Lutheran pastor · Jackson, Minnesota
Ted Carnahan
I serve as pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Jackson, Minnesota. Most of my work happens in ordinary places: in worship, hospital rooms, kitchen tables, classrooms, or at the graveside.
I am a confessional Lutheran. That means I care about both the traditional confessional documents of the church and the person sitting in front of me. I preach, teach, visit, and try to be a good neighbor in a small town.
Word and Sacrament in a small town
I have served Our Savior’s since May 2022. The congregation worships on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. The rest of the week belongs to visits, meetings, funerals, weddings, and the long, patient work of teaching.
Before Jackson, I planted a congregation. Spirit of Grace in Holdrege, Nebraska started in 2011 as a mission development and was chartered in 2019. I learned there that a church gets built out of conversations, casseroles, and patience.
I belong to the Society of the Holy Trinity, a community of Lutheran pastors who hold one another to a common Rule of prayer, study, and confession. I write and speak when I am asked, mostly about preaching, the liturgy, and the church’s life in rural places.
Service beyond the congregation
Jackson is a town where the same people show up for everything. I’m glad to be one of them.
- President, Jackson County Ministerial Association Pastors from across the county, working together on shared ministry and public worship.
- President, Board of Directors, Shetek Lutheran Ministries A Lutheran camp and retreat center that serves southwest Minnesota.
- Vice President, Fort Belmont The historical site and museum that keeps Jackson County’s frontier story.
- Member, Public Health Advisory Committee for Jackson and Cottonwood Counties A citizen seat advising the county health system.
How I got here
I grew up in the St. Louis area. I studied computer science and statistics at Truman State University, then spent several years in Missouri writing software and running a small company.
Seminary came later. I earned the M.Div. at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa and served an internship at St. John Lutheran in Sterling, Illinois. I was ordained in 2011.
Jennifer and I have four children: Anneliese, Peter, Rebecca, and Laura. She homeschools them and volunteers at church and around town. My parents moved to Jackson a year after we did, which tells you what they think of the place.
Away from the office I read, play piano, play chess, and shoot trap. I compose now and then, and a setting of Matins I wrote years ago still gets sung in a few congregations.
Get in touch
If you are looking for a church in Jackson, come to worship. Want to talk about a baptism, a wedding, a funeral, or something harder than any of those? Call the office or write to me.
614 Logan Ave, Jackson, MN 56143
(507) 847-2856 · oursaviorsjackson.com
Sundays at 9:00am