Our history

Saint Michael Lutheran Church was a new mission start of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) in 1980. The first worship service was held on September 21, 1980 in a storefront rental space in what is now the Blondo 120 Mall. The mission developer and first pastor was Pastor David Zellmer.

By the time of the Charter Service on Palm Sunday, April 12, 1981, a larger space was necessary, and we moved to a larger storefront nearby. That day, 161 adults and children became Charter members of Saint Michael. We had one Worship service at that time. We now celebrate Worship with three vibrant services each weekend.

A permanent worship facility on property, previously purchased by the LCA for the new mission start at 132nd and Blondo Streets, was dedicated on Palm Sunday, March 31, 1985. Subsequent major additions to the facility were the Fellowship Hall dedicated in 1992, a new Worship Center dedicated in 2002, the Bronstad Youth and Learning Center, under the Worship Center, dedicated in 2008 and an Education/Music/Youth Addition dedicated on January 29, 2012.

Pastor Zellmer remained as pastor of Saint Michael until December 31, 1987. On January 1, 1988, Saint Michael, became a member of the newly formed Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Pastor David Bronstad was called and officiated his first worship service on October 30, 1988, and was installed on December 4 of that year.

Saint Michael installed Pastor Donna Durette as Associate Pastor on May 31, 1992. Pastor Durette served until September 30, 1997. The next associate pastor, Al Duminy, was installed on February 29, 2004, and remained at Saint Michael until 2013.

The congregation was saddened on October 1, 2007, when Pastor Bronstad died of complications from prostate cancer, after serving as senior pastor for almost 20 years. In June of 2009, Saint Michael issued a call to Pastor Mark Grorud to serve as senior pastor. He was installed on August 29 of that year.

In 2012, associate pastor Al Duminy was called to serve at Sinai Lutheran Church in Fremont. At that time, the congregation hired a Youth and Family minister instead of calling another associate pastor. Hannah deFreese served in this position from 2012 through 2018. 

Pastor Grorud served as pastor of Saint Michael until April 2015, when he was called to Immanuel Village. A call was then issued to Pastor Tim Koester in March of 2016 and he continues to serve as the Senior pastor.  Beginning in the fall of 2017, Saint Michael became a teaching congregation and was served by seven pastoral interns: David Mayen, Drew Riter, Dave Maloy, Anna Silco, Callie Arendt, Riley Reed-Windau, and Katie Ohren. 

In June of 2019, Nicole (Coco) Lyons began a diaconal internship at Saint Michael and she was later called, and ordained, as the Deacon of Youth and Young Adults. Coco faithfully served the congregation until she was called to serve in campus ministry at the UNL Lutheran Center in 2022. Following Deacon Coco’s departure, the congregation discerned that the time was right to again call a second pastor.  We are currently in the midst of that call process. 

During the COVID shutdown in 2020, we built our live-streaming capabilities and found ways to remain connected, including holding an outdoor Easter service in 2021 with many hundreds gathering to shout “Christ is Risen”!  We continue to seek ways for our membership of 1000 souls to connect to one another, to the God who loves us, and to the world God has made. History is never finished but with God walking alongside us, “we know that all things work together for good”. Romans  8:28