating, Jason answered a call to teach at Lutheran High School East in Cleveland, where he spent six years teaching math, serving as Dean of Chapel, and coaching track. It was a formative season, one that shaped how he thinks about leadership, community, and the unique opportunity that comes with working in a Lutheran school. When he and his wife began looking to move closer to family in Effingham and St. Louis, Lutheran North stood out immediately. The community felt familiar, similar in spirit to what he had known in Cleveland, and three years ago he made the move. He joined the faculty at Lutheran North as a math teacher, became the Dean of Chapel, track coach, and faculty sponsor of the Peer Ministry Program, jumping in with both feet from the start.

Those three years gave Jason a front row seat to what makes Lutheran North special and where it can grow. He has seen tremendous collaboration and also areas where deeper trust and alignment can be built. His vision for the school is rooted in bringing people together in new ways, staff, departments, students, families, the greater community and alumni, creating a community where everyone feels valued, connected, and growing in both faith and academics. "Finding ways to create communities where people feel valued, connected, and able to grow in their faith and academics, that is what drives me," he says.

At the center of that vision is a question he returns to again and again. "The first question I ask is, can kids know and experience Jesus here?" he says. "I know they will get a high quality education, the teachers are top notch. But how do we make an eternal impact?" That question took on new meaning early in his teaching days, when a high school senior asked him a question about faith and he realized he couldn't answer it as well as he wanted to. That moment sent him deeper into God's word and shaped the kind of educator and leader he has become.

As Dean of Chapel, Jason watched students seek out faith on their own terms, forming Bible studies like Donuts and Devotions and Coffee and Christ, asking where they could go deeper, showing up not because they had to but because they wanted to. At the fall 2026 Freshman retreat, students asked Jason about Bible studies they could join, a moment that left a particular mark on him. "Students are seeking out God's word," he says. "That is an opportunity to meet them where they are and help them grow in their faith." Seeing that hunger in students is what excites him most about the faith community at Lutheran North.

He is also energized by Lutheran North's unique position in north county. "We are one of the only co-ed religious secondary education schools in north county at this point," he says. "That is a big opportunity, to be an active presence in the community through our service days, our education, our athletics, and more." He hopes to help students carry their faith beyond the school walls and into their friendships and communities. As Romans 10:17 reminds us, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ — and Jason believes that every student who walks out of Lutheran North carries that word with them.

When the opportunity to serve as Principal arose, Jason prayed a simple prayer. "God, close the door if you don't want me to serve here." The door never closed. He stepped forward in faith, trusting the timing even with a one month old at home and a growing role at his church, Immanuel Lutheran in St. Charles. In 2024 he also completed his MBA Chief School Business degree, further preparing him for the road ahead.

Beyond the principal's office, Jason is someone who never takes himself too seriously. He played three sports in high school, loves watching all types of sports, accompanied the choir on Band and Choir tour, ran a half marathon last year alongside Lutheran North staff, and stays deeply involved at his church. He also has a creative side that might surprise you, in his spare time, Jason creates stained glass. He wants students and families to know that his door is always open. "I want to make this a place where people feel valued and connected," he says, "and I want to back that up with relationships. They can always talk to me."

For alumni, his hope is equally simple. A former student once told him they missed chapel and the sense of community at North more than anything else. That stuck with him. "I want people to walk away with that feeling, of community and of belonging."

Lutheran North is entering an exciting new chapter, and Jason Becker is ready to lead the way.