Our history

Saint Michael Lutheran Church began as a 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. Pastor David Zellmer was the mission developer and first pastor. At the Palm Sunday worship service, April 12, 1981, 161 adults and children chartered the congregation and soon moved into a larger storefront nearby. 

 

The present worship facility at 132nd and Blondo Streets, was dedicated on Palm Sunday, March 31, 1985 on land purchased by the LCA.  Subsequent additions to the facility were the Fellowship Hall dedicated in 1992, a new Worship Center dedicated in 2002, the Bronstad Youth and Learning Center dedicated in 2008 and an Education/Music/Youth Addition dedicated on January 29, 2012. The upper parking lot was renovated in 2015 and the new kitchen was completed in 2020.  

 

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 2012.

 

The congregation was deeply 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 and served as pastor of Saint Michael until April 2015.

 

In 2012 the congregation hired a Youth and Family minister instead of calling another associate pastor. Hannah deFreese served in this position from 2012 through 2018. 

 

In March of 2016, a call was then issued to Pastor Tim Koester 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 served the congregation until she was called to 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.  

 

In January of 2025, Pastor Cara Jensen was called as Co-Pastor of Saint Michael Lutheran Church and she continues in the role as the congregation grows in faith, hope and love. 

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