Please welcome the Rev. Joe Lees to our synod!

We are excited to welcome The Rev. Joe Lees as the new Assistant to the Bishop for Vital Congregations, Vital Partnerships. Lees currently serves as the pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fremont, Ohio and is co-founder of the LIFT parish, a cooperative of the five Lutheran churches in the Fremont Area. A lifelong Lutheran, Joe grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical and environmental engineering from Rice University, Houston. He also has a law degree from University of Houston. Joe served in a variety of lay leadership positions in the church while working in the field of change management. He earned his MDiv degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and served his internship at Redeemer Lutheran in north Minneapolis. He and his wife, Katy Ross, will relocate to the Twin Cities next month. Joe will begin work for the synod on April 11th. Please join us in welcoming The Rev. Joe Lees to our synod!