Mike
and Sally met at Taft High School while they both were active leaders and band
members. They attended Concordia College, and then Mike attended Luther Seminary
in St. Paul, MN.
They became a successful married team as Mike began his ministry in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. After success in re-energizing Mike’s
first congregation, in Huxley, Iowa, he was appointed to a struggling church of
fifteen members in West Des Moines. Under Mike’s leadership, it became one of
the country’s fastest growing churches, with more than 8,000 worshippers on an
average weekend with legendary food drives for the needy.
A working mother, Sally has also organized the church’s music and children’s
programs, including the Vacation Bible School which enrolled 4,200 children in
2009.