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Keynote Speakers

Jeremey King
Pastor, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church

Growing up at the beach in sunny Southern California, Jeremey never imagined he would serve as lead Pastor to a congregation located in a town known for snow and skiing in Afton, Minnesota. In fact, he never thought he would be a Pastor. Jeremey’s journey of listening to God has taken him from hustlin’ billiards to a passion for discipleship. He has discovered along the way that the very things he never thought he would do were often the invitations to trust God’s vision, initiation, and faithfulness. His pastoral heart has been shaped by great mentors and authors that encourage him to deepen, to root, in hearing the shepherding voice of Jesus. One of his favorite places to hear from God is in the woods during hunting season. Jeremey holds an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, teaches for The Masters Institute, and serves on the Board of Trustees for LCMC. The best gifts of his life are his wife, Michelle, and two kids, Gabriel and Neriyah. 

Nathan Hoff
Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church
@nathanhoff

Son of the Father, chosen and loved by Jesus, and filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Nathan is called to live into this identity with Joy, and our four children.  He has served as pastor in San Pedro at Trinity Lutheran Church since 2005, and started a multiplicative ministry called Trinity Greenhouse in 2018 which includes an internship embedded in a young adult intentional community (The Theta Community).  Nathan also serves on the faculty at Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute, The Awaken Project, and Mount Carmel Ministries.

Jenn Alexander
Worship & Speaking Pastor, Hosanna Church

Jenn Alexander's years as a speaker, worship leader, pastor, and wife of a megachurch lead pastor, grant her a unique and pointed voice in the current LCMC conversation. With piercing clarity, soulful energy, and fierce honesty, Jenn Alexander brings prophetic insight, and humble perspective to biblical passages, and changing times. Jenn lives in St. Paul, MN and serves alongside her husband Ryan- on the preaching team, and senior leadership team of Hosanna Church- a multi-campus church in the Twin Cities south metro. Jenn has her masters in the missional church, from Fuller Theological Seminary, and has served in Lutheran congregations for over 20 years.

Julie Smith
Coordinator for Districts and Fellowship Groups, LCMC
@JulieSmithPr

Julie has spent the past 23 years working mainly in small town and rural ministry settings.  Since 2011 she has been Dean of Students at St. Paul Lutheran Seminary, while simultaneously serving as pastor of St. Johns Lutheran Church in Springfield, MN. In the spring of 2021, Julie joined the staff of LCMC as Coordinator for Districts and Fellowship Groups.

Andrea Taphorn
Director of Children's Ministry, Upper Arlington Lutheran Church

Andrea has worked in Children’s Ministry for 8 years and is a seminary student at The Luther House at Sioux Falls Seminary. She has a background in medical social work prior to being in full time ministry. She has spent countless hours of the pandemic with her husband Brodie, her three teenage kids, her dad and their sweet and lovable dog Louis. A good day involves good coffee with a good book in hand, writing down thoughts about life, ministry and theology and laughing and connecting with a good friend.

Mike Bradley
Service Coordinator, LCMC

Mike brings 40 plus years of leadership and ministry experience, having served in Lutheran congregations in Nebraska (Christ Lutheran Church) and South Dakota (Trinity Lutheran Church) as a youth pastor, worship leader, associate pastor, and senior pastor. He also served as President for The Master’s Institute Seminary for ten years and most recently, as Director for the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Mike is passionate about helping leaders and congregations create an atmosphere that is a safe place for developing healthy leaders and disciples in the church, and equipping God’s people for lives of effective witness and ministry in the world. He is the author of the book, Being a Safe Place for the Dangerous Kind, in which he articulates the essential connection between solid theology and healthy practice in mission and ministry. 

Mike enjoys sports of all kinds, having served as a high school basketball and baseball coach while serving Trinity Lutheran Church in Rapid City, South Dakota. He and his wife of forty-two years, Debi, enjoy reading, hiking, and swimming, and Mike enjoys the occasional golf outing. They have five adult children – Andrew Michael, Joseph Ross, Rachel Christine, Stephen Daniel and Benjamin John, and three grandsons – Michael, Isaac, and Lucas. Mike and Debi live in Gilbert, Arizona with their three-year old white Labrador, Maggie Mae.

Preachers

Steve Turnbull
Senior Pastor, Upper Arlington Lutheran Church

Steve is the senior pastor at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church. He loves Jesus, his wife, his children, God's church, deep dish pizza, and dark coffee.

Gabrielle Arland
Student Ministry Director, Shepherd of the Valley

I have been the Student Ministry Director at Shepherd of the Valley for the last 3 years. Before that, I attended Bethel University and am currently attending seminary at Fuller Seminary. In my spare time I like to read, bake bread, and cheer on the Wisconsin Badgers.

Bible Study

Erik Anderson
Discipleship Pastor, New Life Lutheran Church
@eriktheblessed

Erik is the husband of Sara and the father of Augusten and Ambrose. He has served New Life Lutheran as Discipleship Pastor since August 2018, where he focuses on equipping God's people to proclaim the Gospel to each other and the world, put on Christ daily, and grow in grace and the promises of God. Erik is currently pursuing an M.A. in Biblical Theology at The Institute of Lutheran Theology. Erik's spare time is spent with his family hiking, fishing, and wrestling with his boys, or at the local gym lifting weights and challenging his body.