My name is Adam Arends and I serve as pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Grand Island, NY, near Buffalo. This is a 3/4 time call. I am also serving as transition pastor at two other local congregations. I have been working as an ordained pastor for six and a half years. My first call was in a very rural setting in Wisconsin outside of La Crosse. I attended seminary at LTSP via the Co-op model which allowed me to attend most classes online as I interned at a church in the Buffalo area. I was at LTSP as the seminary transitioned to being ULS. I received my call in my late thirties and before that had worked at some nonprofits, then as a high school English teacher and then at a private company compiling automobile crash reports.
I’m married with two high school aged kids. I believe I could be helpful to those in discernment who have felt the itch of ministry for a long time, but aren’t sure they want to take the leap: my father is also an ELCA pastor (retired), and so the idea of ministry never really left me even as I worked at several different jobs.
I love watching movies, playing games with my family, and riding bike or disc golf when I feel motivated.