In addition to my responsibilities at the church, I also serve on the Board of Trustees for Gustavus Adolphus College, the Metro Lutheran newspaper board, and the governing board of the Apple Valley Health Care Center.

On a personal note, my wife Margaret retired after 23 years as a school teacher. She now spends her time enjoying our four grandchildren, singing with various choirs at church, working with stained glass, gardening and arranging flowers. She also serves on the national board of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps.  Son Mat and his wife Stephanie have  two children. He practices law in Seattle, Washington. Annika and her family live at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Montana where her husband Jedd is camp manager. Becca and her husband Rory happily reside in Minneapolis. She has completed her masters in Congregational Mission at Luther Seminary and is currently working toward her AIM and is the staff coordinator at Mt. Carmel.

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Pastor Chris Smith
Senior Pastor
952.432.6351
chris.smith@sotv.org

I have been serving at Shepherd of the Valley since early 1997. As we say in the church office, there is never a dull moment in the ministry at SOTV and there hasn’t been for me, either. I began my ministry here in congregational life ministries, which included a combination of children’s and family ministries, singles ministries, social concerns, men’s ministries, couples ministries, pastoral care programs, and other areas, along with the general pastoral duties of preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. Over the years, my work came to include management of the congregation – human resources, finance, facility, office. Over time, as we have added to our pastoral staff, my role has further shifted and developed. In 2007 with the careful guidance of the church council and Saint Paul Area Synod, I received a new pastoral call from Shepherd of the Valley as Senior Pastor. I continue to give thanks to God for all the congregational support for this transition and for a good partnership with Pastor Paul Harrington.

Prior to coming to Shepherd of the Valley, I served for four years as a solo pastor in Braham, Minnesota. On the education side, I received my Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Earlier I received degrees from Saint Olaf College and Harvard University. Most recently I earned a doctorate in biblical preaching from Luther Seminary. I have assured my family that that is enough degrees (but you never know – I love learning!).

I love to spend time with my family, to hike, read, write, travel, learn, and to spend time understanding the natural world (paleontology, astronomy, and the like). There are still some people at the Shepherd of the Valley family who do not know that Pastor Mary Lund and I are married. We have two children, Miles (age 14) and Joy (age 13) and we always learn a great deal from our children and enjoy growing with them.

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Pastor Duane Paetznick
Education
952.432.6351
duane.paetznick@sotv.org

I have been a pastor at Shepherd of the Valley since 1993. Before that I worked one year at SOTV as a lay person – Director of Christian Education. On my route getting to this church, I graduated from St. Cloud Sate University in 1976. Worked on the staff at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi for 13 years. Then, later, in 1993 I graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul with an M.Div. degree (that’s what you need to become an ordained pastor).

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Pastor Mary Lund
Teaching
952.432.6351
mary.lund@sotv.org

I grew up in Wisconsin and was graduated from St. Olaf College and Harvard Divinity School. Prior to serving at Shepherd of the Valley I served parishes in Woburn, MA; and East Bethel, MN. I also served as Assistant to the Bishop of the Mpls Area Synod of the ELCA in the area of candidacy for six years. I am married to Chris Smith, also a pastor at SOTV.  We have two children, Miles and Joy. My ministry at Shepherd of the Valley focuses primarily in the area of teaching. 

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Pastor Randy Brandt
Youth Ministry; The Table
952.432.6351
randy.brandt@sotv.org

I have been part of the SOTV pastoral staff since 2002 and focus my time in youth and confirmation, couples ministry and coordinating The Table worship in the Great Hall, as well as sharing general pastoral responsibilities.

What a great journey I've been on: twelve years in youth and family ministry as a pastor in Rochester, MN, as a director of youth ministry in Fridley, MN, and as a member of an Youth Encounter team to New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and seven years teaching third grade just before coming to SOTV. My education background includes degrees from Luther College,  Winona State University, Luther Seminary, and the University of Minnesota.

Marsha and I have two fabulous children, Katie and Juliana. Our family loves nearly anything with music, a really good book, and getting outside on bikes, inline skates, running, or at parks - refreshed from being outside.

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Pastor Diane Sponheim
Social Concerns; Women's Ministries
952-432-6351
diane.sponheim@sotv.org

I joined the staff of Shepherd of the Valley in June 2007. Prior to my call at SOTV, I served at Westwood Lutheran Church in St Louis Park, MN and Lutheran Church of the Cross in Altoona, IA. I have a degree in Music Therapy, which I practiced for ten years before pursuing my Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. After college, I traveled with Lutheran Youth Encounter music ministry teams in the U.S., Australia, and The Philippines. After my travels, I worked for Youth Encounter for several years.

I will be managing Pastoral Care, Social Concerns, and Women’s ministry at SOTV. As pastor for social concerns, I will equip leaders in our congregation who are taking action to address poverty, suffering, and injustice. Major efforts include the partnership with Tanzania, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer Project, ISAIAH, children in need garage sale, and many partnerships in the community. Women’s ministry at SOTV includes retreats and many annual events where women gather for learning, spiritual development and fun!

I am married to Eric, an attorney who works for Thomson West in Eagan. We have two young sons, Micah and Luke. We enjoy family times together, the outdoors, music and watching our kids grow!

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Pastor Chris Steubing
952-432-6351
chris.steubing@sotv.org

I was born in San Antonio, TX and grew up in a rural area of south central Texas, near San Antonio. A formative aspect of my faith and discovery of my gifts for ministry was singing in the choir of our small country church with my mother.

I went to Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, TX and spent a year abroad in Finland while an undergraduate.  After college, I participated in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program in South Korea for a year, living with a host family and teaching English in a boys’ high school. Upon my return from Korea, I started work as a youth and family minister in Brenham, TX.

My wife Amy is from Aberdeen, S.D.  She now works at Capella University in Minneapolis as a New Learner Experience Coordinator. When we met while she was working as a teacher in Texas, Amy was wearing a Minnesota Vikings T-shirt (quite possibly a sign from God). We were married and moved to the Twin Cities where I began serving as Director of Youth & Family Ministry at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Stillwater. I continued to work in youth ministry for my first two years of seminary and then completed my pastoral internship at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. I spent a couple years directing the praise band at North Presbyterian Church in North St. Paul before coming to Shepherd of the Valley.

We have a daughter named Ameya (pronounced Ah-May-Ah).  I am passionate about passing on faith in Jesus Christ and bridging cross-generational and cross-cultural gaps between God’s beloved children. Amy and I enjoy running and all things in the beautiful Minnesota outdoors.

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