Acceptance Letter from Pastor Joe Iverson

Dear friends and members of Good Shepherd,

With a heart full of gratitude and a deep sense of joy and excitement for the path ahead, I am honored to accept the call you have extended to serve at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church!

From our very first conversations with the call committee, Brianna and I have felt a genuine warmth and hospitality from Good Shepherd. Thank you for your gracious introductions at the meet and greet event, and sharing stories, questions, and hopes for the future. In the call process, I especially appreciated the way your call committee took the time to show us around La Crosse, sharing a few favorite locations, schools, and the beauty of area trails. These experiences helped us begin to imagine what it might look like for our whole family to become part of this community.

As the pastor you are calling, I am grateful for the trust you are extending, and I don’t take that lightly. The invitation into the life of your congregation is a privilege: to walk alongside you through ministry milestones, celebrations, and ordinary days, difficult moments, and all theplaces where God is at work. I am excited for this partnership in ministry and mission, and I love the values you have named, because after all, “Radical Welcome” is what we have first received from Jesus, who calls us to let this grace pass through us out into the world God still so loves.

In God’s Grip of Grace,

Pastor Joe Iverson

Pastor Joe Iverson and Family
Photo credit: Joe Iverson