Nominees for 2010 Convocation

The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee presents the following nominees for leadership positions in Lutheran CORE and the North American Lutheran Church. The Lutheran CORE nominees are presented in line with the proposed amendments to the Lutheran CORE constitution. The Steering Committee is functioning as the provisional nominating committee for the NALC and the NALC nominees are for provisional one-year terms.

Lutheran CORE Nominees


  • Moderator – Pr. Paul Ulring, Columbus, OH

    • A native of Minnesota, Paul now resides in Ohio. He received a B.A. from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1969 and a M.Div. from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1973.

    Paul is a third generation Lutheran pastor. In 1973, he was called as Associate Pastor of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) in Columbus, Ohio. He left in 1979 to become the pastor at Prince of Peace in Schaumburg, Illinois. Paul returned to Upper Arlington in 1987 and became Senior Pastor there in 2003. He is in his 30th year at UALC of the past 37 years of ministry. UALC has three campuses, including an urban location, and they have nine worship services of varying styles on a Sunday.

    Paul serves on the Synod Council for the Southern Ohio Synod. He was a member of Solid Rock Lutherans and has been a member of Lutheran CORE and its Steering Committee from its inception.

    Paul has been married to June for 41 years, and they have three grown children and two grandsons.


  • Secretary – Pr. Steve Shipman, Lock Haven, PA

    • A native of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Steve now resides in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Susquehanna University in 1969 with a major in English, from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago with an M.Div. in 1973 and from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1989 with an STM (under Robert Jenson and Eric Gritsch).

    Ordained in 1973, Steve has served various parishes in Pennsylvania, and until recently was active in conference and synodical activities, holding many positions. Effective September 1, he will be the pastor of the Southern Clinton County Lutheran Parish, an alliance of five congregations near and in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, seeking to help them experience renewal.

    Steve joined the Society of the Holy Trinity at its first General Retreat, was a founding member of the Evangelical Lutheran Confessing Fellowship and has been on the Steering Committee of the Lutheran CORE from its beginning, serving as its secretary. He attends the events of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology annually, reported on the 2007 Milwaukee Churchwide Assembly for Forum Letter and has represented the ELCA and Lutheran CORE at a number of public events. He keeps an active internet presence and participates in many online discussions.

    Steve has been married to Linda since 1985, and they have two adult children, Eric (24) and Norah (22).


  • Treasurer – Ralph Whittenburg, South Bend, IN

    • A native of New Carlisle, Indiana, Ralph now resides in South Bend, Indiana. He graduated from New Carlisle H.S. in 1957 and then served 2 years in the Army from 1957 to 1959. He attended Purdue University studying Industrial Management and graduated in 1963 with a B.S. degree.

    Ralph has been a corporate controller since 1968 and has worked with not-for-profits since 1972. He has worked for the People of Praise, Inc. since 1974. The People of Praise is an ecumenical community, founded in 1971 and has approximately 1800 adults located in 20 cities located in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. His wife, Sarah worked with him in maintaining the accounting during all those years. The organization was very involved with the Charismatic Renewal. In addition to the annual conferences at Notre Dame, the People of Praise sponsored the national conferences at Arrowhead stadium in Kansas City, twice at the New Orleans Super Dome and once at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Ralph was responsible for establishing the budgets and managing the finances during that 15 year span. He has also been responsible for the accounting of three high schools that the organization established in South Bend, Indiana; Minneapolis, Minnesota and Falls Church, Virginia. He will be ending his work with the People of Praise at the end of this year.

    Ralph has also been volunteering for the Fuller Center for Housing as their controller since January, 2006 and will continue to do that work. He became a Lutheran in 1965 while living in Bluffton, Indiana and is currently a member of Cross and Crown Lutheran Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    Ralph married Sarah Lafollette in December, 1963 and they will celebrate their 47th anniversary this December. They have a daughter, Marci and a son, Mark and five grandchildren.

Steering Committee - 8 positions

  • Challa Baro, Minneapolis, MN

    • A native of Ethiopia, Challa now resides in Minnesota. He graduated from the seminary in Addis Ababa with a B.Th. (Bachelor of Theology) in June 1999. He was certified for ordination, but had to leave the country in July 1999 before he could be ordained. After he moved to Minneapolis he took theological courses at Luther Seminary for one year to complete the requirements for ordained ministry in the ELCA and he was approved for ordination on June 10, 2010.

    Challa was called by the Mekane Yesus Parish in his hometown of Nekemte to serve as an evangelist. However, this work unfortunately was greatly interrupted by his being inducted forcibly into military service under military communist regime. After being discharged from the military, since he could not work for the church, because of his ex-soldier status, Challa got employment with the Ethiopian Health Department from 1989 – 1991. After the communist regime collapsed, he was able to begin serving in his hometown church as an evangelist for the congregation. Challa preached and taught regularly, organized Bible study groups, and also established home-to-home prayer groups among other duties.

    Challa came to the USA and settled in the Oromo community of Washington, D.C. where he became a member of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), and worked as an evangelist for the Grace Oromo Mission. In July 2000, the Union of Oromo Evangelical Churches (worldwide organization) extended a call to Challa to service as director for the union. He has traveled to various centers as part of this work, including England, Germany and Norway. He continues to serve in this role at the present. In 2007 the Oromo church in Minneapolis extended a call to Challa to serve as an associate pastor where he is now laboring in this field of the Kingdom. This church is the largest immigrant church in the ELCA.

    Challa is married to Meheret Tefera Gurmessa who served in the office of the staff president (bishop) of Central Synod of EECMY as a secretary for over 15 years. The Lord has blessed them with two daughters.


  • Pr. Wendy Berthelsen, Cedar Hill, TX

    • A native of Minnesota, Wendy now resides in Texas. She received her B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) from Gustavus Adophus College in 1980, her M.A. from Luther Seminary in 1988 and her M. Div. from Luther Seminary in 2005.

    Wendy worked as a Senior Research Engineer for Medtronic, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1980 to 1988. As an Associate in Ministry, she was called to South Range Lutheran Parish in Michigan from 1988 to 1999 and to Trinity Lutheran Church in Chesterfield, Missouri from 1999 to 2000. As an Ordained Pastor of Ministry in Daily Life, she was called to Hope Lutheran Church in Cedar Hill, Texas in 2006 where she presently serves.

    From 2006 until the present, Wendy has served as the President of Call Incorporated which is a Christian non-profit teaching para-church mission. She is the Author of Custom Designed: A Life Worthy of the Call (Tate Publishing) along with other related resources. In addition, she has served on the Lutheran CORE Congregational Life Working Group, the Parish Lay Ministry Academy Board and as the Internship Director.

    Wendy has been happily married to her husband Joel for 27 years. They are the parents of Amara (b.1988), Stefan (b.1990), Philip (b.1992) and Ana (b.1996), and Wendy served as mostly a stay-at-home mom for many years.


  • Pr. Don Brandt, Salem, OR

    • A native of Minnesota, Don now resides in Oregon. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from San Francisco State University, began seminary at Luther in St. Paul and graduated with his M.Div. from Wartburg Seminary in 1981. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree, with an emphasis in congregational evangelism, from Fuller Seminary in 1993.

    Don has served as pastor of Mt. Hope in West Allis, Wisconsin; First Lutheran in Vista, California and Our Savior’s Lutheran in San Clemente, California. He is presently serving at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Salem, Oregon. He was called there as Lead Pastor in 1995. The most significant single event as pastor at Our Savior’s has been helping to relocate the congregation to a new ministry campus in 2006.

    Prior to moving to Salem Don served as a full-time evangelism consultant, working for the ELCA’s Division for Congregational Ministry. He has, during that time and since, worked with hundreds of Lutheran congregations and pastors, assisting them in the area of congregational evangelism and outreach. In addition, Don has written numerous articles in Christian periodicals on the subject of Christian evangelism.

    Don has been married to his wife Susan for 32 years. They have three sons: Jason, Trevor and Colin. Don and Susan’s first grandchild (It’s a girl!) is expected in early November.


  • Capt. Raymond Brown, Londonderry, NH

    • A native of New Jersey, Ray now resides in New Hampshire. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and honor graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College, Ray has served as a military aide to the White House, a lecturer at the Joint Services Intelligence College, and as Chief of Analysis of the Coast Guard’s national intelligence center. Personally decorated ten times for rescue, law enforcement and defense operations, he is a U.S. Coast Guard Cutterman and a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer. Departing active duty in late 2000, he currently consults in all hazards management for the transportation industry.

    Ray has always been a church member. He has served on parish councils (having been both chair and vice-chair), as a Confirmation teacher for seven years, as Financial Officer for a Lutheran pre-school, as Treasurer for the chapel at Joint Forces Staff College, and as a Bible study leader. Ray has for over twelve years been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau. A member of the Officers Christian Fellowship, he executed duties as Lay Leader in three ships while on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was for two years President of the Chapel Committee at the Coast Guard Academy. For seven years Ray wrote a regular column “Laity to Laity” for Lutheran Forum. He has also been published in Touchstone, The Bride of Christ, and Command Magazine.

    Ray’s affiliations include: Lutheran CORE, American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Lutheran Liturgical Renewal, Officers Christian Fellowship, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (lecturer), International Association of Law, Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (annual award winner), Naval Intelligence Professionals (contributing author), Smithsonian Institution Encyclopedia One Day in History Series (contributing author) and U.S. Naval Institute (award winning author).

    Ray is married to the lovely Susan Brown (nee Sandgren) formerly of Wisconsin. They have three children (only one still at home) - Emily, Samuel, and Anna.


  • Pr. Karl Johnsen, Edmonton, AB

    • A native of New Brunswick, Canada, Karl now resides in Edmonton. He received a B.A. in History and Anthropology from the University of New Brunswick, Fredereicton and a M.Div. from Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon Saskatchewan. He was ordained at St. Peter's Lutheran, New Denmark New Brunswick on September 9th 1993.

    Karl served as pastor of Valley of Hope Lutheran / White Valley Lutheran, Eastend Saskatchewan from 1993 to1995; Wilderness Ranch Camp, Claresholm Alberta from 1995 to 2002; Granum Lutheran, Granum Alberta from 1995 to 2002; Sharon Lutheran, Calgary Alberta from 2002 to 2005 and Calvary Evangelical Lutheran, Edmonton from 2005 to the present.

    Karl served on the Alberta Synod Committee for Theological Education and Leadership (CTEL) from 2004 to 2009. He is one of the founding members of the Confessional Ministerium, and continues to serve as vice chair of that organization. He has also been a member of the Society of the Holy Trinity since 1998.

    Karl has been married for 18 years to Tricia, with a son (Kai) age 12, and a daughter (Molly) age 10.


  • Lynn Kickingbird, Edmond, OK

    • A native of New York, Lynn now resides in Oklahoma. She was confirmed at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wantagh, Long Island. She has a B.A. from Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia and a M.Ed. in Adult Education & Training, from Virginia Tech.

    Lynn has worked for over 35 years with non-profits, communities and governmental agencies in the areas of program and organizational development and training. Over the past 15 years she has focused on governance and strategic visioning. Since 1986 she has been actively involved in Christian adult education, as a volunteer committee member, coordinator and teacher. She has also been a small group leader and equipper. Educational programs in which she has participated include: Bethel Bible Study series, Welcoming New Christians (catechumenal training), Christ Care Small Group Leadership and Equipper Training, and the Breakthrough Leadership Conference, the latter two by Stephen Ministries. She and her husband have led many small groups and served as counselors for the Billy Graham Crusade in Oklahoma City.

    Lynn has been a member of Peace Lutheran Church, Edmond, Oklahoma since 1993. There she has served as a lay volunteer coordinator of Adult Education for nine years. Recently she served on the Mission and Benevolence Working Group of Lutheran CORE. Lynn is especially interested in lay theological education, discipleship and leadership development.

    For over 36 years she has been married to Kirke Kickingbird. They lived in Washington, D.C. for 19 years before moving to Oklahoma so that their two children, Paul and Lauren, could be closer to their Native American (Kiowa) grandparents and tribal heritage.


  • Pr. Dennis Nelson, West Covina, CA

    • A native of Minnesota, Dennis now resides in California. He received a B. A. in Philosophy from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois in 1969, his M. Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California in 1972 and completed his "Lutheran year" at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1973 to 1974. He received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California in 2003.

    Dennis has served first as Associate Pastor (1974-1981) and then as Senior Pastor (1981-present) of Christ Lutheran Church in West Covina, California for thirty-six years. During the years that he has been in Southern California, he has seen major changes in the culture and major demographic changes in the community. He sees that they are truly living in a multi-ethnic mission field. In addition, for six years he was Dean of his conference in the Southwest California Synod.

    Dennis has counted it a great privilege to serve on the Advisory Council of Lutheran CORE, representing the Evangelical Mission Network in the Southwest California Synod. This network is one of the partner renewal movements affiliated with Lutheran CORE. Since the August 2009 Churchwide Assembly he has had several opportunities to speak to individuals, groups, and congregations about Lutheran CORE and about the sexuality social statement.

    Dennis is married to Terry Nelson.


  • Pr. Eddy Perez, Miami, FL

    • A native of Cuba, Eddy now resides in Florida. He attended the Instituto Superior de Ciencias Medicas in Santa Clara, Cuba to receive his Doctor in Medicine degree in 1992. He received his Bachelor of Theology from EDISUB Seminary in Havana, Cuba and his Master of Divinity from the Florida Center for Theological Studies in Miami, Florida in 2007.

    Eddy, a former Medical Doctor who felt the Calling of God in 1992, began his ministry in Central Cuba as a pastor-developer. Over the course of seven years, God used him to plant two churches. Eddy and his family eventually faced persecution at the hands of the Cuban government until, in the year 2000, harassment by the Cuban State Security Police Department was so intense, the Perez Family had to flee Cuba and come to the USA. Upon his arrival, Eddy and his family became members of Principe de Paz Lutheran Church, Miami, where he was later Ordained into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. He subsequently served two ELCA Congregations: Messiah Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana San Pedro (where he currently serves), both in Miami, Florida.

    For many years, Eddy has been a prophetic voice against the movements that caused the ELCA to depart from the Word of God. In June 2009, he led many of the Hispanic Pastors of Florida to write a public letter to the voting members of the ELCA 2009 Churchwide Assembly asking them to cast their votes based on fidelity to Scripture; and, after the vote, he led most of the Hispanic Pastors of the Florida Bahamas Synod to write a public repudiation of the new ministry policies and Social Statement. Since last year's Convocation in Fishers, Indiana, Eddy has served as an Advisor on the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee involved with Hispanic Ministries and ecumenical outreach to ELCA clergy in the United States and the Caribbean.

    Eddy is married to Yuddy Perez, and they have three children: Elisabet, Debora, and Pedro Eduardo. Pedro is still in Cuba.


  • John Pleuss, Madison, WI

    • John grew up in Wisconsin and Minnesota and now resides in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended Valparaiso University where he received an undergraduate degree in biology in 1969 and a law degree in 1973.

    John is an attorney and is currently employed as an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration. He hears and decides cases concerning Social Security disability claims. A life-long Lutheran, John has served the Church at the congregational level in various capacities, including council president. He is currently a member of Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison where he has been involved in adult education. He has supported orthodox Lutheranism as a voting member at several ELCA synod assemblies.

    John has been active in the current Lutheran reform movement. He was a strong supporter of Solid Rock Lutherans and has been involved with Lutheran CORE since its inception. John is also a member of the Seven Marks Society. He attended Lutheran CORE convocations in Lindenhurst, Illinois and Fishers, Indiana. John helped organize a successful effort in the South Central Wisconsin Synod to elect several orthodox voting members for the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly in 2009. Following the Lutheran CORE convocation in Fishers, Indiana, John organized orthodox Lutherans in Wisconsin leading to the establishment of Lutheran CORE of Wisconsin in November 2009. He currently serves as Chair of the Steering Committee for that group.

    John is married to Phyllis, a graduate of the deaconess program at Valparaiso University. They have three grown daughters and four grandchildren.


  • Pr. Donna Smith, Champaign, IL

    • A native of Chicago, Illinois, Donna now resides in Champaign, Illinois. She received a B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University in 1975 and a M.Div. from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1983.

    Donna was ordained in the Lutheran Church in America in 1983. She previously served congregations in St. Louis, Missouri and Forreston and Freeport, Illinois. Donna currently serves as Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Champaign, Illinois. She has also been serving on the Ministry Policies Working Group of Lutheran CORE.

    Over the years Donna has served on a number of church boards and committees, including the Board of the Division for Ministry of the ELCA (1993 - 1999), the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and as chair of the Northern Illinois Synod Candidacy Committee for nearly 9 years. She has also served as a Bible Study and Devotional writer, and was the author of the 1986 LCW Bible Study, "Women Followers of Jesus" and the 1993 WELCA Triennial Study, "God's Gift of Hope."

    Donna is married to retired Judge Lawrence A. Smith, Jr. and is the stepmother of 7, step-grandmother of 16 and step-great-grandmother of 3.


  • Karen Stack, Stillwater, MN

    • A native of New Mexico, Karen now resides in Minnesota. She was confirmed at Hope Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has a B.A. in organization management from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    Karen owns and operates a small home-based business providing administrative services to other small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Prior to launching this endeavor in 1990, she enjoyed a 25-year career in government and politics which included serving as the scheduler for the Governor of Minnesota and as Executive Director of the Republican Party in Minnesota.

    Karen is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Stillwater, Minnesota. She has served as a second grade Sunday School teacher, a Bethel Bible Study Series teacher, on the Congregation Council and its executive committee. She has been a voting-member at several synod assemblies. Karen served on the board of Luther Seminary FRIENDS, is a member of the Via de Cristo 4th Day community and actively participates in St. Croix Valley Christians in Action. For the past several years she has served as the WordAlone/Lutheran CORE coordinator for the St. Paul area. Working with members from the Minneapolis area they formed the Twin Cities Chapter which holds monthly informational meetings throughout the year, maintains a web site and seeks ways to share with other Lutherans information about the theological crisis within the church.

    She and Barry, her husband of 45 years, have two grown, married daughters and two grandchildren.


NALC Nominees


Bishop: Pr. Paull Spring, State College, PA

A native of West Virginia, Paull now resides in State College, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College in 1956, from Gettysburg Seminary in 1963 and audited theological courses at the University of Goettingen in 1965. He also worked as a diaconic worker for an institution related to the Neuendettelsau Deaconess Institution prior to his ordination.

Paull was ordained in October 1965. He served as parish pastor of western Pennsylvania congregations from 1965 to 1987 and from 2001 to 2005. Paull served as bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, from 1987 to 2001. He also served as chair of the Bishop's Committee on Theological and Ethical Concerns. Paull was Chair of Solid Rock Lutherans and is presently Chair of Lutheran CORE.

Paull’s community involvement includes being a member of the local Kiwanis Club, the Habitat for Humanity board and the Affordable Housing Coalition.

Paull is married to Barbara Shaffer, and they have three daughters, five grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Executive Council - 8 positions, four lay and four clergy

Lay

  • James Hansen, Charleston, WV

    • A native of Nebraska, Jim now resides in West Virginia. He received a B.A. from Dana College, an M.A. from the University of Nebraska, and a Ph. D. in Statistics from Montana State University.

    Jim worked in the Applied Statistics Group at Union Carbide from 1974 to 2001. His retirement activities include volunteering as a Tax-Aide volunteer with AARP as one who completes tax returns for limited income people, serving as President of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Federal Credit Union, and teaching statistics courses at Marshall University Graduate College.

    Jim was raised in the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plainview, Nebraska and has been an active church member his entire adult life. He is a member of St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Charleston, West Virginia. At St. Timothy, Jim has served in many positions on church council and council committees and is currently President of the Congregation. He attends a weekly men’s Bible study, and served as project construction manager for the new sanctuary completed in 2004. He served the West Virginia- Western Maryland Synod as a member of the Global Mission Committee and Synod Council, and as Synod Vice President. Jim visited Madagascar and Kenya on synod mission trips. Currently he is a member of the Board of Directors of the synod's social services agency, Community Lutheran Partners. At Churchwide, Jim served on the ELCA Global Mission committee and was a delegate to the ELCA Voters Assembly three times.

    Jim and his wife Sharon have three children and seven grandchildren.


  • Carol Lattier, Tyler, TX

    • A native of Bastrop, Texas, Carol now resides in Tyler, Texas. She began working as a secretary after graduation from High School and took her first college course when she was 30 years old. Carol first graduated from San Jacinto Junior College in Houston, then graduated from the University of Houston/Clear Lake (UH/CLC) in Clear Lake City, Texas in 1982. She has always been a space enthusiast and became the first University of Houston student to become a Johnson Space Center Co-op in the summer of 1980.

    In 1982 Carol joined Johnson Space Center as a beginning financial analyst in the Center Operations Directorate. Over the next several years she had the privilege of providing support to Center Operations, Space and Life Sciences, and Mission Operations Directorates. She was selected by Eugene Kranz, Director of Mission Operations, to be his sole analytical support during the feasibility studies for the International Space Station. In 1990 Carol was selected as the Business Manager for the Flight Crew Operations Directorate at JSC. Her retiring position was as the Business Manager for the Institutional Business Office. She retired in January, 2000.

    Carol became the Parish Administrator at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Tyler, Texas in May 2009. As Parish Administrator, she oversees the day-to-day business of the congregation and provides administrative, secretarial, book keeping and communication support to the pastors, staff, and congregation.

    Carol is married to Edward. Together they have five grown children living across the central and Western half of the United States. All their children are married and have gifted them with 15 grandchildren.


  • Ryan Schwarz, Washington, DC

    • A native of Seattle, Washington, Ryan now resides in Washington, DC. He holds a J.D. degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. degree with honors from Harvard Business School. He received his A.B. from Duke University where he was an Angier B. Duke Scholar.

    Professionally, Ryan is a Partner and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, a Washington DC-based private investment firm. Since joining the firm in 1997, he has led the healthcare investing practice in the U.S. Growth Capital group, with a particular focus on medical devices and products, healthcare information technology and selected healthcare services. Earlier in his career, Ryan was an investment banker with Robertson Stephens & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. He also is President of the Hungarian-American Enterprise Scholarship Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association.

    Ryan serves as Vice Chairman of Lutheran CORE and has been a member of its Steering Committee since 2006. He also serves as Chairman of its Vision and Planning Working Group and Constitution Task Force, and as Fundraising Chair. Ryan was runner-up for Vice President of the ELCA in the election at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. He has been an elected leader in the Metro DC Synod, serving as a member of the Consultation Committee since 2008. He serves the wider church as a member of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Endowment for Novosaratovka Seminary Foundation (a Lutheran seminary in Russia). Ryan and his family presently are members of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean, Virginia.

    Ryan is married to Cindy, and they have two young daughters.


  • Kay Weaver, Vale, NC

    • Kay resides in Vale, North Carolina. Kay works at Fred T. Foard High School in Newton, North Carolina as the school’s Data Manager / Registrar. She is an active member of her home congregation, New Jerusalem Lutheran in Hickory. She has served as a leader for New Jerusalem’s Senior Lutheran Youth in Christ (SLYC) for nearly ten years. Kay was instrumental in organizing SLYC’s first mission trip six years ago, which is now an annual event. She chaperoned SLYC to the 2003 and 2006 ELCA Youth Gatherings in Atlanta and San Antonio and now teaches Sunday School for the teen class. She plans the Contemporary Worship for New Jerusalem and assists in organizing the youth choir that leads the music for that worship. She is co-chair of the congregation’s Fellowship Ministry and has served on the Youth & Family, Learning, and Worship Ministries.

    Kay is the current secretary and a past president of New Jerusalem Women’s organization. She has served on the Mission Growth committee of the NC Women of the ELCA (WELCA). As part of that committee, she co-wrote a weekend retreat on “Sisters”. Kay also wrote a program for the Fall 2008 NC Conference gatherings on “Women in Prison” and authored an article on the same for the NC WELCA publication, “Carolina Vine”. She was elected in the Spring of 2009 as Presider of the Catawba Conference of the NC WELCA. She resigned from that position in April 2010 due to her congregation’s movement away from the ELCA. She currently serves on the Congregational Life and Pastoral Support Working Group for Lutheran CORE and is a member of the steering committee for Lutheran CORE - North Carolina.

    Kay has been married for 31 years to Dennis D. Weaver, Sr. They have two sons: Dale and his wife Raye Lynn and Aaron and his fiancée Jamie. Kay is Nana to Jamie’s daughters, Allie and Emma.

Clergy

  • Pr. Donald Allman, Grove City, OH

    • A native of Toledo, Ohio, Donald now resides in Grove City, Ohio. In 1974 he graduated from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio with a Bachelor of Sociology and in 1978 he graduated from the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio with a Masters of Divinity.

    Donald has served as Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Botkins, Ohio from 1978 to 1985, as Associate Pastor at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Grove City, Ohio from 1985 to 1998 and as Senior Pastor at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Grove City Ohio from 1998 to the present.

    Donald has served on the synodical stewardship, youth, and reconciliation teams. He has also been the conference president, local ministerial president and vice president.

    Donald has been married to his wife Glenda for 36 years. They have three married sons and two grandchildren.


  • Pr. Amanda Grimmer, Abington, PA

    • A native of California, Amanda now resides in Pennsylvania. She received an A.B. in Religion & Biblical Studies from Wellesley College in 1972 and an M.Div. in New Testament from Harvard Divinity School in 1976.

    Amanda served as pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Hurst, Texas from 1976 to 1987. From 1987 until the present, she has served as Co-Pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (NALC) in Abington, Pennsylvania. She serves there with her husband, The Rev. Dr. Michael G. Tavella.

    Amanda has also served outside the parish in numerous capacities. She has been a Pastor/Evangelist for the LCA (1977-1984), ELCA Partner in Evangelism (1987 – 1995) and twice elected to the Texas-Louisiana Synod's Synod Council. She has served as Keynote Speaker & Workshop Leader at many LCA & ELCA events and Synod Assemblies (1977 – 1995), Workshop Leader at Herb Miller's National Evangelism Workshop (1988 & 1990), on the Governing Board of the Academy for Evangelists (1990-1994) and as Organizer & Site Coordinator of South Eastern Pennsylvania Synod's Jesus is Lord Conference (1990 – 1995). In addition, Amanda has served on Reference & Council for the Texas-Louisiana Synod (1979 – 1987), on Reference & Council for South Eastern Pennsylvania Synod (1988-1993) and as Section Leader in Homiletics at LTSP (1990-1993). She has not been asked to serve outside the parish in any capacity since 1995.

    Amanda has been married to Michael G. Tavella since 1973. They are the parents of Christopher Michael Tavella (born 1983) and Nathaniel David Tavella (born 1985).


  • Pr. Victor Langford, Seattle, WA

    • A native of Michigan, Victor now resides in Washington. He is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University, and received an M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois. He organized the Bethel Lutheran Church, New Orleans, Louisiana (1962-1964) and served Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas (1965-1968) and the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Seattle, Washington (1968-1976). Since November 1976, he serves the Saint Mark’s Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.

    Victor’s ministry with the Lutheran Church includes: Council Member, Northwest Washington Synod, ELCA, (1988 – 1990); President, African American Lutheran Association, ELCA, (1991 – 1993), and a board member (2005-2009); Member, Lutheran/Orthodox Dialogue in North America, ELCA, (1993 – 2007); Organizer, Seattle Lutheran Renewal Conference, November 16, 2002; Chairman, Northwest Washington Synod Sexuality Study Task Force, (2002 – 2005); Convener, Biblical Values Coalition, (2003 - present) and Member, Lutheran CORE Steering Committee (2007 - present).

    Victor’s community service includes being a Board Member of Seattle Opportunities Industrial Center and a Charter Member and current President of the Black United Clergy for Action. He is a Charter Board Member of the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle - King County and an Instructor of African American History at Seattle Pacific University and of Black Religious Experience at Seattle University. He is Organizer and Chairman of the Board of Emerald City Bank. Victor is listed in the first edition and the subsequent editions of “Who’s Who Among Black Americans.” He served as a military chaplain in the Army National Guard for nearly 30 years. In his last assignment, he was the Assistant Chief of Chaplains, Army National Guard, Department of the Army. Victor was the first African American to achieve this position. He retired from military service in August, 2001 at the rank of Brigadier General.

    Victor is married to Luana Calvert of Detroit, Michigan and they have four adult children: Tanya, Natalie, Kineta and Victor IV.


  • Pr. Jim Lehmann, Thomasboro, IL

    • A native of Watseka, Illinois, Jim now resides in Thomasboro, Illinois. His undergraduate degree is in Animal Industries from Southern Illinois University, and he attended Wartburg Theological Seminary, graduating in 1979.

    Jim was ordained on June 3, 1979 and has served many parishes in Illinois. He has been the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Douglas (1979-1984); Zion Lutheran Church in Clifton (1984-1993); First Lutheran Church in Pontiac (1993-1996) and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Thomasboro (1996-present).

    Jim has been a voting member at ELCA Churchwide Assemblies in 1993, 1997, and 2007. He was a prominent leader for Lutheran CORE at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly. He has served as an internship supervisor, helping to train seven people for the ordained ministry. Jim is a member of Lutheran CORE, the Seven Marks Society and the Society of the Holy Trinity. He has shown leadership in organizing CORE Illinois by hosting a number of informational meetings discussing issues within the ELCA and progress being made by Lutheran CORE. Locally, he has worked with neighboring congregations on a coordinated effort to separate from the ELCA. Immanuel’s second vote is scheduled for October 31 when it is anticipated that they will join the NALC.

    Jim is married to Beverly (Becker), and they are the parents of Benjamin, Justin, and Matthew.

Court of Adjudication - 7 positions

  • Richard Currey, Colorado Springs, CO

    • A native of Michigan, Dick now resides in Colorado. He received a B.A. and M.A. in German from Michigan State University, a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law and a LL.M. in international law from the University of Michigan Law School.

    Dick is Staff Attorney at Air Academy Federal Credit Union in Colorado Springs. He began his legal career as an Air Force judge advocate, serving as prosecutor, defense counsel, international law specialist and leader of several legal offices. Upon his retirement in the rank of colonel, he was partner in a law firm, specializing in criminal and domestic relations law. In his current position, he practices banking, corporate, and real estate law.

    Dick is a life-long Lutheran, having been baptized in the Wisconsin Synod and confirmed in the Missouri Synod. He has been a member of St Luke’s Lutheran Church, currently an ELCA congregation, for 12 years. His church involvement has been primarily in annual stewardship and periodic capital appeal campaigns. Dick also does pro bono legal work for fellow church members and, some years back, for some refugees sponsored by Lutheran Family Services. He is also on a small committee to rewrite their church constitution as they transition from the ELCA to the NALC.

    Dick is married to Sue, and they have three children and two grandchildren, with a third on the way.


  • Jon Evans, Pittsburgh, PA

    • A native of Ohio, Jon now resides in Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio in 1986 and earned a Juris Doctor from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1992.

    Jon worked in his family’s plumbing contracting business in Columbus for three years between college and law school. Since graduation from law school in 1992, he has worked with law firms in both Columbus, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and also served as in-house General Counsel for a corporation headquartered in Pittsburgh. Jon is currently an attorney in Pittsburgh practicing primarily in the areas of corporate and real estate law. He is a partner in his current law firm and is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

    Jon is a member of Zion Lutheran Church (Brentwood) in Pittsburgh where he has served in a number of capacities, including as a church representative to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA, as a member of the Council of Elders and as Congregation President. In addition, he currently serves on the Western Penn CORE Fellowship Steering Committee.

    He and his wife Donna have three children ages 13, 10 and 8.


  • James Gale, Washington, DC

    • A native of Illinois, James now resides in Washington, DC. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1983 and from The University of Michigan Law School in 1987. He earned a mid-career masters degree in international relations in 2005 from The Johns Hopkins University.

    James is a business litigator. He practiced at Kirkland & Ellis from 1987-2003 in Chicago and New York, and was a partner at the firm from 1993-2003. He now has his own practice in Washington, DC.

    A life-long Lutheran, James is a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fulton, Maryland. Since 2000, he has served on the Gustavus Adolphus College Board of Trustees, chairing the Board from 2007 until earlier this year. James has expertise in the structuring of nonprofit corporations and in drafting governance documents that establish the desired structure. In addition, through his work on Lutheran CORE’s Constitutional Task Force, he is specifically familiar with the proposed governing documents for both Lutheran CORE and the NALC.


  • Pr. Jeffray Greene, Rantoul, IL

    • A native of California, Jeffray now resides in Illinois. His undergraduate degree was in History/Geography at California State University, Chicago, and he received his M.Div. from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. With specialized study, he holds a Ph.D. from Trinity College and Seminary in Newburg, Indiana in Church Administration with his dissertation on the development of the constitution in American Lutheranism.

    Ordained for twenty-one years, he has served five congregations in Arizona, California and Illinois. Jeffray served as pastor of Mt. of Olives in Phoenix (1989), Advent (Now Amazing Grace, LCMC) in Phoenix (1990-1991), Mount Zion in Tucson (1991-1998), Emanuel in La Habra (1998-2004) and American in Rantoul (2004 – present).

    An active member of Word Alone, Solid Rock, Lutheran CORE and the Society of Holy Trinity, he has broad experience with a variety of Lutheran practices in North America. He has also served on the Lutheran CORE Advisory Board (in his position as the Editor of the Fellowship of Confessional Lutheran’s periodical, FOCL Point), the legal team and on the Constitutional Task Force.

    Jeffray has been married to Lorene P. Greene (nee: Turcotte) for 25 years. They have three children: Rosalynne (19) a sophomore in College, Dane (17) a senior in High School and Alisa (15) a junior in High School.


  • Pr. Ralph Kempski, Aiken, SC

    • A native of Wisconsin, Ralph now resides in South Carolina. After working 6 years for the Wisconsin Telephone Company and 1 year as a youth director at Ascension Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, he moved to Minneapolis to complete college at Augsburg College. He attended Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary and was ordained on June 6, 1963 as one of the first ordinations of the LCA.

    Ralph served as pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1963 to 1968; St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Fern Creek, Kentucky from 1968 to 1971 and Our Saviour Lutheran Church in West Lafayette, Indiana from 1971 to 1979. He served as Bishop of Indiana-Kentucky Synod (LCA) from 1979 to 1987, as Bishop of Indiana-Kentucky Synod (ELCA) from 1987 to 1998 and as ELCA Board of Pensions representative from 1998 to 2004. He is now retired.

    Ralph has also served in numerous other capacities. He was a member of the LCA Bishop's Committee on review of the new Occasional Service Book and the LCA World Hunger Task Force. He has served on the Board of Directors of Wittenberg University; Suomi College; Lutheran School of Theology-Chicago; Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and Trinity Seminary. He has been a member of the Board of the Indiana Council of Churches (President) and the Kentucky Council of Churches and on the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches USA. Ralph served as Chair of the ELCA Bishops Conference Ecumenical Committee and established Ecumenical Dialogues with 4 Episcopal Diocese of Indiana and Kentucky and a dialogue with the Indiana District of the Methodist Church. He took two Ecumenical trips to Rome, Istanbul, Canterbury and Geneva and two trips to London to assist the Episcopal Church USA to explain the Eucharistic Sharing agreement. He also is a member of the Lutheran CORE Committee on Ministerial Policies.

    Ralph is married to Mary Jane, and they have three children and seven grandchildren.


  • Carolyn Nestingen, St. Paul, MN and Dallas, OR

    • Carolyn resides in Minnesota and Oregon. She graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1966 and received an M.A. in French from the University of Wisconsin in 1968. She received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1978.

    Carolyn is an attorney who is Of Counsel with Briggs and Morgan, P.A. of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has practiced law for more than thirty years, focusing on employee benefits, pension and trust law. For several years she was recognized as a superlawyer, among the top 5% of Minnesota lawyers, by her peers.

    Carolyn is a member of St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and an associate member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Dallas, Oregon. She was a member of the Lutheran CORE Vision and Planning Committee which suggested a design for the NALC to the Steering Committee in early 2010. In the past she served on the first ELCA Committee on Appeals from 1988 to 1991 and also served on the ELCA Board of Pensions from 1992 to 1998 where she was Chair of the Benefits Committee.

    Carolyn is married to Jim, is the mother of three sons and has three grandchildren.


  • Pr. Ron Warren, Grove City, OH

    • A native of Sandusky, Ohio, Ron now resides in Grove City, Ohio. He graduated from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio in 1966 and from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio in 1970. In 1983, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree with distinction from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina, one of the ELCA's 27 colleges, awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1996.

    Ron served as a parish pastor in congregations in Wisconsin and Tennessee. In 1988, he was called to serve as Assistant to the Bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod. In 1995, Ron was elected Bishop of the Southeastern Synod and served until 2007. During his tenure as Bishop, he became directly involved in the long term recovery from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. On September 1, 2OO7 Ron was designated as Bishop Emeritus of the Southeastern Synod and until his retirement in 2009, served as U.S. Lutheran Disaster Response Liaison to synods and bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the districts and presidents of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

    In 2008, Ron was invited and joined Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's "Call to Action" Leadership Team, a component of Ohio's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. From 2009 to 2010, he served on the Lutheran CORE Vision and Planning Team which produced "A Vision and Plan for the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) and Lutheran CORE, A Community of Confessing Lutherans." In 2010, Ron was invited and joined "Called to Community - The Missional Servants Network," a national consortium of missiologists, sponsored by Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

    In 1968, Ron married his best friend, Neva. They are blessed with two adult children and three grandchildren.