Larson, Kilde serve CLB

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, April 18, 2008

The Rev. Luther Larson, a new retiree, and the Rev. John Kilde, who will retire at the end of this academic year, each look back with pride in being part of Church of the Lutheran Brethren. They will be honored at a joint retirement gathering on June 13.

Larson, who retired at year-end 2007, ended his career as director of clergy and congregation relations. He worked with 115 parishes in the United States and Canada.

He previously served as a pastor at Lutheran Brethren parishes in various parts of the United States. Larson started parishes in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and in Mason City, Iowa.

“Being a pastor myself provided the wonderful opportunity to see people coming together to form a new parish,” Larson said. “It was rewarding to see how God provides for small groups of people.”

A native of Bottineau, N.D., Larson graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1960 with a degree in biology. He graduated in 1963 from Church of the Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Fergus Falls, and received a Master of Theology degree from Bethel Theological Seminary, St. Paul.

His parishes, in addition to those he started in Saskatchewan and Iowa, included churches in Bloomington, Minn., Arvada, Colo., and Nevada.

He returned to Fergus Falls in 1988 as assistant to the president at the Church of the Lutheran Brethren headquarters.

Since then he worked in placement of pastors and for those pastors in transition — also working with congregations in need of assistance. Larson directed the pastoral candidate program for beginning pastors. The goal is to help them become acclimated into parish ministry. He started this program in 1986 when he served as pastor in Nevada.

“It’s been wonderful to see former seminary students who have graduated and who have moved successfully into fruitful ministries,” he said.

Larson and his wife, JoAnn, have four adult children, Dan, Sharon, David and Ethan and 10 grandchildren.

Kilde is closing out his career as professor of New Testament and practical theology, Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Fergus Falls. He also worked in this capacity from 1973 to 1980, served as pastor at Bethel Church, Fergus Falls, from 1980 to 1987, and returned to his role as seminary professor.

“Teaching in a seminary is a ministry of multiplication,” Kilde said. “There is no more ideal teaching situation than sitting with a relatively small group of students at a seminar table and being with those who really are excited about learning.”

He said he’ll miss teaching the Greek text of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians as well as the entry level preaching course.

“I’ve loved being around seminary students, both formally and informally,” Kilde said.

A Fergus Falls native, he graduated from Hillcrest Academy in 1954 and later graduated from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1958 with a B.A. degree in history and a minor in German. He obtained his Master of Theology in 1970 from Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey.

Kilde taught English, history and speech at Hillcrest Academy from 1961 to 1965. He then began service as an assistant pastor in charge of youth ministry in Brooklyn, N.Y. From 1968 to 1973 he served as pastor at Faith Lutheran Brethren Church in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., and returned to Fergus Falls in 1973.

He’s proud of his former seminary students who now are teachers themselves at seminaries in Africa.

Kilde, in retirement, said he plans to remain in Fergus Falls and stay active. He may seek interim pastor work and currently serves as interim pastor at Word of Life Lutheran Brethren Church in Le Sueur. Part-time teaching is another option.

He and his wife, Janet, who he married in 1972, have four children, Becky, Kristin, Debi and John, Jr., and one grandchild.