Pastor CJ has served at Zion since August 2019. Previous to his current call he served Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Upsala, MN for nearly four years. He attended the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and graduated with a BS in Water Resources in December of 2010 before attending Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN and graduating with an MDiv in 2015. Pastor CJ has a passion for worship leadership, pastoral care, and a good discussion driven Bible or book study. He is interested in faith as a messy work in progress that takes doubt and questions seriously. He believes God is big enough for our anger and our doubts and that as children of God we have space to hold God to account to the promises God has made to us in the Word, our baptisms, and the Lord's Supper. A struggling faith is an active and meaningful one!
Pastor CJ is married to an incomparably smart, talented and compassionate woman named Kandice and together they have two incredible children, a daughter named Emma and a son named Henry. When he isn't hard at work pastoring, CJ likes to spend time with the family and do nearly anything outdoor related but especially fishing, hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing, He also enjoys getting together with people around good food and some craft brews.
Pastor CJ typically works Sundays and Tuesday-Friday. Contact him at pastorcj@zioncloquet.org