The Rev. Dr. Phil Booe is the new pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne, filling a vacancy left by the Rev. Gary Klatt, who recently retired.
He and his wife, Becky, and their two children, Katie, 9, and Alex, 13, moved into the St. John parsonage in Luverne earlier this month.
His installation is planned for 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at St. John, which has been worshipping in-person with masks and social distancing.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the saints of St. John and working in the community to spread the gospel,” he said Friday.
He most recently served the congregation of Christ Lutheran Church in Hebron, Connecticut, but the Booes are originally from western North Carolina.
That means they’re a long way from home, but Pastor Booe said they’re no strangers to Minnesota.
“My very first parish out of seminary was with a Lutheran church near Perham, so we’re familiar with the area and the climate,” he said.
Booe graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 2010 with a Master of Divinity degree and from Bethel University, St. Paul, in 2016 with a doctorate in ministry in congregational care and counseling.
His research emphasis was in catechesis, which Booe said will be put to use in confirmation classes, Sunday school and other areas at St. John in Luverne.
“It’s about helping parents teach their children the faith and passing it down to future generations,” he said.
When the call came to minister in Luverne, Booe said it felt right to accept.
“We decided to take the call in Luverne because it was the right time in our lives and we liked this area and we just felt like God was calling us here,” he said.
“We’re resilient and we like a new adventure,” Booe added.
“Making new connections with parishioners and the community will be a challenge during COVID, but the church has overcome so many things historically. This is just one more thing.”