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At the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection (or just “Resurrection” as we call it), our two pastors, Ryan and John, are more than just colleagues—they're lifelong friends whose journey together has been nothing short of a holy adventure (with a few brass instruments thrown in).

Ryan and John’s story began in the hallowed halls of Grewenow Elementary in Kenosha, Wisconsin. From snack time to senior prom, they’ve walked through life side by side. They were members of St. Mary’s Lutheran Church in Kenosha, survived junior high and high school together, and bonded in band—because nothing says spiritual formation quite like band camp.

They even chose the same college, the prestigious (and only) University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, where they roomed together and dug into their studies, their callings, and their caffeine habits. It was during these years that John’s love for Christ truly took root—thanks in no small part to Ryan’s patient prayers and persistent nudges (the holy kind, not the annoying roommate kind... okay, maybe a little of both).

Their time in campus ministry lit a fire in both of them as they watched others discover the love of Jesus—and realized they were called to help people do just that for the rest of their lives. They began to dream about how they could continue that work together.

After college, the two returned to Kenosha. Ryan became the Youth and Family Minister at their home church, while John taught music in the Kenosha Unified School District and moonlighted as an "adult" youth group leader (we use the term adult loosely here). But as God would have it, when Ryan left for seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, John felt called to take over Ryan’s role in ministry—and eventually followed his own call to seminary at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Ryan was called to serve as Lead Pastor at Spirit of Joy in Orlando, Florida, where he faithfully served for nearly a decade. John, after his internship right here at Resurrection, took his first call as Lead Pastor at Vernon Lutheran Church in Mukwonago, WI.

Then in fall 2023, Resurrection called John “back home” as Pastor of Faith Formation. After a beautiful year of visioning, growing, and dreaming with the Resurrection community, the need for another pastor became clear. And that dream from over two decades ago—serving side by side in ministry—became a reality when Ryan joined the staff and the two became Co-Pastors.

Their story is one of friendship, faith, callings, caffeine, and God’s persistent grace. From playgrounds to pulpits, French horn and Trumpet to communion tables, Ryan and John’s lives have been knit together by the Spirit—and we at Resurrection are blessed to walk this next chapter with them.

Come and see what God is doing at Resurrection—where the pastors are not only shepherds of the faith, but living proof that God works in mysterious, musical, and sometimes hilarious ways.