Eric has been an ordained pastor for 33 years, serving in a number of different settings, from large multi-church parishes to individual churches to a church plant, covering city, town and rural contexts.  Eric draws upon his wide variety of pastoral experiences in his calling to work with congregations in transition, conflict and crisis through his Moving Forward consulting ministry.  He is currently in the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Seminary and has also taken training in mediation, Myers-Briggs, Healthy Congregations, and Intentional Interim Ministry. In addition to consulting, Eric is an Adjunct Professor at UNWSP in the ministry department where he teaches the Care and Counseling courses, plus the Relationships course with Pam.

Pam has served alongside Eric as a contract pastor in all of their calls. She launched her own marriage ministry, On Bended Knee in 2010. She works with dating, engaged and married couples. She also comes alongside churches helping them build strong marriage ministries. Pam loves training, equipping, coaching and encouraging.

Pam and Eric are Adjunct Professors at The Master’s Institute Seminary where they teach the Pastoral Acts classes of Funerals and Marriage.  Eric also serves on the Board of MI.  Eric and Pam have served as an intentional interim pastoral team at three previous churches.  They have been married for 37 years and are parents through the gift of open adoption to adult daughters, Kaara and Leesa.

Jon and Kiana’s journey began in Cedar Rapids, IA, where they met during their school years, bonding over choir, musicals, and service projects. In 2020, they turned their deep friendship into marriage with a Covid wedding.

Kiana moved to Minnesota in 2018 and became deeply involved in the youth program at Christ Lutheran Church, which profoundly impacted her life. Jon joined the church in 2020 after relocating to Minnesota. Now, in 2024, they are excited to lead the Youth Ministry at Christ Lutheran Church.

During the week, Kiana teaches dance across the Twin Cities, including at CREO Arts and Dance Conservatory, and coaches the dance team at Southwest Christian High School. With a passion for working with children, she finds joy in sharing Jesus’ love through her various roles.

Jon, a manufacturing engineer, spends his days problem-solving, a skill honed during family game nights in his large family—he’s the second youngest of ten children. Fun fact: Jon became an uncle at the age of four and has always been surrounded by kids at family gatherings.

Outside of work, Jon and Kiana enjoy cooking together, taking walks, traveling, and playing golf. They are thrilled about this new chapter of leading the youth at Christ Lutheran Church and sharing their love of Christ. One verse that inspires their ministry is Matthew 19:14: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”

I am super excited to be the Worship & Music Director at Christ Lutheran Church. I’ve been involved with music in various churches for over 10 years. I have about 12 years of classical training on the piano, and I also participated in theatre for about 7 years. I have played with a couple bands in the Twin Cities, most notably Matcha Fever. I also teach piano.

I grew up in New Hope, Minnesota, which is about 15 minutes from the city. I currently attend North Central University where I am studying Piano Performance and Business Administration.

I like to golf, camp, run, bike, and basically spend most of my time outdoors. I also like to write original pieces on the piano. A verse that I like going into this new role is Psalms 95:1 “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”

I am the administrator here at Christ Lutheran Church. My journey here began in July of 2014. It is such a privilege to be here! I put together our worship folders, newsletters, PowerPoints, assist our accountant and much more.

I have a wonderful, funny, creative, and musically talented husband named Bill. We love being in the great outdoors together biking, cross country skiing, and kayaking. I enjoy singing with Bill and sharing his original music whenever we can. We have seven adult children and 9 amazing grand children.

I am so grateful that God uses our struggles in life for His good purpose ~ Romans 8:28. I am passionate about my walk with Jesus, and I want to reflect him in all I do.