Trinity Welcomes New Lead Pastor

Patrick Patterson!

Pastor Patrick Patterson Accepts Call

At the June 16 Congregational Meeting, a quorum of voting members overwhelmingly affirmed the recommendation of the Call Committee by voting to call Pastor Patrick Patterson as the new Lead Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church with a vote of 255 to 8. Pastor Patrick’s acceptance letter is found below.

Pastor Patrick will begin on Thursday, August 1, and will first preach on Sunday, August 4. He will be installed at Trinity on Rally Sunday, September 8, at 3:00 p.m.

We are excited to welcome Pastor Patrick and Mary Beth to Trinity Lutheran!

Acceptance of Call Letter:

Dear Friends in Christ:

It is with great excitement and anticipation that I accept your call as the new lead pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. As I conclude my current call as senior pastor at Christ the King in Mankato, I also look forward to being with you starting August 1.

We all owe a great debt of gratitude to interim lead Pastor Brian, and wish him and Sheri the best in their new home in Des Moines. I’ve already had the opportunity to visit with Trinity’s other rostered leaders and office administrator to get a glimpse of where we are at, and am praying for the leading of the Holy Spirit as we all work together to discern where we go from here.

That’s where your participation is most critical. As I meet you and learn names, I expect to hear what excites you and gives you hope for God’s mission through Trinity. Working together, we can co-create the next chapter for God’s church and our congregation.

This will be a busy summer as we say goodbye to our home of the last twelve years and make the transition to our new home in Eau Claire. Mary Beth is hopeful about counseling career opportunities for her in that area, but it’s a time of great anticipation to see how that comes together. At the end of August, we help our youngest son get settled into his new life at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

None of us can see the future; however, I’m quite certain that God has been busy preparing that future for us. I’m confident we can catch a glimpse of what it is and walk into God’s preferred future together. See you soon!

Sincerely,

Pastor Patrick

Pastor Patrick Patterson: An Introduction

The Call Committee is thrilled to introduce Pastor Patrick as our next lead pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church. Pastor Patrick Patterson comes to us from Christ the King Lutheran church in Mankato, Minnesota. Christ the King is the largest of four ELCA congregations located in Mankato, MN.

Pastor Patrick’s Personal Ministry Statement
“I am a beloved child of God, called and ordained in the ELCA, seeking to share the Good News of God in Jesus Christ by expressing God’s love and grace in an incarnational way. As both sinner and saint, I open myself to the needs of others, trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit.”

On being called to the Ministry:
“God’s calling in my life is all-inclusive and quite disruptive. My calling has many aspects: As a child of God, as a husband, as a father, and as an ordained minister. God was always preparing me for ordained ministry, but I had become comfortable in my life and career. And yet, just as Jesus invited Peter to leave his storm-ravaged boat, to walk upon the crashing waves, God called us to get out of our boat. Following the call to ministry is rife with challenge and opportunity, sacrifice and reward, heartbreak and healing. I’ve never regretted my decision to dedicate my life to full time ministry, and I’m energized with the responsibility of sharing the Good News with all people.”

Formal Education
Master of Divinity Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN
Bachelor of Arts Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN
Associate Bachelor of Arts Normandale Community College, Bloomington, MN

Pastoral Ministry
Christ the King Lutheran Church Mankato, MN 2007 – 2019
Pastor Patrick currently serves as Christ the King’s Senior Pastor.
Prior to serving as Lead Pastor, Pastor Patrick served Christ the King as pastor of administration.
Christ Lutheran on Capital Hill Intern Pastor 2005 - 2006

Other significant work experiences
Fairview Riverside Hospital Psychiatric Associate 2005 – 2007
Faith Inkubators (COO/CEO) 2002 – 2005
Reed Elsevier, Inc. Experiential Marketing Director 2000 - 2002

Areas of Expertise and Strength:

• Administration

• Preaching / Worship Leadership

• Strategic Mission Planning

• Youth and Family Ministry

• Evangelism / Mission

• Stewardship

• Building a Sense of Community

• Communications/Media

• Recruit and Equip Leaders /Self-Care / Family Life

Administration/Leadership
Pastor Patrick:

• Has an understanding of business matters of the church: Finances, budget, human resources, facility management, and overall operations.

• Is a staff leader: Adept and practiced in oversight, mentoring, accountability and casting vision.

• Is naturally skilled in decision-making and delegation.

• Uses a partnership approach to governance in collaboration with the congregation’s elected lay leadership.

• Naturally seeks to equip and encourage the saints for leadership in ministry.

• Is motivated and gifted to move beyond strategic planning to the development, implementation and deployment of the church’s mission initiatives.

• As the spiritual leader of the faith community, he creates a sense of community in the congregation through faith, fellowship, service, worship, discipleship, and care.

• Inspires generosity with finances, and all gifts to God’s glory.

“Administration is an invaluable function of the overall mission of a congregation. Without strong leadership in the functions of finance, personnel and facility management, the ministry team gets distracted from daily ministry.”
On Strategic Mission planning: “To paraphrase Proverbs 29, where there is no vision, the people and the church will perish. Casting a strategic vision was integral to success in my corporate career, and it’s equally important to the future of the church.”

Relational Abilities
Pastor Patrick:

• Naturally interacts with people in a way that is engaging, intuitive, genuine, compassionate, empathic, and good-humored.

• Desires and is skilled in building long-term relationships with people from all walks of life.

• Is intentional and adept at shepherding staff development through relationship building.

• Empowers staff members to independently achieve their goals.

• Works to bring out the best in each staff member.

• Strongly believes in equipping Associate Pastors with the skills needed for possible future roles as Lead Pastor.

“I would suggest that my approach to ministry might describe me best as a community pastor. While I am called first and foremost as an ordained minister serving my congregation, I believe my call is to minister in the community as well…. I approach ministry as inclusive and accepting of all God’s children, not just those who believe the same things I do or confess the same creeds. My style is very relational, somewhat informal, and very energetic.”
“...the three most prominent themes in my life could be categorized as grace, hope, and thankfulness….the hope that I find in the promises of God through Christ permeates all aspects of my life and ministry. Our world can be a place of great darkness and brokenness, and yet this hope can shine light into even those darkest places. And I am thankful. Even on those days where it may be difficult to find much to be thankful for, I remind myself and others that we have a God who loves us and provides us with everything we need day to day. While our world preaches a gospel of scarcity, I’m thankful and attempt to treasure each moment as a gift from God, ripe with abundance.”

Preaching
Pastor Patrick:

• Has the ability to inspire and connect people to God’s word.

• Is skilled in providing practical application of the Biblical Word to daily life.

• Exhibits a vital personal faith.

• Enjoys the opportunity to preach.

“Worship is the only place some people are fed spiritually, so it’s incumbent on pastors to curate worship experiences that reach people with the Good News of God’s grace. It’s imperative to have worship that speaks to the longtime faithful but also create worship experiences that reach those unfamiliar or disenchanted with traditional worship…..My preaching style attempts to faithfully interpret Scripture and proclaim it in a way that connects personally with listeners who span the spectrum of theological beliefs and church background. I strive to honor the law, but consistently deliver the Gospel without cheapening or moralizing the message. I’m comfortable with formal and informal preaching styles and constantly amazed at how the Holy Spirit works through the proclamation.”
“The general tone of worship is: Reverent, fun, informational and transformational.”
“We need to figure out how to be a church for people who aren’t coming to church.”

Understands and Values Trinity’s Culture and History
Pastor Patrick:

• Affirms our grounding in Scripture while facilitating opportunities for contemporary style and approach to ministry.

• Affirms our engagement in social ministry.

• Affirms our children’s and multi-generational focus.

• Is committed to the ongoing development of ministries that work toward healing those broken by life’s circumstances.

• Affirms our commitment to providing both traditional and contemporary worship experiences with quality, strength, and vitality.

“I believe (children and youth) are integral to our present, and if we fail to involve them fully in the life of the church now, the failure will be felt for generations. I have a heart for young people and the struggles they face in our world and feel great hope in their energy and resilience that needs to be nurtured with the Gospel….My approach to youth faith formation is highly relational. It involves an intentional ministry of presence-aspect that models Christ and strives to earn the right to be heard. This takes committed leaders and requires the recruitment and training of many small group guides.”
“As a former outsider to the church, I view ministry in terms of reaching those outside the church with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s imperative to feed the flock that assembles regularly and kindle a fire for living lives of faith, but I’m mindful that the church is an organization whose focus needs to be about those outside the organization. Jesus calls us to ‘Go, make disciples’, not build a building and require all to come there. Following Jesus’ example, we’re called to proclaim the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words. Jesus taught more through what he did than what he said, and the church is called to do the same.”
“Much of my ministry takes place in the community.”
“Being a healthy leader and encouraging others in the way they live daily is important to me. The mind, body, spirit aspects of our whole self each need regular attention.”

What Others Say About Pastor Patrick
The following information offers a summary of comments received from professional colleagues, church lay leaders, and personal friends.

• Pastor Patrick quickly got to know people when moving to Mankato (church and community). He is visible in the community and is well-connected with community leaders.

• Pastor Patrick views the church as a community and relates well with the wider population in Mankato as well as church members.

• He has outstanding administrative skills. He is able to keep things in perspective. He is able to do the administrative tasks efficiently so he can focus on being the spiritual leader.

• People appreciate his preaching style. He provides great preaching and always makes his sermons relevant.

• He brings in life stories, understands technology, and understands what people want.

• His relational skills are great. Relates to all ages and is especially good with youth.

• He takes everyone where they are and moves them forward. He welcomes all and is there for everyone. He is a good listener and can tell people in a way that they will hear him.

• Patrick is a joyful person. He has positive energy and celebrates life.

• He’s empathetic.

• He uses the talent around him wisely and works collaboratively.

• He is a visionary.

• He is flexible.

• He is innovative.

• He is genuine.

• Pastor Patrick’s wife, Mary Beth, is very involved in church activities and is supportive of their family’s move to Eau Claire.

• Administrative skills are one of Pastor Patrick’s strengths. He leads but creates an environment where everyone’s opinion is heard and respected. His business background is an advantage.

• He creates synergy.

• Patrick takes time for himself to continually renew.