St. Paul Lutheran Church has a new pastor

     Rev. Darren Olson is the new pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Springfield.  He began his new pastorate November 20 and was installed on Sunday, January 11.  St. Paul’s had been without a permanent full-time pastor for two years.  Olson started at a very busy time of the church year.  “It’s been a whirlwind with Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year.  I would never recommend a pastor to start at this time of year, but it’s been great to meet the members of the church and experience all the wonderful things Springfield has to offer,” he commented in a recent interview.

     Olson was born and raised in Shawno, Wisconsin which is approximately thirty miles northwest of Green Bay.  After high school, he continued his education at Northwestern College in Roseville, Minnesota and then went on to Bethel Seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

     Pastor Darren has been a pastor for thirty-six years, serving a variety of churches in the Midwest, primarily in Minnesota—Buffalo, Dassel, International Falls and Princeton—as well as Moline and Rockford, Illinois and Prescott, Arizona.  “It’s been a wild ride,” he commented with a smile.

     The one thing Olson enjoys most about being in the ministry is the people—building relationships and helping them grow closer to Jesus Christ whether it be over lunch, in the community, over a bible study or on Sunday mornings.  He also enjoys teaching and mentoring young people in their faith.  “My purpose in ministry is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to disciple them to become lifelong followers of Him.  I feel my strengths are in preaching, teaching and being involved in peoples’ lives,” he said.

     See complete story in this week's issue of the Springfield Advance-Press.