St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church-Vilmar (NALC), rural Greene, Iowa
Greene, Iowa 50636

• Experience: 2018-Present Pastor, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church-Vilmar, rural Greene, IA 2013-2018 Pastor, Emmons Lutheran Church, Emmons, MN 2010-2012 Pastor, McConnellsburg Lutheran Parish, McConnellsburg, PA 2007-2010 Pastor, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Audubon, IA 2005-2007, Mission Developer for Iowa & Adjacent States, Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium of North America
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: Some of the material has been borrowed from other sources. I have tried to give credit where it’s due, but over the course of time, I may not have cited some things properly. I pray these sermons from a young pastor will be of use to others.
• Sermon or series that made a difference: I can't really say one particular sermon has made a difference. I have had many sermons over the years where afterward, someone in the congregation has said "Pastor, I could have sworn you wrote that sermon just for me. Thank you." Each time I proclaim God's Word from the pulpit, wherever I am, the Holy Spirit uses that word to work on someone where they are at. Keeping that in mind reminds me why I do this.
• Family: I married my wife, Lindsay, in October, 2005. We have one son, Bradon, who was born in September, 2010.
• What my parents think of my sermons: They think they’re wonderful, sometimes a bit too long though.
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: You’d have to ask her. :-)
• Best advice given to me about preaching: Don’t put yourself down over your own perceived lack of ability in the pulpit. We are all unworthy servants, using God’s Word, not ours. When it becomes about you, you have lost your focus.
• Books that have had an impact: The Bible "The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel" C.F.W. Walther
• Hobbies: History, Sight Seeing, Family, Baseball
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But because of the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all of our sins have been paid for and through Christ, you are set free from sin and are now a redeemed child of God!
• Something funny that happened while preaching: I was helping out during Zion Lutheran, LuVerne, Iowa’s pastoral vacancy in the summer of 2001 and was preaching there one Sunday morning when a thunderstorm was coming through town. It happened to be Seminary Sunday, and the focus of the sermon was about the shortage of pastors and the need to recruit and support more pastors. Just as I made the comment that the church needed to support the men at our seminaries and make sure finances were not an issue for them, a loud clap of thunder was hea

• McConnellsburg Lutheran Parish
• Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
• Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
• Lutheran CORE