Three pastors. Three lifelong friends. Three servants of Christ whose paths began together in New Ulm, Minnesota, and whose ministries have stretched across the country for more than three decades.
Though each would quickly say there is nothing especially extraordinary about his story, the Lord’s guiding hand is evident throughout them all.
Tim Henning, Keith Wessel, and Stephen Raddatz grew up immersed in ministry. Henning’s father served as pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, while Wessel’s and Raddatz’s fathers taught at Dr. Martin Luther College (DMLC), now Martin Luther College (MLC). Their homes, schools, churches, and friendships were shaped by the world of called-worker families.
“We were all blessed with wonderful Christian parents—servants of our Savior,” Raddatz reflects.
In many ways, ministry simply felt natural. None of the three describe a dramatic moment of decision or a lifelong childhood dream of becoming pastors.
The friendships began early. All three attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School. Their bond deepened significantly in high school when they became members of the first freshman class at Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School (MVL) in 1979.
After high school, all three continued to Northwestern College and then Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Seminary and vicar years sent them in different directions geographically, but their shared experiences continued to bind them together.
Following graduation, their ministries unfolded in remarkably different ways.
Henning received a call to St. Lucas Lutheran Church in Kewaskum, Wisconsin, where he has now served for thirty-five years. Over those decades, he has watched generations grow up in the congregation. From baptizing infants to later confirming them and eventually officiating at their weddings, “One of the great joys of the ministry,” Henning says, “is the variety of people and functions that the pastor serves each day.”
Wessel’s ministry developed along a different path. After seminary, he served as a tutor at Michigan Lutheran Seminary before being reassigned to Marietta, Georgia, where he worked as a district president’s assistant. Eventually, repeated teaching calls made it clear where his gifts could best serve.
Wessel shares, “The majority of the calls I began receiving in those years were predominantly teaching calls, and so one finally gets the message.”
In 2002, he joined the faculty at Martin Luther College.
Raddatz’s ministry called him to Nebraska, Ohio, and eventually Michigan, where he now serves at Prince of Peace in Traverse City.
Though distance and differing ministry assignments limited opportunities to see one another regularly, their friendship has remained constant over the decades. Large synod gatherings, worship conferences, symposiums, ministry anniversaries, and occasional visits home to New Ulm became treasured opportunities to reconnect.
“It has always been a joy to see Tim and Keith and to catch up,” Raddatz says.
Looking back, all three pastors emphasize not their own accomplishments but the faithfulness of God through Christian parents, schools, congregations, and lifelong friendships.
From kindergarten classmates in New Ulm to decades of ministry, the Lord has guided these three friends along different paths of service while keeping them rooted in the same Savior and the same gospel they continue to proclaim.