About Vangen's Pastor: The Rev. Lance LindgrenPastor Lindgren, an ordained clergy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1997, is a native of Yankton, South Dakota and a 1961 graduate of Yankton High School. He is currently serving (since 2006) as pastor of Vangen Lutheran Church in Mission Hill, SD six miles east of Yankton. Pastor Lindgren is a participant with the Yankton Area Ministerial Association. He is also Dean of one of the seven Conferences within the ELCA South Dakota Synod, and is Chair of the Synod's Support to Ministries Committee. Prior to coming to Vangen, he has served congregations in Ashland, NE and Volga, SD.
Pastor Lindgren studied part-time at Fuller Theological Seminary's (Pasadena, CA.) Southern California Extension Program in San Diego, CA from 1989 to 1993, and completed his Clinical Pastoral Education requirement in the Spring of '94 at the Sharp HealthCare Network in San Diego. Pastor Lindgren completed his Cross-Cultural Experience in January, '95 on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona; Interned at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Diego, CA in 1995-1996; and received his MDiv degree from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) in Berkeley, CA in 1996. Pastor Lindgren’s strengths in ministry include (biblical) preaching, worship leadership, education, pastoral care, administration, and a firm foundation in the basics of the Lutheran Confessions and theology. He strives to remain current with his skills in liturgics, preaching, counseling, and a select variety theological and pastoral foci. Pastor Lindgren is registered as a trained pre-marriage/marriage enrichment counselor with Life Innovations, Inc., a Stephen Ministry Instructor, a facilitator of the ELCA’s “Care for Returning Vets” program, and is trained in suicide intervention (ASIST) through the South Dakota Help!Line Center.
Pastor Lindgren has over 27 years previous hands-on experience in a wide variety of lay leader, caregiver, and education positions in the church. He has been trained and certified as a Stephen Leader, as well as a SEARCH Bible Study director/large group presenter. His lay leadership background also includes service on boards, commissions, and councils at the ELCA synodical and conference level, and the former ALC South Pacific District, as well as an involvement in a variety of local ecumenical leadership roles. Pastor Lindgren also served fourteen years in a variety of capacities with local Boy Scout, and PTA units in California.
Prior to his call to ordained ministry, Pastor Lindgren accumulated 14 years supervisory and management experience in the defense tactical computer design industry, and 20 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a senior NCO (E-8). His last employment was as a Senior Quality Engineer and Total Quality Management (TQM) Facilitator. Prior to beginning his seminary studies, he was also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Redlands (Redlands, CA.) San Diego Center, teaching classes in Business Administration and Management.
Pastor Lindgren’s other academic credentials include a Master of Science degree in HRM/D and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science, both from Chapman University in Orange, CA. During his Naval career, Pastor Lindgren also served as a certified Navy Drug and Alcohol Abuse Training Facilitator/Counselor.
Pastor Lindgren is married to Karen (Olson), also a native of Yankton (both "cradle" Lutherans). The Lindgrens lived in Chula Vista, CA for over 32 years, 3 years in Alameda, CA, 2 years in Washington, DC, 5.5 years in Ashland, NE, and 3.5 years in Volga, SD. They have two daughters, Rhonda Caton, living in Lake Stevens, WA, and Melissa Schoneboom, in Springfield, MO. They also have two granddaughters. Karen has over 20 years experience as a church administrative assistant/manager in California and Nebraska.
