Staff

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Plato

Pastor Steve was ordained to Word and Sacrament ministry in 2006, and has been a pastor serving the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for 15 years. He is excited about my family, church leadership, working with pastoral interns (and folks discerning vocation), St. Louis Cardinals baseball, road biking, and traveling to new places.

Pastor Steve believes ministry is all about 1. Relationship 2. being opening to the Spirit and following where Spirit leads 3. serving Christ and not self.

“If you are a dreamer, come in,

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!”

― Shel Silverstein

Pastor Bev is excited to serve in her new role here at Living Lord. She is originally from Michigan (Go Blue)! Her husband, Caleb, is a native of Saint Charles, MO and they are happy to be settled in this area. Bev was ordained in 2018. She is also a veteran Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. Some of Bev's hobbies include camping, canoeing, listening to old Garrison Keillor radio shows, playing cards and board games, eating spicy food, and most of all having fun with her growing family. She values relational ministry. She also enjoys exploring ancient tradition and ritual in both personal practice and worship settings from a grace-based perspective. Bev seeks to listen for and uplift the voices of the Beloved less often heard, and to respect the sacredness of the stories that make up our lives.

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.

Aim at earth and you get neither." C.S. Lewis

For nearly a decade, Chad has served as our Youth Director working with our middle school and high school youth to help them in their faith journey. Along the way he also picked up the role of Digital Communication Coordinator and all around 'get it done' guy.

Chad and his wife Jaime have been married over 25 years and strive to keep up with their teenage daughter, When he is not at the church, Chad is likely to be found gaming online or around the table with friends.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Holly recently joined Living Lord Staff as our Children’s Ministry Director in 2020. She works hard to create a fun learning experience for children as they grow in their faith. With a background in education, she is able to write age appropriate lessons and plan activities for the children in multiple programs within our church. She works hand in hand with several volunteers and completes a lot of the behind the scenes work so our children get the best faith learning experience on Sundays.

Holly has been married for seven years to her husband, and best friend, Dustin. They have four boys together. As a family they enjoy spending time outside whether it’s taking a walk, sitting around a fire, or fishing. She also enjoys reading historical fiction, making crafts with the kids, and decorating.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Leslee Demien has been serving the staff and congregation in the church office for more than a decade. She has been a member of Living Lord since 1991. Leslee also serves as Council Secretary. If you call the church office during the week, it will likely be Leslee’s voice that greets you. Her other interests include, running, hiking, biking and scrapbooking when she isn’t devoting herself to time with her family.

Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalm 100:1

While growing up, I would play guitar and sing at our little country church in Northeast Iowa. Since the early 2000’s, I’ve been blessed to be involved with the contemporary music services at Living Lord. I’ve helped the wonderful singers and musicians of our praise band lead our congregation in making “a joyful noise unto the Lord” since 2009.

I very much appreciate the support of our council, pastors, and the members of our church over the years as we initiated and completed major upgrades to our audio/visual systems, music equipment, and we introduced livestreaming (just in time for COVID).

Bethany (my high school sweetheart) and I have been married for the past 35+ years. Together we’ve shared the awesome experience of helping our three sons grow into the fine young men they are today. I enjoy golfing, kayaking/canoeing, bicycling, hiking, motorcycling, fishing, hunting, reading, and playing online games with my sons.