Pastors: They’re Just Like Us!

June 7, 2024

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by Megan Littel

Because of their title or the fact that they’re the faces leading us on weekends, it can feel as though a plane divides pastors from the rest of the church body. One could assume that a pastor’s life must be very different, their habits unrelatable. But what if they are just like us — and not just in their snacking preferences?

We asked Eastbrook’s seven pastors some fun questions to get a glimpse into their lives outside of pastoral ministry. Hopefully you can see a bit of yourself reflected in their responses.

What are they reading?

Perhaps we assume that pastors spend their free time reading dense theology books — or even that they all love to read. This is not the case, and there are some who say they do not read for fun (who else can relate?)

Of our pastors who call reading a pastime, all said fiction was a go-to genre. Matt enjoys reading a wide variety of fiction; Laure especially loves World War II historical fiction. You can discuss fantasy novels with Nic or Femi; thrillers proved a popular genre, especially for Jim and Ruth. Other well-loved genres: mysteries, criminal law/legal thrillers, memoirs, biographies, and science fiction.

What are they up to this summer?

While many enjoy reading in moments of spare time, spending time outside with friends and family is a popular activity of choice for our pastors.

Lake Michigan is the most popular outdoor spot in Milwaukee. Many of the pastors enjoy spending time at the lake, whether reading on the beach, walking the lakeshore, sitting on a park bench overlooking the lake, or attending one of Milwaukee’s many ethnic festivals at the Summerfest grounds.

Other activities our pastors enjoy during the summer months:

Jim’s summers are often busy for his family. His kids are involved in many things: sports and volleyball camps, Vacation Bible School here at church. They also always make time for community, hosting weekly hangouts at a park with anyone who’s available to join. Jim and his family particularly love to play four square.
Nic’s summers are packed with a lot of student ministry-related events, including the annual High School Wilderness Trip, which his whole family attends. He does a lot of backpacking and hiking with the family, and they love having people over for barbequing and a fire on summer evenings.
Hiking — especially near water — is also a highlight for Matt, who grew up near the Mississippi River. He says Seven Bridges is a beautiful location that boasts both a forest and a beach for hiking. A typical summer evening finds him and his wife eating on their patio, grilling out, and enjoying meals with family. Each summer, he and his family also make time for a getaway.
Ruth and her husband love to spend weekends up north at their lake house. She loves to bike on the Oak Leaf Trail and spend time with her daughters, son-in-law, and grandkids. This summer, she and her husband are taking their youngest granddaughter on a trip, just the three of them.
A perfect summer day for Dan and his family might look like walking to a farmer’s market and making stops along the way back home to see neighbors or friends. Stopping at a local coffee shop is a popular detour (bonus points if it’s near an ice cream shop!)

Tell us about your family!

As we all know, life is full of transitions: we get new jobs, we move, we might get married or move out of our parents’ home. We lose roommates and gain new ones, transfer colleges, begin caring for aging parents, and retire. We go back to school, we complete projects, we learn new things.

Our pastors here at Eastbrook also experience life changes, just as we do. Just like summer rhythms change depending on seasons of life, patterns within our pastors’ families differ based on whether they have school-aged or adult children, or for those who are grandparents.

Several of our pastors are entering new stages. One of Laure’s children became a mother last year, and Laure is learning to be a grandma! In recent years, she and her husband became empty-nesters. One thing she says has looked different is being able to eat dinner at any time, with newfound freedom in their schedule.

Matt and his wife also recently became empty-nesters and are learning how to parent adult children in love and freedom in this new season. He says they are discovering new hobbies and ways of spending their time now that parenting looks different.

Both of Jim’s children will be in high school this fall, and the family will adjust to new transitions and new schedules.

Where do you seek counsel?

Life transitions are natural times to seek out advice or support. Take a moment to think of someone you look up to or go to with questions — who comes to mind for you?

Our pastors look up to many people: their parents, aunts, old professors, spiritual mentors or directors, former pastors, classmates, field workers, fellow Eastbrookers, friends, bible study partners, small group leaders, their spouses, and each other.

What else don’t we know?

Being a pastor is not about constantly being in a spiritual state of mind, having life figured out, or always having deep spiritual conversations. They are always learning, growing, and entering new phases of life. They try new hobbies, grow in old interests, and find so much life outside of ministry and the church.

Here are some things you may or may not have known about our pastors:

Jim loves music and plays the saxophone. He also coaches volleyball.
A love for music also fuels Femi, whose passion unsurprisingly continues outside of ministry! He likes writing songs in his free time.
Dan enjoys all things outdoors, as well as the satisfaction of finishing a house project, since there is a clear beginning and end, “unlike much in ministry and life.”
When Nic is not outside hiking or backpacking with the family, he loves cooking and is currently learning high heat wok cooking.
Laure also loves to cook and bake, along with biking or walking with her husband, and crocheting.
Ruth began to crochet in high school, and recently picked it back up! She says she’s in a season of rediscovering old hobbies and making time for well-loved interests, like gardening and playing piano.
Matt is working on hiking the Ice Age Trail, segments at a time. He also loves writing poetry. He describes himself as “sarcastic,” and loves to laugh and joke.

Go-to comfort food?

Not all of our days are filled with sunshine or the hobbies we enjoy. On tough or long days, a meal can play a special role in offering respite.

Comfort food for Matt looks like his wife’s lasagna, a labor of love and time, or ordering Indian takeout. For Ruth, salmon, green beans, and potatoes that hits the spot. Femi and his family often reach for leftovers from the fridge on long days — usually an easy chicken and rice dish.

Nic loves Indian takeout after a long day, although he also makes a mean curry himself. Dan orders pizza from his family’s favorite neighborhood spot. And who hasn’t craved a comforting, warm pasta dish on those days, as Laure does, sometimes stopping at an Italian grocery store for their house-made sauce?

While there is so much more to learn about our pastors, we had to wrap up with one final question:

What would you want Eastbrookers to know about their pastors?

Femi says he is so grateful for this community; people from varied backgrounds, worshiping God together is a beautiful thing to witness and be part of.

Dan reminds us that not only are the pastors at Eastbrook surprisingly ordinary, not every conversation is spiritual. Jim encourages people to not be afraid to reach out to their pastors — they want to be friends and build relationships.

Nic wanted to communicate how much the pastors here care about and deeply love the community here at Eastbrook, as they are working to share the love of Christ. Laure notes that the pastors are “always in process and they are serious about the things of God and invested in His Word”.

“We are ordinary people. On the journey with Jesus as part of the whole church family”, says Matt.

It’s an important reminder to see our pastors as they are, like Matt says, “people who experience the ins and outs, the highs and lows of life,” as we all do. “Pastors laugh, they cry, they suffer, they experience joy”.

Pastors…they really are just like you and me. ■