Congregation Council

Central Lutheran Church is a large and diverse body of people who are united by our faith in Jesus Christ. We work together to provide meaningful worship experiences, educational opportunities for all ages, and both local and global expressions of our faith.

The Congregation Council of Central Lutheran Church is made up of 11 elected members and the Senior Pastor. Officers and “at-large” Council members are elected at the June Annual Meeting and are given the responsibility for the oversight and governance of the mission and ministry of Central Lutheran Church. All serve for two-year terms except the president who serves one year as president-elect, one year as president and one year as past president.

2009-2010 Congregation Council

Bill Masche, President
Kristen Schoephoerster, President-Elect
Mark Forsberg, Treasurer
Karl Starr, Secretary
Lynn Erickson, Member at Large
John Bogard, Member at Large
Simon Husbands, Member at Large
David Johnson, Member at Large
Christopher Lyle, Member at Large
Emilie Brunsvold Anderson, Member at Large
Dick Shinofield, Past President/ Ex-Officio
 

Meet the Council

Bill Masche, President
Bill became a member of Central in 1990.  “Setting the standards” for worship, preaching and music, plus the opportunity to belong to a talented and diverse congregation made Central the most meaningful church home for him.  Bill has served as a member of the Fiscal and Property Committee and the Personnel Committee.  Professionally, Bill is the president of UCS, a division of Cities Management, an association management company that works with non-profit boards of town homes and condominiums. Carrying on Central’s 90-year tradition of welcoming everyone to “worship, connect and join,” Bill is fond of saying, “We were expecting you and we are very glad you are here!”

Kristin Schoephoerster, President-Elect
Kris has been a member of Central since 1988 and has served as a Sunday School teacher since that time.  She has also served as assisting minister, chair of the Altar Guild, member of the Youth Ministry Team, accompanist for the Central Choristers, a member of the bell choir and more.  She is  married to David West and is the mother of Oliver (14) and Maggie (11).  Her hobbies include knitting, playing the piano, reading, cooking, and taking walks with the family dog, Buddy.

Mark Forsberg, Treasurer
Mark is the Chief Financial Officer for Culligan Water Conditioning.  Culligan is a privately-held company with headquarters in Minnetonka.  Mark is member of Minnetonka Rotary, Toastmasters and is the Treasurer for the Minnesota Chapter of the March of Dimes.  He has served in leadership positions at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Mounds View and Faith Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids.  Mark joined Central Lutheran Church in October 2007 and has served as a Lector.  Mark's interests include traveling and sports.  Mark was born in Thief River Falls, Mn and attended college at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.  Mark has two adult children, David and Bethany, and he lives in Minneapolis.

Karl Starr, Secretary
Karl has been a member at Central since 2006.  He serves as co-chair of Central’s Hospitality Ministry Team and previously served on the associate pastor call committee. Karl makes his home in the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood of south Minneapolis with his partner of 16 years, Christopher Haug.  They share their home with two dogs, a cat and a tank of tropical fish.  Karl’s mother, Millie Starr, is a long-time member of Central.  Karl and Christopher enjoy gardening, cooking, entertaining and spending time at their cabin in Itasca County.  Karl is a member of the  Board of Directors of the Minnesota Housing Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting access to affordable housing.

Emilie Brunsvold Anderson, Member at Large
Emilie has been a member of Central since 1998.  She and her husband, Thomas, were married at Central in 2002.  She is a stay-at-home mother of two children, Evi (5) and Anders (3), both baptized at Central.  Emilie has served as a greeter and bookstore volunteer.  She has represented northeast Minneapolis on the Board of Directors for Minnesota ACORN, a nonprofit that works to bring Twin Cities families together to fight for changes that improve low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

John Bogard, Member at Large
John attended Central during his college days at the University of Minnesota and met his wife Judy at Central. After raising their family in suburban Lutheran churches, they joined Central in 1998. He served on the Board of Trustees during the 1990's, has been an active member of Central's music program for many years, and participates in prayers and as a lector at worship. John would like to see the Central membership stabilize and begin to grow again as the vision and mission statements are implemented.

Lynn Erickson, Member at Large
A lifetime member of Central, Lynn, along with husband Mark, sings in the choir and helps with Youth Ministry.  She is a physical therapist at Courage Center and the mother of two daughters.  The uniqueness and diversity of Central is important to her.

Simon Husbands, Member at Large
Simon Husbands, and his wife Janet, have been members of Central since 1998. They participate, with their young sons Freddy and Henry, as Greeters and Communion Processors. Simon, who moved here from his native England, works as a piano technician, web design business owner, and composer. He has formerly worked for Her Majesty's Government and Schmitt Music Company.

David Johnson, Member at Large
David would like to see Central’s vision statement come alive. One way is to attract the  32,000 persons who live downtown. He retired from being a chancellor of the University of Minnesota-Morris. He has led many hiking adventures locally and globally.

Christopher Lyle, Member at Large
Christopher Lyle's first experience at Central was memorable: on that occasion, he met Kari, who became his wife! They are parents of two young daughters, Marit and Ingrid. Chris is employed with a medical firm.

Richard Shinofeld, Past-President
Richard is a longtime member of Central. He has served as a communion minister, attended Men's Fellowship, and volunteered for Central's Habitat for Humanity project. He would like to see more people from the downtown area come to worship. Dick has recently retired from his law practice and has been enjoying his children and grandchildren with his wife, Linda.

 

333 South Twelfth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Infoline: 612-767-9101
Main line: 612-870-4416