Pastor John Christopherson

Pastor

Pastor John Christopherson began serving among the family of faith at Springdale last June of 2024. On his first Sunday, he was delighted to see that one of the ushers was wearing a pair of Osh Kosh bibbed-overalls. “I’m home!” Pastor John exclaimed with a smile. Although his pair of bibbed-overalls, for some reason, are a bit too small these days, it did bring to fond remembrance “growing up” on his mother’s homeplace in southern Wisconsin. A small dairy farm where Holstein cows jumped over the moon and only green and yellow tractors/implements were allowed. Prior to serving at Springdale, Pastor John had served as the Senior Pastor at First Lutheran in downtown Sioux Falls, with a tenure of nearly twenty years. Before that, he served as a university chaplain and associate professor in the Honors Program at MSU in Bozeman, MT for fifteen years.

In the Spring of 2021, his beloved wife, Cathy – whom he had met during their years together at Augustana – was diagnosed with ALS. Pastor John then retired and spent the last two years of their forty-four-year marriage as Cathy’s caregiver. “Coming out of retirement after a difficult year of transformation and discernment, the call to serve among the people of Springdale has been a sheer gift,” muses Pastor John. “The warmth and hospitality at Springdale – with its Lake Wobegon vibe – its steepled bell tower amongst the tall pine, like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting – and a largess of heart in caring for one another as well as the commitment for mission outreach, is truly a rare combination in these days. The congregation truly, truly gives a heartbeat to the famous line of Robert Frost’s: ‘Home is the place where, whenever you go there, they always welcome you in.’ This communion of saints with a deep love for Scripture and traditional hymnody, a Word and Sacrament ministry that holds Christ at the center, along with a country-side repose, set along the Big Sioux River … is an amazing treasure yet to be discovered.” “Come and see!” (John 1:39).

Pastor John has three grown, married children (including a two-year old granddaughter) who live in Sioux Falls, Helena, Montana and Kalispell, Montana. His passions include: music and art, classic literature, hiking, fly-fishing and skiing in Montana, boxer dogs and writing. Having degrees from Luther Seminary (M.Div.) and the University of Chicago (Ph.D.), as well as fellowships from Harvard and Princeton, Pastor John loves to press pastoral care and scholarship into the service of Christ’s Church. He currently resides in the woods of Tomar Park with his two-year-old boxer, “Bear.”

Springdale Church Council

Governing Board

Current Members: Les Chaon - President, Dennis Breitenstein - Vice President, Mary Anderson - Treasurer, Jill Hansen - Financial Secretary, Geri Olson - Council Secretary, Rich Munch - Trustee, Chris Benson - Trustee, Don Naatjes - Trustee, Pam Hallauer - Deacon, Craig Anderson - Deacon, Lori Seykora - Deacon, Savannah Wagner - Youth Representative, Evelyn Krueger - Youth Representative