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May 30, 2026
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The current call committee has been working diligently since January and we have sifted through information on many different pastors. We had Zoom interviews with 9 pastors and have brought 3 pastors to St. Paul’s campus for in-person interviews, meeting with the Elders, meeting with the call committee, and tours of our facilities. The call committee feels strongly that all 3 candidates that we are bringing to the voters’ meeting are well qualified and can serve St. Paul’s well for many years. We ask for your continual prayers for God to show our congregation who is the man that He wants to lead us forward.
The 3 pastors that we will bring to the congregational voters’ meeting on Sunday, June 14 are Rev. Luke Anderson, Rev. Michael Pottschmidt, and Rev. Thomas Schlund. Please include them in your prayers in the coming weeks. Found below is a brief description of each pastor and I have included links to their churches’ websites and links to recent church services/sermons.
Please note, there will be a candidate recommended by the Call Committee at the voters’ meeting, but we ask that you would take the time to review the information provided to facilitate our discussion during the meeting.
In Christ,
Al Koepke, Chairman, St. Paul's Senior Pastor Call Committee
P.S. Any direct contact with any candidate or members of the candidate’s congregation is strongly discouraged while the call process continues, even after a call is issued.
St. Paul’s Senior Pastor candidates
Luke Anderson
Pastor Anderson is 40 years old, and 2 weeks ago, he graduated from Concordia Seminary with his Doctor of Ministry degree in Homiletics. He was born in Hutchinson, MN and is married to Sarah, a Lutheran school teacher who is from St. Louis (Lutheran South graduate). They have 4 children. Following Pastor Anderson’s graduation from the Seminary in 2013, he was assigned to St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, MO. After 3 years, he took a call to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grafton, WI (795 weekly attendance) in 2016. In 2021, Pastor Anderson became the senior pastor at St. Paul. Pastor Anderson wants you to know that he does NOT stand behind the pulpit while preaching. Note that in the videos but do not be distracted, listen to his message.
https://www.splgrafton.org/church/
Church Service Links
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6925870?video=1190131332 (Traditional Service)
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6925870?video=1179960349 (Good Friday)
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6925870?video=1173466678 (Traditional Service)
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6925870?video=1175824484 (Contemporary Service)
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6925870?video=1173646272 (Contemporary Service)
Michael Pottschmidt
Pastor Pottschmidt is a 47 year old. His wife, Victoria, works as a counselor and they have 2 children. Following his graduation from the seminary in 2005, he was assigned to Trinity Lutheran Church in Richmond, VA. In 2013, after 8 years, he become the senior pastor at Trinity. He then took a call to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Concordia, MO (550 weekly attendance) in 2018 and became senior pastor 18 months later.
https://www.stpaulsconcordia.org/
Church Service Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJOM3EgvmiU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7bcbeSodrk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXV_ew81QkY (Wednesday Lent)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdz0k-z6Hkw
Thomas Schlund
Pastor Schlund is a member of St. Paul’s and has 3 children, 2 of which attend our day school. Pastor Schlund is 42 years old and is from Janesville, WI. His wife, Beth, is a registered nurse working part time. Beth was born in Cincinnati but grew up in St. Louis (graduating from Lutheran South). Pastor Schlund worked in higher education for 4 years after college and then decided to go to the seminary. Upon graduation in 2016, he was assigned to Trinity Lutheran Church in Algona, IA (350 weekly attendance) and was made senior pastor within 6 months. He left Trinity in November 2021, after 5½ years, to return to St. Louis working as an admissions officer at the Seminary. He recently took a job at Lutheran Federal Credit Union.
www.trinityalgona.org
Sermon Links
December 28, 2025 (St. Paul's) -- https://www.youtube.com/live/UWaE4bote7k?si=rdA2GsQHRzK3-YVL&t=2010
May 29, 2022 (St. Paul's) -- https://www.youtube.com/live/nOUyLfay2T4?si=3GyQ2DDP89_hYvkJ&t=2005
March 9, 2020 (Trinity) -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhUAFtua8Sg
January 14, 2020 (Trinity) -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR6xs5TPSaw
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