Rev. E. Jon Benson

A native of North Dakota and a graduate of Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, MN, Pastor Benson has been in the ordained ministry for over 30 years, thirteen of which have been here at Saint John. He has served in two other parishes, Lord of Love in Omaha, NE (1983-1991), and Immanuel Lutheran in Harlan, IA (1993-2003). In addition to these, Pastor Benson attended two years of graduate studies in Indiana (1991-1993), during which time he served two interim pastorates, one in South Bend and the other in Elk Hart.

Pastor Benson and his wife, Marcia, have been married for more than 30 years and are the parents of five children and one daughter-in-law and two sons-in-law: Jonathan (and his wife, Lindsey), Anne, Christy, Amy (and her husband, Chris) and Kelsey (and her husband, Jacob), and the proud grand parents of five grand daughters, Ashley, Hannah, Natalie, Kiersten, and Evelyn. Besides spending time with his family, Pastor Benson enjoys reading, wood working and cooking (prime rib being his specialty!).

Regarding the future of Saint John and its mission, Pastor Benson has great hopes. He is enthused about the level of commitment of the members to do ministry in the very location Saint John has served for 125 years, choosing to renovate rather than build elsewhere. It also amazes him at the flexibility of the members, not to mention the enormous amount of work and planning, in relocating to a temporary location during the time of renovation. Moreover, Pastor Benson is grateful for the commitment of the entire staff of Saint John and the lay leadership.