Pastor Marty Retires After 26 Years of Ministry

 

When Pastor Marty Ericson arrived at Como Park Lutheran Church in 2000, he stepped into a congregation with a more complicated history than had been apparent during the call process. Looking back, he says he wishes he had asked more questions before accepting the call.

Still, one of his strongest memories from those early days has nothing to do with conflict or the growing pains of a church in transition. A month after arriving, he watched as Anne and their children came to church for the first time. Two longtime members, Alan Alshouse and Edgar Williams, introduced themselves to the children and learned their names. What stood out was not that they welcomed Pastor Marty’s family, but that they knew the names of all the children in the congregation.

“I started to feel like this is going to be a good place for us,” he reflected.

 

What Kept Him Here

Years later, Pastor Marty is preparing to retire after serving as Como Park Lutheran’s Senior Pastor since 2000. During that time, he has watched the congregation evolve in many ways. Membership declined. Committees reorganized. New ministries began while others concluded. Staff members came and went. The way congregations operate shifted alongside broader changes in society.

Asked what he will remember most about his years at Como Park, Pastor Marty answered simply: “The relationships with people.”

“Everything in the church is relational,” he said. “The church is the people. It’s not the building, and it’s not a program.”

Pastor Marty credits the congregation’s willingness to adapt as one reason he stayed for more than a quarter century. “There was always another thing on the horizon,” he said. That “next thing” took many forms over the years: worship initiatives, Bible studies, building projects, community outreach efforts, anniversaries, fund appeals, and new ministry opportunities.

He also points to areas where he believes Como Park has had an impact beyond what many might expect from a congregation of its size. The church’s partnerships in Tanzania, support for student scholarships, hunger ministries, educational programs, and local partnerships were among the examples he highlighted. He described the congregation as one that consistently “punches above its weight.”

 

Looking Ahead

When asked what he hopes never changes, Pastor Marty mentioned the congregation’s commitment to hospitality, its concern for children, its support of education, and its desire to feed people in need.

As the conversation came to a close, he was asked whether there was anything else he wanted to add. Rather than highlighting a program, a building project, or a milestone from his twenty-six years as pastor, he talked about the women of the congregation.

He remembered Alice Christensen and Lillian Soderquist, whose work around meals, receptions, and hospitality helped shape congregational life for decades. He also reflected on Elida Storsley and the influence she had through Bible study and education.

“To lift up the role of the women in this place is something that needs to be done,” he said.

Three days before retirement, sitting in an office already beginning to look like someone else’s, Pastor Marty says he is leaving a congregation that is healthy, cohesive, and financially stable. He believes there are strong assets in place for the next pastor who walks through the doors.

The congregation he joined in 2000 is different from the one he leaves today. Membership has changed. Programs have changed. The way churches operate has changed. Yet many of the things that first drew him to Como Park remain familiar: a commitment to hospitality, a concern for others, and a community where people know one another by name.