Dr. Anton Armstrong
Dr. Anton Armstrong is the longest tenured Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir. He is the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College. He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications and co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy. Dr. Armstrong currently serves as Chair of the National Board of Chorus America and has returned to serve on the National Board of The Choristers Guild and has served as a guest lecturer, clinician and conductor across the globe.
In recent years Dr. Armstrong has guest conducted such noted ensembles as the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, the Utah Symphony and Symphony Chorus, the Utah Voices and Salt Lake City Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Westminster Choir, the American Boychoir, The Houston Chamber Choir, The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, The Phoenix Chorale, Indonesia Youth Choir, and the Ansan City Choir, South Korea. He has also collaborated in concert with Bobby McFerrin and Garrison Keillor.
In January 2006, he received the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching from Baylor University. In June 2013 Dr. Armstrong received the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival. The festival’s highest honor, the Saltzman Award is bestowed upon individuals who have provided exceptional levels of leadership to the organization. For a complete list of honors, awards and honored guest appearances, please see Dr. Armstrong’s St. Olaf profile.
Rev. Renae Boehmer
Pastor Renae Boehmer serves as Director of the Holy Playground Initiative for the South Dakota Synod ELCA. With a background in early childhood education, parent education, congregational ministry, and chaplaincy, she partners with churches to cultivate intergenerational worship and community life where children are fully included.
Rev. Halcyon Bjornstad
Pastor Halcyon (she/her) has the honor of being the Pastor at Lord of Life in Renton WA. She received a BA in Education from Augustana University in Sioux Falls SD and a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque IA. Halcyon served congregations in Montana and Iowa before arriving in the Pacific Northwest. Along with congregational ministry Halcyon spent seven summers at Bible Camps working with youth and staff.
Rev. Dr. Char Rachuy Cox
Rev. Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox serves as the Director of Programming, Engagement, and Innovation for Congregational Thriving through the St. Olaf College Lutheran Center. Pr. Char has been described as pastoral and inspiring, thoughtful and empowering, open and welcoming, prophetic and influential. Pr. Char holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, with an emphasis in Spirituality; a Master of Sacred Theology Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, with an emphasis in Preaching and Worship, a Master of Divinity Degree from Luther Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Augustana University, Sioux Falls. She has served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for over 30 years, serving in congregational, collegiate, and seminary settings. Her ministry passions include preaching and worship, spiritual formation, vocational discernment, mentoring, and being a voice of “great permission” that encourages people to imagine and embrace what it means to be church today. Pr. Char loves reading – especially memoirs and historical fiction, and enjoys writing poetry and poetic prose, traveling, and all things winter.
Rev. Paul Drees
Pastor Paul Drees is a progressive Lutheran pastor in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). He has a B.A. in Social Work from St. Olaf College (‘13), and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary (‘19). He has served as a called and ordained minister in the ELCA for 6 years, and started posting to TikTok in 2021. As of writing, his videos have been viewed 190 million times, and he has over 1 million followers across all platforms. Paul finds great joy in liberation for people and the planet, biking, woodworking, and spending time with his wife, Anna. Omnia donum est.
Vonda Drees
Vonda Drees is a visual artist whose love for life’s questions fuels her art spirit. Contemplative from an early age, creative practices gave her space to converse with the ponderings deepest in her. She, her husband Jim, and their playful black lab, Ren, currently live in the Driftless Region in Wisconsin. Vonda and Jim served as directors of the Grünewald Guild, an art and faith retreat center in Washington from 2016-2020. Vonda was the artist-in-residence for the 2017 Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering and created the art for Augsburg Fortress’s 2023 Calendar of Word and Season. Her artwork has been commissioned for the Institute of Liturgical Studies Conference at Valparaiso University and the Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts at St. Olaf College. Vonda draws inspiration from the natural world and the writings of mystics and voices for justice. She is deeply grateful to have worked on two Nourishing Vocation with Children projects, including Opening God’s Story and the Wonders of Worship.
Megan Engel
From virtuosic organ toccatas to delicate choral arrangements to the grittiest progressive metal, Megan Engel (she/her) loves how music can support individual spirituality and build community. She has served as a church musician since age 13, when she played organ for her small church in rural Southwestern MN. Formal training includes a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance (Indiana University, Bloomington), a Master of Arts in Organ Performance (University of Iowa), and additional graduate work at the University of Minnesota. She has worked with congregations in Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa, and since 2017, serves as the Director of Music and Worship at Bethel Lutheran in Northfield.
Megan lives in Northfield with her husband, two sons, and two cats (Wolfgang and Swift). In her free time, she enjoys singing with local community choir I Cantanti, listening to true crime podcasts, and puzzling.
Arlene Flancher
Arlene Flancher is the Children’s Minister at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Her passion and call has always been doing ministry alongside kids and their caregivers—especially kids from birth through elementary school. Arlene has been working in ministry with kids since forever, and she learns something new every time. She has served in content development, writing, and production roles across the ELCA including at Sparkhouse and Luther Seminary. Arlene and her husband, Rod live in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Rev. Matthew Fleming
Rev. Matthew Ian Fleming is a recovering evangelical who opens up his Bible bruises with curiosity, wonder, and a dash of irreverence. Matthew’s first book, The End is the Beginning: Revelation, Hope, and the Love that Lit the Stars (Broadleaf, 2024) cuts through the echo chamber of rapture-haunted apocalyptic anxiety with a clear picture of God’s persistent love for all that was, and is, and will be. Matthew launched and leads Church Anew, an international platform that hosts events and creates resources that express a fresh, bold, and faithful witness in the world. Ordained in the ELCA, Matthew has created original worship offerings, sermon series, and child-centered worship experiences over his twelve years of leadership to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Jessica Gulseth
Jess Gulseth is the Executive Director of Red Willow Ministries in Eastern North Dakota. Her work weaves together faith formation, leadership development, storytelling, and place-based experiences. Jess is passionate about creating spaces where people of all ages can discover their gifts, connect with others and wonder about God.
Rev. Melinda Halom
Pastor Melinda Halom, owner and liturgical artist of Quilted with Prayer, was ordained in 1999 after graduating from Luther Seminary. She has served as pastor at the Lutheran Church of Mahomet (Mahomet, IL), University Lutheran Church (East Lansing, MI), and Bethel Lutheran Church (New Auburn, WI). She started sewing at a very young age and made her first stoles while in her first call for her husband, Pastor Martin Halom, and herself. A few years later she made a few more and shared them on Facebook, drawing unexpected attention from a few friends and colleagues, who desired to not only admire them from afar, but rather to purchase them as well! What began as a part-time business quickly became a full-time calling. You can find her work at quiltedwithprayer.com, on Facebook at Quilted with Prayer, or visit her in person in the basement of her home in Bloomer, WI! She has a particular heart for first call pastors and deacons and offers them a generous discount during their first year of service. In fact, her outreach spans many denominations both domestically and across the world. (The Bloomer Post Office staff LOVE her for keeping them in business!) Pastors Melinda and Martin also enjoy spending time with their three adult sons – Nicholas, Jaden, and Dylan.
Katie Houts
Katie Houts is the Sacred Choral and Curriculum Editor for Choristers Guild. Serving CG since 2013, Katie curates and edits sacred choral anthems, collections, musicals, curriculum, and teaching resources; she also serves on the faculty of the Choristers Guild Institute. She studied music at Wartburg College (Waverly, IA), where she majored in Church Music (Organ) and Religion. She has served in ELCA, UCC, and UMC congregations as Director of Music, Worship Curator, Organist, and Children’s Choir Director.
Katie is a published composer and a frequent clinician at sacred conferences throughout the country. She serves on ACDA’s National Committee for Composition Initiatives, working to support and champion the work of living choral composers. Katie is also a sought-after professional accompanist, performing throughout Minneapolis, Boston, and Salt Lake City metro areas.
Katie is based in Salt Lake City, where she leads choral ensembles throughout the community, including Rise Up Children’s Choir – Utah’s premiere contemporary vocal performance group for ages 6-18. She conducts RUCC’s intermediate ensemble, Rise Up Ignite, and is the assistant director and accompanist for the advanced mixed children’s choir. She also teaches second grade music and directs the 5th and 6th grade choirs at Wasatch Charter School (Holladay, UT).
Dr. Kiara Jorgenson
A theologian by training, Kiara earned degrees from St. Olaf College (BA, Religion & Women’s Studies, 2002), Denver Seminary (MDiv, 2007) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Theology, 2016). Her research interests include: Protestant ecotheologies, vocation, ecofeminisms, agrarian studies, ecological resistance movements, childhood studies, and the theology of motherwork. She teaches religion courses on ecotheologies, place-based spiritualities, and a smattering of environmental humanities offerings such as Biophilia, Theo-Ethics of Climate Change, and Culture of Nature.
Kiara recently published Ecology of Vocation: Recasting Calling in a New Planetary Era (Fortress/Lexington, 2020) and an edited volume, Ecotheology: A Christian Conversation (Eerdmans, 2020). She has published in a variety of journals on interdisciplinary topics ranging from Jürgen Moltmann’s ecological ethics to the vocation of children to Indigenous influence on Christian watershed liturgies. A sampling of her work can be found here. Kiara is currently working on two book projects, an ecotheological constructive reading of Martin Luther’s anthropology for the Cascade series “Reconstructions in Lutheran Doctrinal Theology” and a popular work on nature, wonder, and the spiritual questing of children.
Kiara lives on the prairie near Nerstrand’s Big Woods with her spouse, young daughters, and an assortment of furry friends. She enjoys historical fiction, gardening, running, hiking, yoga, photography, and fabric arts.
Rev. David Larson-Martinez
David Larson-Martínez received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Valparaiso University and his Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary. Originally from Cuernavaca, Mexico the Twin Cities is where David feels most at home in the United States. He is a consecrated deacon of the Lutheran Diaconal Association (The LDA) and an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Rev. Amy Lindeman Allen
Amy Lindeman Allen is Indiana Christian Church Associate Professor of New Testament at Christian Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor in the ELCA, she serves as Theologian in Residence at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in Brownsburg, Indiana. She has written extensively on children and family in the New Testament and church today. Recent books include Parenting Beyond Boundaries in Mark’s Gospel (2025; co-authored with Sung Uk Lim) and The Gifts They Bring: How Children in the Gospels Can Shape Inclusive Ministry (2023).
Rev. Koren Lindley
Deacon Koren Lindley is an ordained Minister of Word and Service in the ELCA and serves as Deacon of Faith Formation and Outreach at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison, South Dakota. With backgrounds in Marriage & Family Therapy, Spiritual Direction, and Faith Formation, Deacon Koren is passionate about intergenerational ministry and exploring the holy space where faith is shaped between people. She also serves as a Holy Playground Task Force Member and Consultant, inviting congregations to Belong, Wonder, and Worship Together.
Jill Mahr
Jill Mahr holds a B.M. degree in flute performance and music education with a jazz minor from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She earned a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance at Northwestern. Jill teaches flute and handbells at St. Olaf College where she directs the St. Olaf Handbell Choir, the Chapel Ringers, and oversees the direction of the student-led Manitou Handbell Choir and Valhalla Ringers. Jill also directs a youth program of four handbell choirs, ranging in ages from 3rd grade to 12th, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Northfield, MN. She is principal flute in the Mankato Symphony Orchestra and has a private flute studio in her home. Jill has been a handbell clinician for various festivals and conferences throughout the United States, including many years for CWTA.
Rev. Dr. Matt Marohl
Matt Marohl is the College Pastor at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. A pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Matt has served in congregations in the Chicago-area and in the Quad-Cities. He is also a graduate of the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland, with a Ph.D. in New Testament and has taught at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.
Rev. Kristen Massa
Kristen Massa is an associate pastor at Central Lutheran Church in Winona, MN. As a second career pastor, Kristen leans into her fourteen years as an art teacher to direct her passions in ministry. She believes that we all are creative beings as we are formed into the image of God, and the first thing God did was create! Kristen is passionate about connecting ministry and the arts, whether that be through leading a meditative watercolor class or planning meaningful creative experiences for VBS. For her, art is a way to connect with God, pray with God and give thanks to God. She lives at home with her two kids, husband, Toby the old grumpy cat, and her two corgis- Juniper and Boulder.
Rev. Mallory Morris
Rev. Mallory Morris serves as the newly-called pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kettering, OH. She received her BA in English from Columbia College in Columbia, SC and her M.Div from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. She also completed a year of Lutheran Formation through Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. In 2024, she launched a blog through Substack called The Picture Pulpit where she integrates photography and writing to experiment with how the two can work together for spiritual engagement and formation.
When she’s not working, Mallory enjoys spending time with her husband and their pets. She also enjoys hobbies that range from the creative, to the athletic, to the downright nerdy!
Dr. John Nunes
John Arthur Nunes, PhD, has served for more than thirty years as a leader of academic institutions and non-profit organizations. He is a popular speaker and published author.
On June 1, 2025, Dr. Nunes was appointed as the ninth president of California Lutheran University after a one-year interim appointment. He previously served as president of Concordia College—New York, as the president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, and held an endowed
professorate at Valparaiso University. Since 2020, Nunes serves on the Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression for the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities. He has provided ministry leadership in inner-city communities in Detroit, Michigan and Dallas, Texas.
Nunes has published five books and over sixty book chapters, articles, and reviews. He enjoys
writing and storytelling about “fides et ratio” (faith and reason) as a resource for human
flourishing. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago,
two master’s degrees, a Bachelor of Arts, and has been awarded three honorary doctorates.
Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, John has lived in the
United States since 1981. He is married to Monique Nunes, an educator and a musician, born in
Selma, Alabama and raised in Chicago, Illinois. The Nuneses have six grown children and
thirteen grandchildren.
Rev. Laura Overbo
Pastor Laura Overbo is an ELCA pastor who serves at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Watertown, SD. She is married to Pastor Dan Overbo and together they have three boys. Pastor Laura enjoys spending time at the cabin on Lake Poinsett, quilting and reading.
Elizabeth Schoen
Elizabeth Schoen (Lizzy) is a second year Masters of Divinity student at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She is pursuing ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America as a minister of Word and Sacrament. She serves as the ministerial intern at Augustana Lutheran Church Hyde Park. Lizzy graduated with a B.A. from St. Olaf College majoring in Religion and English Literature, receiving distinction for her project “Women Writing of Divinest Things: Why Theologians Should Study Early Modern Female Poets”. She has also been involved in interfaith work serving as an Abrahamic Program for Young Adults Coordinator at the Chautauqua Institution and in college as an Interfaith Fellow at the Lutheran Center for Faith Values and Community.
Rev. Teresa Stewart
Reverend Teresa Stewart is the lead pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Spring Hill, FL. A native of St. Petersburg, she obtained her bachelor’s degree from Eckerd College and went on to earn an MDiv with a focus on mission development/redevelopment from Wartburg Seminary in 2022. Rev. Stewart is married to Carl, and together they have two adult children and one teenager.
Rev. Stewart is fervently dedicated to extending her ministry beyond the church walls. She seeks to address the pivotal question preceding Child Attentive Worship: How can the Gospel be shared with children who are not brought to church? This inquiry guides her community outreach, motivating her and her congregation to engage deeply with the Elemental Ministry Pilot Project, and has them actively exploring ways to reach a generation that is drifting away from conventional worship practices.
Rev. Stewart prays in trust that the congregation’s efforts are guided by the Holy Spirit and that the activities they undertake will offer enlightenment to her own congregation and the wider church community. Discovering innovative methods to communicate the Gospel to a generation in search of spiritual experiences outside the traditional church setting is crucial, and Rev. Stewart finds great joy in dedicating herself to this mission.
Rev. Christie Webb
Pastor Christie Webb serves The Table Lutheran Church, a church beyond the building ministering to the communities of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles in Illinois. A community passionate about connecting people to the love of God, The Table reaches out through a variety of sacred experiences in the world, especially dinner church held in a local music venue/bar. After 10 years in ordained ministry, Christie loves the way this call connects her deeply to the community for listening, learning, dreaming and partnership. When she isn’t pastoring, Christie enjoys playing games with her husband and 2 children (Candy Land anyone?), reading, exploring new places and making art as a practice of prayer.
Rev. Brigette Weier
Rev. Brigette Weier, is an ordained pastor in the ELCA who’s first ministry was in early childhood education. With a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, nearly 20 years experience as an educator, mentor, and director of an ELCA early childhood program, her lens
for ministry unwaveringly focuses on the flourishing of our youngest society’s members.
From Intergenerational worship and ministry to her personal endeavors of curriculum writing, a childist biblical interpretation text study podcast to advocacy and organizing work around gender, immigration and childcare justice, Rev. Weier envisions a future where we can confidently respond to the question “how are the children” with an emphatic: CHERISHED. Her sermons and blogging can be found at www.alutheransayswhat.wordpress.com, curriculum at www.faithformationjourneys.org and childist biblical text study on YouTube at How Are the Children.
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