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 The
Reverend Dr. Joel Biermann graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in
1987 and served as a parish pastor for eleven years, the majority of that at
St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Holt, Michigan. In the parish, Rev. Biermann
enjoyed leading an active ministry focused on evangelism and Christian
growth in sanctification and discipleship. This ministry extended to more
than a dozen countries where he was privileged to lead training seminars in
personal evangelism equipping Christians effectively to speak the Gospel.
In 1998, he returned to Concordia Seminary to pursue a doctoral degree in
systematic theology. Since completion of the degree in 2002, he has served
on the faculty of the seminary as Associate Professor of Systematic
Theology, where his passion for evangelism and Christian maturity animates
his classroom instruction. Rev. Biermann continues to be involved in
congregational service, assisting in the pastoral ministry of the Lutheran
Church of Webster Gardens. He and his wife, Jeannalee, have three children.
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The Reverend Dr. Scott
Rische of First Lutheran in El Cajon, California, graduated from St. Louis
Seminary in 1988. His first assignment was to plant Lord of Life Lutheran
Church in La Fox, Illinois. He served that congregation for eight years.
Scott came to First
Lutheran in 1996 and with that congregation, has pursued a local
vision of a congregation growing by conversions, individual and
community transformation, and a multiplication of leaders, ministries, and
churches, a regional vision of church multiplication in San
Diego County and Northwest Mexico, and a global vision of
First Lutheran sending missionaries and supporting missional work around the
world.
First Lutheran is
currently in the process of planting three new congregations. One is a new
Hispanic congregation in El Cajon, CA, another is a new congregation in Mira
Mesa, CA, and one other is a new congregation in downtown San Diego, CA.
First Lutheran is committed to planting as many new congregations a year as
they have workers to lead in that planting, and hopes through its efforts,
to help foster and release a church planting movement in San Diego County
and Northwest Mexico.
Scott completed his
D.Min. program in June of 2006 in Church Multiplication Movements through
the Bakke Graduate University of Ministry in Seattle, WA. As of September,
2009, Scott has stepped aside as the Senior Pastor of First Lutheran Church
to serve as the Director of City Transformation Ministries, Inc. CTM is an
integrated Auxiliary of First Lutheran created to help implement First
Lutheran’s vision of church planting, as well as the regional vision of a
church planting movement. Scott also works part-time as the Assistant to
the PLI International Director, Dr. Norb Oesch, helping to bring missional
leadership training to the pastors and leaders of our partner churches
around the world.
Scott is married to
Lori, and has four children: David, 23, Sarah, 21, Benjamin, 18, and Hannah,
14.
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