Meet Pastor Doug

Rev. Doug Andersen was installed at a special worship service on Sunday, January 20, 2019. We are very excited to have him lead our church while we also share him with Cross Lutheran Church in Ixonia.

Pastor Doug Andersen was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up he played sports and was in the Boy Scouts earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on graduating from High School in 1983 and attended the University of Washington in Seattle and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. While at the University Doug met his wife, Starr.

In 1988 Doug went onto Active Duty with the Marines and served for 5 years. In 1989 he and Starr married and moved to California as part of his service. After leaving the Marines Pastor Doug joined his father’s company as a private investigator in the Seattle area. In 1996 Doug and Starr welcomed their son Johnathan into the world. In 2002 Doug and his father decided to close their company and go on to new adventures. In 2002 and 2003 Doug travelled twice to Russia for his church as part of developing a sister church relationship with a Russian congregation. The work of helping build congregations and growing the church gave him the greatest experience of vocational fulfillment which led to his decision to enter seminary at Seattle University in 2004.

In 2006 he transferred to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN to complete his Lutheran education and training. Doug graduated seminary in 2009 and received his first call in January 2010 to De Soto and Freeman Lutheran Churches which are near the La Crosse area of Wisconsin. In 2014 Starr was offered a job with Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee which resulted in the family relocating to the Milwaukee area in the summer of 2015. He served 2 ½ years at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Waukesha as a term pastor leading the church through a period of transition and discernment. He is looking forward to serving the area communities.