Living Lord Lutheran Church began as a small mission congregation that met in members’ homes for Bible study and worship in the mid 1970s. In December 1977, the Rev. Robert Schact led services, held in Eastview School. In September 1978, the Rev. Bill Bartlett accepted the call as mission developer pastor of Living Lord. Pastor Bartlett’s method of community outreach was to walk door-to-door through the neighborhoods of Bartlett, asking people to come and worship, and it worked. Although his first worship service included only 31 people, the number grew to 900 baptized members over the 4 years he served the church. The congregation’s commitment to the mission of their church was demonstrated when 116 adults and 82 children signed the official charter in December 1978.
The next home for the church was the basement of Bartlett’s old Village Hall. It was in this setting that the congregation formalized its existence by entering into official partnership with what was then called the Lutheran Church in America (now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), in April 1979. April 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of this date.
By February 1980, the congregation needed more space, so they returned to Eastview School for worship services. Eight months later, on a chilly fall day, the congregation broke ground for its first permanent home, at the intersection of Congress Drive and Route 59, where it is still based today. The Lutheran Church in America had purchased the land in 1963 for mission development. The Living Lord congregation reached another milestone when the new church building was dedicated in June 1981. Shortly after this, the church saw a need in the community for a Christian preschool in Bartlett, and so Living Lord Lutheran Preschool opened its doors. Today, the Preschool remains a popular choice for parents in the community who are seeking a preschool that provides their children with a loving atmosphere in which to learn good values along with social and school readiness.
In December 1982, the Rev. Ken Soderlund and his family joined the Living Lord congregation. Pastor Soderlund helped the church expand the ministries begun under Pastor Bartlett, who had moved on to another pastoral calling. Pastor Soderlund steadily guided the church for 18 years as it grew to more than 1,800 members. By 1988, the original church building was bursting at the seams, so the congregation expanded the building to accommodate the need for more Christian education space.
In the late 1990s, Pastor Soderlund helped set in motion another addition to the original building: a beautiful new, much larger sanctuary, which was completed in 1999. Throughout Pastor Soderlund’s time with the congregation, the church hosted many pastoral interns and employed an associate in ministry, Susan Forrester, as well as several associate pastors, including Pastor Amely Lisner, Pastor Frank Ewert, Pastor Bill Wessner, Pastor Christine Stiger, and Pastor Trudy Foote.
Another important ministry of the church that really began to expand under Pastor Soderlund was its youth program, which today continues to offer many faith-development opportunities for young people ranging in age from fifth grade to college. The youth directors integral to this growth and development were Mark Nienow and then Suzanne Clarey. These lay ministers touched the lives of hundreds of children in and around Bartlett. In the spring of 2000, Pastor Soderlund accepted a call to move his ministry to a church in Wisconsin, where he remained until retirement a few years later.
The Rev. Eric Lesher was called to lead the congregation from the fall of 2000 until May 2007, when he moved on to a new calling in Kearney, Nebraska. Pastor Lesher had the help of two associate pastors, Rev. Jean Marie Durán and Rev. Steve Myers, who are still on our ministerial team today. This active team of pastors worked together to grow the spirituality of the congregation and this time was marked by an increase in participation in Bible study and the growth of many other ministries and community-outreach activities. The youth program also continued to do well under the direction of Leesa Lance and Jason Brandt, followed by Andrew Dodd and Chris Maloney, who have since moved on to other opportunities and callings.
In 2008, the congregation hired long-time member Bob Esmail to lead a new Youth and Family Ministry focused on the spiritual development of the entire family. Bob has been active in youth ministries at Living Lord for more than 10 years. Diana Turk, who grew up in this congregation and has now embarked on a career in teaching at the middle school level, was also hired as the part-time director of Living Lord’s Confirmation Program for seventh and eighth graders.
We are currently searching for a new senior pastor. In the meantime, Pastor Myers has stepped in as interim senior pastor to help provide direction and continuity. As the fifth oldest church in Bartlett, Living Lord Lutheran Church has steadily grown in ministry throughout its 30 years in Bartlett. Our large, mission-minded congregation continues to serve the community through our youth and family programs, Christian education opportunities, and social ministries. We look forward with hope to a wonderful future as we follow our mission to grow in faith and reach out to the community. For more information on Living Lord Lutheran Church and our ministries, please call (630) 830-3630 or visit www.livinglordlutheran.org.