Church Leadership and Staff

 

Pastor Dale Stiles

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Church Staff

 
Beth Lunsford
Worship Leader
 
Carol Schmidt
Office Administrator
 
Cheryl Hultquist                                Custodian
Greetings on Behalf of First United Methodist Church in Lindstrom!
 
Thank you for visiting our church website!
I began my ministry appointment at First United Methodist Church in Lindstrom on July 1, 2018. I have discovered true, authentic, and genuine community within this community of faith. I expect you will as well. I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know how God has been, or is, at work in your life. I also appreciate hearing other’s deep and difficult questions of faith and life. In fact, I believe sometimes we are made stronger in faith through our questioning and doubt. I’m up for a visit and cup of coffee anytime. I hope to see you in worship at First United Methodist.
 
Here’s a bit more about me and background.

  Education

  • Bachelor of Arts (Psych/Soc.), Concordia College, Moorhead (1992)
  • Master of Divinity, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN (1996)
  • Doctor of Ministry, Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN (2017)

  Ministry Experience

  • Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Stillwater, MN, 2014-2018
  • Fish Lake Lutheran Church, Harris, MN, 2003-2014
  • Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Circle Pines, MN, 1996-2003
 
Call to Ministry
 
My call to ministry began in college when I became active in campus ministry and outreach. I played guitar in a worship and praise band that led daily chapel services and I visited the local juvenile detention center once/week to minister to the teenagers who were incarcerated there. These experiences led me to work at Camp Onomia Bible Camp for three summers while in college, that then led me to seminary upon my college graduation. From then to now, my call to ministry has only continued to be affirmed in powerful and rewarding ways. I am so thankful for where following my call has led me and am always open to the Holy Spirit’s working in my life and ministry.
 

Passion for Ministry

What I am most passionate about is seeing people become excited about their own faith. I then am eager to walk alongside of them to help them grow into the disciples Jesus calls us to be. Discipleship is hard work and we need to work together at it. It is so rewarding, too! I am passionate about teaching and preaching and baptizing and communing and marrying and burying. I really shine when I preside at funerals. All of which gives me energy and hope. I thrive in a community of faith that shares that energy.
 

Vision of the Church

The church continues to serve as a beacon of hope and light in a dark and hurting world. We, as the Church, are continually called to embody it and be the hands and feet of Christ to all. I hope and pray that the church will continue to be where people turn for hope, comfort, assurance and forgiveness, especially in these days of unrest and uncertainty across our national and global political and spiritual landscape.
 

Gifts for Ministry

I am well-seasoned and experienced for parish ministry having been ordained now for 23 years. I have served in three distinct congregations – small sub-urban, rural and large sub-urban. I have progressed in my ministry from youth pastor, to solo pastor, to lead pastor. I have learned much throughout this progression but remain rooted in my original call to ministry and continue to thrive on the rewards I see daily in any setting. I am humbled and honored to serve as a parish pastor and be invited into the lives of the people I serve. I enjoy preaching, teaching and visiting the most. I value good, quality, authentic worship, committed mission and outreach, solid spiritual learning and growth, and an authentic sense of community.
 

Contact Information

 
 

Congregational Leadership Team

 
Chairperson of Church Council                             Wendy Vanderwerf
Lay Leader                                                                Andy Wilkerson
Recording Secretary                                                Emily Honebrink
Council Members At-Large                                     Sarah White-Clark
  Tom Ervasti
                                                                                               Cheryl Lecy
 
Missions                                                                    Adrienne Stegmeier (Chair)
                                                                                   Sharlene Arnold
                                                                                   Susan Hernick
                                                                                   Rusty Johnson
 
Staff Parish Relations                                             Juanita Morgan (Chair)
                                                                                   Donn Arnold
                                                                                   Wendy Vanderwerf
                                                                                   Lois Anderson
                                                                                   Gerry Gaudette
                                                                                   Pete Leadholm
                                                                                   Dorothy Lecy
                                                       
Trustees                                                                    Lloyd Jones (Chair)
                                                                                   Gary Gerke
                                                                                   Tim Ploog
                                                                                   Paul Prokosch
                                                                                   Cindy Kopp
                                                                                   Jack Danielson
                                                                                   Mark Vanderwerf
                                                                                   Juanita Morgan
                                                                                   Tim Clark
 
Finance                                                                     Scott Lecy (Chair)
                                                                                   Carol Schmidt
                                                                                   Lloyd Jones
                                                                                   Gerry Gaudette
 
Treasurer                                                                  Carol Schmidt
 
Financial Secretary                                                  Lloyd Jones
 
Foundation                                                               Donn Arnold (Chair)
                                                                                   Lois Anderson
                                                                                   Cindy Keesee
                                                                                   Dick Berglund
                                                                                   Donn Arnold
                                                                                   Shirley Oswald
                                                                                   Dari Ferguson
                                                                                   Susan Hernick