Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church

Pastor Johnston was born November 7, 1977 in Livonia, MI. He entered the Church through Holy Baptism on January 8, 1978. Pastor attended St. Robert Bellarmine for grades 1-8. He attended Livonia Franklin High School which he graduated from in 1996. On New Years Eve of 1995, Pastor Johnston was received into the Evangelical Lutheran Church as an adult confirmand after receiving instruction in the faith from Pastor Karl Vertz of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Livonia, MI. He then studied at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2000. Pastor then enrolled in Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI. He received his Master of Divinity degree from the Seminary in 2004.

During his time at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Pastor Johnston served as a vicar at Eastside Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madison, WI, under the supervision of his bishop, Pastor Kenneth Gast. Like all Wisconsin Synod pastors, Pastor Johnston received a thorough education in the individual books of the Bible, the languages of the Church (Hebrew, Greek, German, and Latin), homiletics (preaching), dogmatics (doctrine), education (teaching), pastoral counseling, etc.

While serving Christ Lutheran, Pastor Johnston has also been continuing his studies. He has received an MA in History from Central Michigan University and is currently a PhD student there. His studies focus especially upon the Lutheran Reformation and confessionalization, the relationship between churches and the state in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as Late Antique Christianity and patristics.

Pastor Johnston was married to Tricia Wolter of Hustisford, WI, on June 30, 2001. They have been blessed with five children: Magdalen (10), Nicholas (8), Isaiah (6), Augustana (4) and Sophia (2). Pastor Johnston began his service here at Christ on July 18, 2004, when he was ordained into the public ministry. He is eager and willing to serve you with Word and Sacrament. You can reach Pastor by phone at 989-781-0980, or in person at church, whether at worship or in his office.