Synod Staff
 

Seated, left to right: Charleen Bolte, secretary; Rev. Mark Anderson, assistant to the Bishop; Linda Hudgins, assistant to the Bishop; Bishop Steven L. Ullestad

Second row: Marcia Hahn, coordinator for communications and events; Rev. Nancy Larson, assistant to the Bishop; Rev. Darrel Gerrietts, assistant to the Bishop; Karol Simmer, bookkeeper; Linda Sue Hamilton, secretary

photo by Eldon's Photography (2010)
 

Bishop
The Rev. Dr.  Steven L. Ullestad
Pastor Steven Ullestad has served as Bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod since 1992. His ministry priorities include strengthening and supporting rostered persons in their ministries, focusing congregations on mission, deepening spiritual renewal, strengthening youth ministry, increasing awareness of biblical principles of stewardship and building ministry partnerships. 

He currently serves on the board of Lutheran Services in Iowa, Wartburg College, Allen Hospital and Allen College. He is chairperson of Barnabas Uplift and the Face It Together substance abuse prevention coalition, advisory bishop to Augsburg Fortress Board, and member of the ELCA Task Force on Genetics. His past roles have included member of the Steering Committee for the ELCA Commission for Women, advisory bishop to the ELCA Church Council, member of the Committee for Theological and Ethical Concerns of the Conference of Bishops, chair of the Region V Steering Committee, chair of the Committee to Create Lutheran/Episcopal Educational Opportunities, chair of the ELCA's Seventh Initiative: Developing Leaders for the Next Century, advisory bishop to the Board of the Division for Church in Society,  member of the Representative Panel for Restructuring, president of Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa, member of the Renewing Worship Liturgical Music Development Panel, and co-chair of the ELCA/The Disciples of Christ dialogue. 

Prior to his election as bishop, Pastor Ullestad served as Assistant to the Bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod from 1988-1992, and as pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Hudson, Iowa from 1979-1987.

Bishop Ullestad holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa; a Master of Divinity Degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa; a Master of Sacred Theology Degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary; and Doctor of Divinity honors from Wartburg College and Wartburg Theological Seminary. His internship was in Guttenberg, Garnavillo and Clayton Center, Iowa, with a Clinical Pastoral Education at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey. 

Bishop Ullestad is married to Ruth Ullestad who is a music educator. They are the parents of Erik, Krista, and Kara. Erik is married to Allison and they have a daughter, Anna and two sons, Isaac and Evan. Family activities and music are among his favorite leisure activities.

Assistant to the Bishop
The Rev. Darrel W. Gerrietts
Pastor Gerrietts' primary areas of responsibilities:

• Represent the bishop in the call process and related duties.

• Board of Leadership in Ministry and related committees and work groups, including Candidacy, Colleague Ministry Team, Compensation, First Call Theological Education, S.A.F.E. Ministry Team, Life-Long Learning for Lutherans, Fall Conference Planning, Living Waters Renewal Ministries, and other leadership development programs.

• Conferences for Cooperative Ministry, including support and training for conference chaplains.

• Networks, including geographical parishes and Natural Church Development.

Pastor Gerrietts has served as an assistant to the Bishop since 1996. He has been a parish pastor at Redeemer, Washburn; St. Paul's, Rockwell City; and Grace and St. John (Crane Creek), Tripoli, and has served as chaplain of the Iowa Women's Reformatory, Rockwell City. He was the 1995 recipient of the Friend of Rural Ministry recognition from Wartburg Theological Seminary's Center for Theology and Land. 

Pastor Gerrietts is a graduate of Wartburg College (1965), Waverly, Iowa, and Wartburg Theological Seminary (1969), Dubuque, Iowa. He is married to Jeanette Gerrietts, who is a retired media specialist. They are parents of Jennifer, a free-lance writer; Anne, a building consultant for the Mission Loan Fund of the ELCA; Daniel, an ELCA pastor at Trinity, Mason City; and Christa, a Human Society public educator. He has four grandchildren.
 

Assistant to the Bishop
Linda J. Hudgins
Ms. Hudgins' primary responsibilities include oversight of the synod budget, call process, office management, support staff supervisor, assembly manager, communications, congregational constitutional reviews, and endowment.

She is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree, College of Business Administration, Management: Personnel/Human Resources. She is a member of the Eastern Iowa Church Chapter of the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA), the Lutheran Church Business Administration Association (LCBAA), and NACBA. Prior to coming to the synod office she served as Director of Volunteer Services at Allen Hospital, Waterloo, Iowa, and Coordinator of Volunteer Services, Covenant Medical Center, Waterloo, Iowa.

Assistant to the Bishop
The Rev. Mark A. Anderson
Pastor Anderson welcomes the opportunity to work with congregations to study their context and develop mission plans. Pastor Anderson's specific areas of responsibility:

• Board of Ministry and Mission and the Board's workgroups: Care of Creation, Global Mission, Home Life, Hunger, Ministry on Aging, and Rural Life.

• Youth Ministry, including the synod's Lutheran Youth Organization, the Youth & Family Ministry Network, the Youth & Family Ministry e-newsletter, WIYLDE and the Youth and Family Ministry Resource Page. 

• Specific ministries include Men's Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, and ministry to the recently incarcerated. 

• Liaison between the synod and Barnabas Uplift, Lutheran Outdoor Ministry of Iowa, Lutheran Campus Ministries of Iowa, Lutheran Disaster Response, and other agencies and institutions, including Lutheran Nursing Homes.

Prior to joining the synod staff, Pastor Anderson has served as a parish pastor at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charles City and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in La Crescent, Minn. Pastor Anderson has been trained in mediation at the Iowa Mediation Service (2006) and is a graduate of The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago ('89) and Luther College, Decorah, Iowa (Sociology/Religion '85). He served an internship at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, ELCA in Baraboo, Wis., and his CPE alternative was a “Public Ministry Experience” through the Urban Academy in Chicago served at Chicago Uptown Ministries, a street mission on the near north side of Chicago.

Pastor Anderson is married to Beverly, an elementary teacher, and their daughter, Michelle, is a student at Saint Olaf College. He serves as a trustee of the Waverly Public Library and is also a certified member of the Bremer County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). 

Contact Pastor Anderson at the synod office or via Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.

Director for Evangelical Mission & Assistant to the Bishop
The Rev. Nancy J. Larson
Pastor Larson's primary areas of responsibilities:

• Synodical Mission Support consultation process and Stewardship Ministry, including programs such as Ventures, congregational consultations, and guest preaching.

• Outreach and evangelism. 

• Companion Synod Program, which is with the three Lutheran church bodies of Namibia

Pastor Larson came to the Northeastern Iowa Synod to serve as an assistant to the Bishop in December of 2001. Previously she served as assistant to the Bishop in the Northwestern Minnesota Synod for five years.  Prior to that, she was an intentional interim pastor in both the Northwestern and Southwestern Minnesota Synods for more than nine years. In her first two calls, she served on the staff of larger congregations as a co-pastor.

Synod Support Staff

Receptionist-Secretary
Charleen M. Bolte
Charleen welcomes and greets people who come into or telephone the synod office, provides secretarial support for synod ministries related to Youth, Men, Outreach, and Synod Assembly.

Secretary
Linda Sue Hamilton
Linda Sue provides secretarial support for synod ministries related to the Roster, Call Process, Board of Leadership in Ministry, and Board of Ministry in Mission.

Bookkeeper
Karol A. Simmer
Karol's responsibilities include maintaining the synod's financial books, recording benevolence, payroll, registration for synod assembly, and documentation of congregation annual statistical reports.

Coordinator for Communications and Events
Marcia Hahn
Marcia maintains the synod website and coordinates events and publications, including the Star newsletter and Making a Difference.

 

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