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LAUREL — Todd Thelen was pastoring a church in Wisconsin when the desire to move back to his roots in Nebraska led him to reach out to the Evangelical Free Church of America Midwest District Superintendent to see if there were any openings.
Thelen, a Lincoln native, had received a box of Cornhusker gear each Christmas from his grandparents and therefore he knew from a young age, “There is no place like Nebraska.”
“I found out that there were eight different churches across Nebraska with vacancies. I narrowed it down to three and interviewed at each of those churches,” he said.
Feeling no peace at any of his final choices, he began the long journey back to Wisconsin.
Then the phone rang. It was Bob Dahlquist, a member of the search committee at the Evangelical Free Church of Concord.
“I answer the phone and Bob says to me, ‘Would you consider stopping by Concord on your way home? I’ll show you around the church and we can pray about what the Lord is leading,’” Thelen recalls while chuckling.
“What a tour it was. Tiny Concord, Nebraska. Bob showed me around the church, asked me questions, shared about the congregation, and sent me on my way with prayers. He continued to reach out and pray with me on a weekly basis from that moment on. It really made an impact on my life and obviously the Lord answered our prayers with the decision to come here,” he said.
He officially met with the entire search committee in August of 2000 and the second weekend the following November of 2000, he brought his wife, Tammy, and their three daughters back.
His first official Sunday was Jan. 19, 2001.
What keeps a pastor at a church in rural America for 25 years?
Even though there was some culture shock, Thelen sees the blessings and the provision of God in all of the details.
The joyful moments of births, baptisms, weddings, and celebrations all the way to the tough stuff like conflict, death, divorce and sickness, all have a spot in the timeline, some more than others. Highlighting his favorite parts, Thelen expresses, “People. Relationships. The people are the staying power of relationships. The shared vision to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ be spread throughout our communities and world, is foundational.” He adds, “Obviously, my favorite ministry ‘duty’ is that I GET the awesome opportunity to preach the Word of God to people.”
Congregation members share that same sentiment and have commented how the Biblical messages coupled with personal, genuine friendships with the Thelens, have kept them engaged and excited to further their relationship with Christ.
However, the physical church building is not always where you’ll find Pastor Todd. His office is many times relocated to bedside at a hospital, a home of a widow, next to the family who is watching their house burn, the graveside service of a person without a church to call ‘home’ or the local grocery store packing benevolence baskets. If you catch him on a nice day, he’ll be dressed in leather, riding a Harley.
On Sunday, Jan. 25, The Evangelical Free Church of Concord invites everyone to join them in celebrating the 25 year ministry of Pastor Todd & Tammy Thelen with a special program at the church at 1:30pm followed by a reception.
