St. Peter's Luthern Church
Loganville WI
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PASTORS BIOGRAPHY
Biographical Information for Rev. Peter Bredlau
● Active in congregations as a young person; Worked at Lutheran summer camps.● Served congregations in PA, IL, and WI, and an ELCA college.o Christ Lutheran Church, Reading, PA, 1997-2000▪ Volunteer Chaplain at Reading Hospital and Medical Center.o Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, 2000-2012▪ Chaplain, Director of Church Relations, Instructor in an Honors program, Hockey and Lacrosse coach, and student club advisor.o St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Bethlehem, PA, 2012-2016o Trinity Lutheran Church, Eau Claire, WI, 2016-2018o Trinity Lutheran Church, Moline, IL, 2018-2023o Faith Lutheran Church, Columbus, WI, Long-Term Supply Pastor, 2024o Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Sun Prairie, WI, Interim Pastor, 2024o Director of Major Gifts, Wayland Academy, Beaver Dam, WI, 2023-2024● Synod committeeso Campus Ministry, Leadership Development, Media and Communication, Gay & Lesbian Advocacy. Committee on Discipline● Non-profit boards and Social Ministry engagement.o Congregations United for Neighborhood Action, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, Family Promise Homeless Shelter, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley, Quad Cities Planned Giving Council.o Food Banks, TerraCycle, ELCA Disaster Response, Hunger, and Global Mission, Neighborhood Associations, Homeless Advocacy. World Relief Refugee Resettlement.● Professional Interestso Preaching, Teaching, Spiritual Exploration.o Strategic Planning and Resource Development.o Evangelism, Marketing.o Congregation transition; Organizational Systems; Leadership/Governance● Personal Life and Interestso Wife, Joanna, married 30 years. Joanna works for Jefferson County Human Services; Daughter, in college in Pittsburgh, PA; a Son, in college in Philadephia, PA; a dog - Yorkie/Shih Tzu mix.o Reading, Walking, Archery, Guitar, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse.
What is the Pastor’s role in the congregation and in the community?A Pastor should be guided by Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”, and Acts 2:42 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”.A Pastor is an active listener to the Spirit, the congregation, and the culture, seeking to learn and discern for the good of the congregation and community. This is done by visiting, engaging in conversations, asking good questions, and listening carefully to what is being said. A Pastor should lead with a balance of comfort and challenge. A Pastor’s role is to know when the congregation is nervous and unsure of the future and provide comfort, hope, and encouragement. The Pastor must also be ready to challenge the congregation to explore possibilities and how the Holy Spirit is calling them.A Pastor should care for the staff and leadership so they have the support and resources needed to imagine the present and future.A Pastor does not make changes without conversation and consent. A Pastor does not try to diagnose, repair, or alter the congregation in ways that the Pastor alone decides. A Pastor works with the congregation to discern together what needs attention and facilitates the appropriate courses of action in a process of collaboration. A Pastor should be in the community, learning about how the people around it perceive the congregation, the needs and desires of the community, and how the congregation can most effectively connect with its neighbors. A Pastor should practice self-care. A Pastor cannot be effective in exhaustion, distraction, and illness. Proper care includes food decisions, exercise, fun, study, rest, meditation/reflection, and accountability. A Pastor should live in joy, excitement, and hope, while also being vulnerable enough to admit failure, and to struggle honestly with difficult issues.
What is the Pastor’s role in the congregation and in the community?A Pastor should be guided by Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”, and Acts 2:42 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”.A Pastor is an active listener to the Spirit, the congregation, and the culture, seeking to learn and discern for the good of the congregation and community. This is done by visiting, engaging in conversations, asking good questions, and listening carefully to what is being said. A Pastor should lead with a balance of comfort and challenge. A Pastor’s role is to know when the congregation is nervous and unsure of the future and provide comfort, hope, and encouragement. The Pastor must also be ready to challenge the congregation to explore possibilities and how the Holy Spirit is calling them.A Pastor should care for the staff and leadership so they have the support and resources needed to imagine the present and future.A Pastor does not make changes without conversation and consent. A Pastor does not try to diagnose, repair, or alter the congregation in ways that the Pastor alone decides. A Pastor works with the congregation to discern together what needs attention and facilitates the appropriate courses of action in a process of collaboration. A Pastor should be in the community, learning about how the people around it perceive the congregation, the needs and desires of the community, and how the congregation can most effectively connect with its neighbors. A Pastor should practice self-care. A Pastor cannot be effective in exhaustion, distraction, and illness. Proper care includes food decisions, exercise, fun, study, rest, meditation/reflection, and accountability. A Pastor should live in joy, excitement, and hope, while also being vulnerable enough to admit failure, and to struggle honestly with difficult issues.