Emanuel Lutheran Church - Pastor's page

Pastor Karl J. Pishaw Thoughts from Pastor Karl!

Office hours: 9 am-2 pm, Tue-Fri

Contact Information:

Office: 503-357-3377

Home: 503-352-4947

Pastor Karl has been involved in ministry for 36 of his 54 years of life. Starting as a youth director and a musician while attending Lutheran Bible Institute in his hometown of Seattle, he went to Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and was ordained as a pastor in 1984. He has served congregations in Starbuck, MN., Brooklyn Center, MN., and Petersburg, AK. He has been the pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church since October, 2006.

Pastor Karl's passion is teaching the Bible so that people can learn to study it for themselves and encounter God in His Word. He enjoys teaching all ages, especially youth and adults. Karl and his wife, Jean, have team-taught The Divine Drama and Crossways Bible Study courses, and they lead a workshop on "Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts." Pastor Karl also enjoys leading God's people in a variety of worship experiences. He enjoys being able to play his guitar for worship, Sunday School openings, and Pre-School classes. For personal enjoyment, Pastor Karl likes to read, listen to Christian rock music, and watch sports on TV (favorite teams: Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trailblazers!).

Pastor Karl and Jean met while he was on Internship at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. They were married in 1984 and have two daughters, Abigail, 18, and Rebekah, 12. A third daughter, Rachel, died shortly after birth. As a family they enjoy watching movies, camping, and exploring the Oregon coast.