Welcome Interim Senior Pastor - Martin Teske

Martin E. Teske was born in Perry County, Missouri, son of The Reverend and Mrs. Herbert Teske, Sr.  Following boyhood in South Dakota and teenage years in Illinois, he attended colleges of the LCMS in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Fort Wayne, Indiana before beginning theological study at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. After graduating from Concordia Seminary with a Master of Divinity Degree in 1966, Pastor Teske served for twenty-nine years as parish pastor in Pennsylvania and New York State.  During this time he pursued post graduate study at Colgate Rochester Divinity School where he received a Master of Theology degree in Family Ministries in 1978. After receiving special interim training in 1995, Rev. Teske began this unique ministry as Intentional Interim Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Batavia, New York.   He moved to Texas in July of 1996 after receiving a call from the Texas District to serve as Interim Minister at Large. Since then he has served thirteen congregations in Texas and Kansas as Intentional Interim Pastor.     Pastor Teske and his wife, Lenore, reside in Houston.

Welcome Interim Associate Pastor - Tom Mroch

Pastor Tom Mroch was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1945.  After his freshman year of high school, his father, a pastor, took a call to Evansville, Indiana.  Evansville remains home for his mother; his father was called to heavenly rest seven years ago.  He graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 1971.  Pastor Tom ministered in Indiana, three parishes in Nebraska, at Holy Cross, Colorado Springs, Co and in Ohio.  Read more...

Welcome Christa Stec - Music Director

We are delighted that Christa Stec has accepted our call to be the new Music Director at Our Father. Christa Stec and her husband, Dan, have 2 children, Gideon (age 2), and Amelia (8 months). Christa received a BA in Parish Music and Organ from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin in 2002. She is a great organist and pianist and studied with Dr. John Behnke while in college. She has experience in directing handbell choirs, adult choirs, and children’s choirs. She is currently the Director of Music at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wentzville, Missouri. Her husband Dan has been the family/youth minister at Immanuel Lutheran Church but is hoping to find a job teaching high school English in the Denver area. Christa’s father is also a pastor in a Lutheran church in Jefferson City, Missouri and Christa has relatives in the Fort Collins area. She has several sisters and brothers in various areas of the country. Dan is an avid book reader and grew up in the Chicago area.

How long will it take before we have a new senior pastor in place?

We expect that it will take 18-24 months from the time of Pastor Hinchey’s retirement to have a new senior pastor in place. This timeline includes about 12-24 months working with an Intentional Interim Pastor. Near the end of the Intentional Interim Pastor’s time with us, a Senior Pastor Call Committee will begin work to evaluate candidates and issue a call.

Why does it take so long for this transition?

It is important to take this time, under the leadership of an Intentional Interim Pastor (IIP), to evaluate the mission of OFLC and develop a complete understanding of what is needed from our new senior pastor. We won’t attempt to shortcut this process, because it’s important to do the hard work of evaluation and planning in order to support the call process and provide a basis for new beginnings.

How soon will we have a new Music Director in place?

We expect that the Music Director Hiring Committee will make a recommendation no later than the end of May and for a temporary music director to be in place no later than mid-summer, in time to do important planning for the fall season. This will be a contract position with renewal on a yearly basis. The permanent Director of Music position will be filled after a new senior pastor arrives.

Why confuse this pastoral transition with re-evaluation of our congregational mission? Haven’t we already done a lot of work on this over the past few years?

Yes, we have done a significant amount of work planning for our future the last couple years, and none of this effort will go to waste. The Intentional Interim Pastor will lead us in the process of examining this previous work, along with our history as a congregation, in order to bring together a vision that will enable us to move forward as a congregation. Our previous work will help streamline the process during transition.

What is the role of the Intentional Interim Pastor?

Not only will this ordained pastor continue the duties of senior pastor after Pastor Hinchey’s retirement, but he has also been trained and has experience with leading congregations through transitions such as ours. He will provide important spiritual and administrative leadership in helping the congregation clarify its vision and mission.

When will the Interim Pastor be in place?

It is our goal to have the Intentional Interim Pastor in place by the end of June, shortly after Pastor Hinchey’s retirement date. The Intentional Interim Pastor Call Committee has recently begun their work towards making this call.

How much involvement will the Synod and District have in the selection of the Intentional Interim Pastor and our permanent Senior Pastor?

The District will support the transition by providing names of potential candidates and identifying resources to help us with the process and in planning. The list of candidates provided by the District will only be a start, and we’ll be soliciting suggestions from other sources.