Meet the Pastors

Pastor Paul H. NelsonPastor Paul H. Nelson
Pastor Paul grew up in north central Illinois, the son of a pastor. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, and Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. He has served parishes in Arnegard, North Dakota; Lanesboro, Minnesota; and Northfield, Minnesota. He and his wife Sandy came to Fergus Falls in 1994. They have three children - Christopher (married to Kyja in June of 2003 and living in Milwaukee, WI), Heidi (studying for her MSW at St. Thomas and St. Catherine's in St. Paul), and Micah (in the Peace Corps in Bolivia). Pastor Paul enjoys spending time at their lake cabin as well as woodworking, running, reading, backpacking, and flyfishing. His call at Bethlehem as Senior Pastor is to coordinate the ministry of the pastoral team and program staff who engage many different ministries together.

Pastor Matthew MartinPastor Matthew Martin
Pastor Matthew is originally from Hutchinson, MN. In 1997 he received a B.A. in Sociology / Anthropology from Gustavus Adolphus College and earned a Masters in Youth and Family Ministry from Luther Seminary in 1999. He went on to get a Masters of Divinity and was ordained in 2002. Matthew spends nearly all of his free time with his family, usually outdoors (camping, hiking, fishing, cross country skiing, etc). Matthew and Heidi were married before their last year of college. Their daughter, Adeline, was born in Illinois on his first call in 2004 and their son, Malachi, came along in 2006 when they lived in the Metro. Pastor Matthew serves as part of the pastoral team with special responsibilities as Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries.

Pastor Kathleen BrunsPastor "Kate" (Kathleen) Bruns
Pastor Kate was raised in a small farming community in northern Illinois and was encouraged by her parents toattend Carthage College (a good Lutheran school) in Kenosha, WI, the place she met her husband Walt. They have three children: Julie, age 32 and living in Houston, TX; Stephen (and his wife Lori), age 31 and living in the Cincinnati, OH area; and James, age 24 and living in northern IL. She has been Jr. and Sr. HS English and Social Studies teacher in WI and MN, editor of two community newspapers, and deputy clerk in county juvenile and probate court. She also volunteered in churches, serving as a Sunday School teacher, pianist/organist, choir director, and on various committees. In 1997 she was able to answer God's call to serve in the ministry and attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, graduating in 2001. Her first call as part of the pastoral team at Bethlehem is to be the Pastor of Children and Adult Ministries at Bethlehem.