New Kasson pastor brings ‘energy’ to his work at Our Savior

You can’t go wrong with entering a community with a new baby, as Pastor Karl Christie of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kasson is finding out.
Christie was ordained on Aug. 6, and began his church service then. He moved to the city of Kasson this summer with his wife Rachel and their now one-month-old baby Charlotte.
“He’s a young, ambitious man and we really appreciate him moving his family here,” said Tim Ibisch, congregation chairman for Our Savior. “He and his wife have a newborn, which the congregation enjoys. We’re looking forward to working with him as we move ahead.”
Christie grew up in a suburb on the north side of Chicago, and moved to Milwaukee right before high school. He went on to Martin Luther College in New Ulm, graduating in 2018.
For seminary, he went to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (Wisconsin Synod) in Mequon, Wis., and finished earlier this year. Our Savior is the first parish Christie has served since being ordained Aug. 6.
“I’m loving it,” he said. “I am loving every day of it. It’s fun figuring out ministry at the same time as fatherhood. Our first child was born on August 25, so that’s made things interesting.”
Christie and his wife and baby live in a Kasson apartment, which allows him to truly be a part of his new community. He describes his congregation as a “tight-knit community.”
“We’re averaging about 65 members on Sunday,” he said. “They are a tight-knit, dedicated people who love serving each other and love serving their savior.”
As for what he brings to the church, Christie said his first offering is “the truth of God’s word.”
“With our society being as divided as ever … I was just at a seminary symposium and a pastor said our goal is not to choose a side but to render aid to casualties on both sides. That’s a really good way of looking at it. There are hurting people out there who need to hear the truth and, regardless of who you are, that you have a savior that loves you.”
Christie’s favorite aspect of his work is using God’s word, he said, which he regards as a privilege. “There are so many people talking about needing time, but God’s word should be everybody’s top priority and I have the privilege to be paid to use it on a daily basis,” he said.
His biggest challenge is time, and dividing his time between his pastoral work and his roles as father and husband. “The hardest thing right now is figuring out when I’m doing too much and when I’m doing enough, if that makes any sense,” he said.
“He’s a great communicator,” said Katie Holz, a 20-plus year member of Our Savior. “He brings a lot of energy to the congregation and he’s been a true blessing so far for our ministry here.”