A message from our St. Luke Church Council President and Vice President

Monday, January 12, 2026

Dear St. Luke family,

As you are probably already aware, Pastor Johnson has accepted a call to another congregation and has resigned his position as Senior Pastor at St. Luke. Since he will be moving to a congregation not affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), LCMS protocols require that his resignation become effective immediately, as of January 11, 2026. We wish him and Elizabeth all God’s blessings in their new endeavor.

We have been in contact with Bishop Taylor regarding the steps required for us to call a new Senior Pastor. While we are all anxious to move forward as quickly as possible, there are several tasks that must be accomplished before we can formally establish a Call Committee. The initial item is a new survey to determine the congregation’s needs and preferences for our next pastor. We expect to provide this survey to you within the next few weeks; please take the time to prayerfully consider the questions and provide your responses in accordance with the schedule that will be provided with the survey.

Once the surveys have been returned and the responses have been compiled and reviewed, we will move forward with establishing a Call Committee, in accordance with St. Luke’s Constitution and By-Laws and guidance from the LCMS Atlantic District. It is important to ensure that the make-up of a Call Committee is representative of our entire community, and we encourage anyone to reach out to us with suggestions for potential Call Committee candidates for consideration.

Please be assured that we will maintain pastoral coverage during the transition period, and we will continue to keep you updated regarding the process and progress toward calling a new pastor. As always, we encourage and greatly appreciate your continued prayers and support for St. Luke.

In His service,

Ken Wenz, Church Council President

Jackie Guidone, Church Council Vice President