Who We Are
Grace in Action: Who We Are and Why It Matters
Introduction
Welcome to this series of conversations, offered by both lay and rostered leaders in the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
These conversations are part of an ongoing story. Lutheran Christians in South Carolina share a long and faithful history, stretching back to the early 1700s. At the same time, we know we are only one part of the much larger story of the Christian church – a story shaped by commitment to the gospel, seasons of challenge and renewal, and continual discernment about how to live faithfully in changing times.
We invite you into these conversations. The South Carolina Synod of the ELCA is a diverse group of Lutherans who express their faith in different ways. Understanding who we are as ELCA Lutherans matters as we continue to share Jesus’ love and grace in communities that are being shaped by a changing community and world.
Practice Part One
Topics: Pastoral Practice, Conscience, and Congregational Freedom
Facilitator: Rev. Amanda Burke
Panel: Rev. Joshua Kestner, Rev. Wade Apel, Rev. Dr. Brian Peterson
Practice Part Two
Topics: Scripture, Confession, and the Foundations of Faith
Facilitator: Rev. Megan Lineberger
Panel: Rev. Eric Fink, Mr. Andrew Boozer, Mr. Van Matthews
Practice Part Three
Topics: Faith Formation, Evangelism, and Passing on the Faith
Facilitator: Rev. Amanda Burke
Panel: Ms. Cheryle Noyes, Rev. Joshua Kestner, Rev. Wade Apel
Polity Part One
Topics: Understanding Property, Finances, and Identity in the ELCA
Facilitator: Rev. Bobby Morris
Panel: Mr. Andrew Boozer, Rev. Emily Stolba, Mr. Van Matthews
Polity Part Two
Topics: Faithful Living in a Complex Public World
Facilitator: Rev. Eric Fink
Panel: Rev. Megan Lineberger, Mr. Andrew Boozer, Mr. Van Matthews
Polity Part Three
Topics: Faithful Discernment, Social Teaching, and Christian Conscience
Facilitator: Rev. Eric Fink
Panel: Rev. Megan Lineberger, Mr. Andrew Boozer, Rev. Emily Stolba
Polity Part Four
Topics: Faithful Commitment Across Place and Context
Facilitator: Rev. Bobby Morris
Panel: Rev. Stephen Mims, Ms. Cheryle Noyes, Rev. Greg Brown
Theology Part One
Topics: Scripture, Confession, and the Foundations of Faith
Facilitator: Rev. Dr. Brian Peterson
Panel: Rev. Bobby Morris, Rev. Greg Brown, Rev. Josh Kestner
Theology Part Two
Topics: Grace, Salvation, and the Heart of Christian Faith
Facilitator: Rev. Dr. Brian Peterson
Panel: Rev. Bobby Morris, Rev. Paul Aebischer
Theology Part Three
Topics: Worship, Confession, and the Shape of Lutheran Faith
Facilitator: Dr. Susan McArver
Panel: Rev. Dr. Brian Peterson, Rev. Bobby Morris, Rev. Paul Aebischer
Theology Part Four
Topics: Pastoral Formation, Preaching, and the Ministry of the Gospel
Facilitator: Dr. Susan McArver
Panel: Rev. Dr. Brian Peterson, Rev. Greg Brown
Participants
Rev. Paul Aebischer
Pastor, Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Columbia
Paul Aebischer (LTSS ‘89) is Pastor of Ebenezer Lutheran in Columbia. His passion in ministry is helping people discover themselves in God’s story and discovering God in their stories. Apart from the parish he enjoys reading, guitar playing, traveling, Grandparenting and pet-sitting.
Rev. Wade Apel
Pastor, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Spartanburg
Rev. Wade Apel graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 2006 and was ordained the same year. He is currently serving as Co-Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church, located in Spartanburg, SC. Pastor Wade’s favorite Bible verse is Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mr. Andrew Boozer
South Carolina Synod Vice President, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Newberry
Andrew currently serves as Synod Vice President and is a lifelong member of the South Carolina Synod. He is a member of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Newberry, after his home church St Paul, Pomaria, separated from the ELCA. Andrew is the Executive Director of Senior Resources in Columbia, after serving at previous positions at Epowrth Children’s Home and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary/Lenoir-Rhyne University. He is a resident of Pomaria, where his wife Lindsay, and three children, Thomas, Adam, and Elizabeth, enjoy playing with their two dogs when they are not bouncing around from a steady supply of sports practices, scouting, and dance events.
Rev. Greg Brown
Pastor, St. David Lutheran Church, West Columbia
Pastor Greg Brown currently serves as Senior Pastor of St. David Lutheran Church in West Columbia, SC. He is a 2013 graduate of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir Rhyne University. Prior to serving at St. David, he served parishes in the Upstate New York Synod and the North Carolina Synod. In addition to working in parish ministry, Pastor Greg has served for over 20 years in the Army National Guard in South Carolina and New York. His current assignment is Command Chaplain of the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), headquartered in Anderson, SC. Pastor Greg is married to Leah and they have 3 children.
Rev. Amanda Burke
Pastor, Redeemer Lutheran Church, West Columbia
Amanda is currently serving as associate pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Columbia, SC. She earned my MA in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry through Luther Seminary in 2009. Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary prepared her for ordained ministry, and she earned my MDiv in 2021. Later that year, Amanda was ordained into Word and Sacrament Ministry at Redeemer Lutheran Church. In addition to ministry, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Kevin, and their five daughters. As a family, they dote on their spoiled cat, Amos. Yes, he truly is a minor prophet! Amand and Kevin also founded and lead (W)HOLE in the Roof, a non-profit organization that works with communities, families, and children with special needs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Rev. Eric Fink
Living Springs Lutheran Church, Columbia
Pastor Eric Fink is a lifelong Lutheran from Rowan County, NC – whose faith was nurtured in the Lutheran church through Sunday School, Weekday Church School, VBS, Confirmation, Youth Ministry, Bible study groups, and Stephen Ministry. After his years as a mathematics professor at Western Carolina & Wake Forest Universities (with degrees from Davidson College & University of Virginia), he graduated with 1st honor from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1994 and has been called to 32 years of congregational ministry in the SC Synod (Grace, Prosperity 1994-2013; Living Springs, Columbia, 2013-present). Pastor Eric has served on the Synod’s Council of Deans; as SCLMM pastoral advisor; as a member of boards for Lutheran Campus Ministry, SC LCY, and the former Lutheran Family Services; as SC Synod Youth Gathering coordinator; as SC Stewardship Committee member; as coordinator for the SC Synod Parish Leadership Institute; and currently as a SC Synod Council Member. He was a founding pastor for the Mid-Carolina School-Time Bible Release Program in Little Mountain/Prosperity and the MORE Justice Ministry in the Midlands. This summer will be his 50th year at Lutheridge as a camper, staff member, CARE leader, and Campfirmation pastor.
Rev. Joshua Kestner
University Lutheran Church, Clemson
Josh Kestner is the Parish Pastor at University Lutheran Church in Clemson, SC. He graduated from Clemson University in 2012, and he is blessed to be back in a community that was so formative for him during his college years. Josh attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN and then spent a couple of years serving in Davenport, IA before coming back home to the south. He and his wife love exploring the Upstate – hikes, dog-friendly restaurants, and antique shops. Josh is undoubtedly a dog person, but married into a home with a couple of cats who have softened him a bit.
Rev. Megan Lineberger
Bethel Lutheran Church, White Rock
Pastor Megan Lineberger is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College (2008) and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (2017). She has served at her current call at Bethel Lutheran Church in White Rock since 2021. In her free time she enjoys time with family and friends, sewing, and running.
Rev. Dr. Brian Peterson
Seminary Professor, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir Rhyne University
Brian Peterson attended Luther Seminary in Minnesota. Following the completion of his M.Div. degree, he was ordained in 1986 and served as pastor for ELCA congregations in Minnesota and Virginia. He completed a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, focusing on Paul’s letters. Since 1998 he has been part of the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, where he regularly teaches courses on Greek, Paul’s letters and theology, and preaching.
Mr. Van Matthews
South Carolina Synod Council Member, St Michael Lutheran Church, Greenville
A life-long Lutheran from Little Mountain in Newberry County, SC, Van is a member of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Greenville, SC. He has served as chair of the Stewardship Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, and Founder and Chair of The Carpenter’s Shop at St Michael. This is a group of members who enjoy woodworking in the church shop as well as the social aspect of the group. They laugh a lot! Since his youth, Van has been active in the South Carolina Synod, currently on the Synod Council, as well as the ELCA. He has served a six-year term on the Board of Pensions (now Portico) and currently serves on the Board of National Lutheran Campus Ministry, Inc. His vocation of 40 years was a Certified Financial Planner with Ameriprise Financial. Van’s wife of 48 years, Melinda Hollinger Matthews and he met at Newberry College. Her father, Richard Hollinger, was a Lutheran Pastor and had a wonderful impact on all of the family as he lived a life of gratitude and generosity. They have two daughters who, with their husbands, have given them 5 wonderful grandchildren whom they enjoy so much. “I cannot imagine anything more satisfying than to enjoy good family, good friends, and a wonderful church.”
Dr. Susan McArver
History Professor, Emeritus, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir Rhyne University
Dr. Susan Wilds McArver taught at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary for 26 years, where she served as the H. George Anderson Professor of Church History. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the James R. Crumley Jr Archives. She is also a past President of the Lutheran Historical Conference, a professional organization of church historians and archivists from the ELCA, Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod traditions. She is a member of Incarnation Lutheran in Columbia, where in her spare time, she greatly enjoys playing handbells and singing in the church choir.
Rev. Stephen Mims
Pastor Pisgah Lutheran Church, Lexington
Pastor Stephen Mims has served as Senior Pastor of Pisgah Lutheran Church in Lexington, South Carolina, since 2016. The son of a Lutheran pastor, he grew up in both North and South Carolina and has spent his life immersed in the church. He earned his undergraduate degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1996 and later graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. He was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2000. Pastor Stephen began his ministry at Peace Lutheran Church in Gibsonville, North Carolina, before moving to South Carolina in 2006 to serve as Pastor of Nurture and Outreach at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Lexington. In 2010, he was called to serve as pastor of Summer Memorial Lutheran Church in Newberry. Through these varied calls, he has served congregations of many different sizes, contexts, and seasons of ministry. He and his wife, Staci, met at Lutheridge, and together, they have two daughters: Rachel, a nurse in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Mary-Margaret, a student at the University of South Carolina.
Rev. Bobby Morris
Pastor St. Matthew Lutheran Church Pomeria, Adjunct Professor Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir Rhyne University
Bobby Morris is pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Pomaria, S.C. He serves as adjunct faculty with the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir Rhyne University in the area of Hebrew Bible. He also frequently teaches study groups in Israel/Palestine as adjunct faculty with the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies. His published materials include technical work in Greek and Hebrew for the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary.
Ms. Cheryle Noyes
South Carolina Synod Council Member, South Carolina Synod Candidacy Committee Member, Crossroads Lutheran Church, Indian Land
Cheryle Noyes is a lay leader worshipping at Crossroads Lutheran Church in Indian Land. She retired from her latest role as a Human Resources Director for a large engineering and construction management company.
She currently serves on the Candidacy Board, the Synod Council and chairs the Personnel Committee for the South Carolina Synod.
Cheryle was previously the office manager for the Bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois ELCA.
As a member of Crossroads Lutheran in Indian Land, she has served on church council as President and currently heads the Altar Care Committee, and participates on the Worship and Music Committee. Cheryle has also chaired the call committee for Crossroads on two different occasions.
Rev. Emily Stolba
Pastor Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Johnston
The Rev. Emily Whitlow Stolba serves as the full-time Pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Johnston, South Carolina. A 2024 graduate of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, she also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Oboe Performance from the University of South Carolina. Prior to coming to Mount Calvary, Pastor Emily served as Vicar in Walhalla, SC, and completed her field education in Lexington, SC. She is especially passionate about pastoral care and ministry with children and families. In her spare time, Emily enjoys adventuring with her husband, Frank, and their two dogs, Mavis and Sully, as well as their extended family and friends.
Why We Support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
In this video, Barbara and Jim Kirk share their defense of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) following their former congregation’s decision to leave the denomination. The couple authored a detailed paper to rebut misinformation used by local leaders to justify joining the North American Lutheran Church. They argue that the campaign to disaffiliate relied on unsubstantiated claims, skewed biblical interpretations, and fear-based tactics regarding church assets. According to the Kirks, the process created a hostile environment that lacked pastoral care and drove away many long-term members. By highlighting Jesus’s commandments to love others, they encourage other congregations to seek factual clarity before pursuing similar divisions. Their ultimate goal is to provide a comprehensive resource for those wishing to protect the integrity and unity of their faith communities.
On the Road With Jesus
The “On the Road With Jesus” series invites you on a prayerful “search for truth” that begins in an unexpected place: the cemetery. Just as Christianity itself was born in a cemetery through the hope of the resurrection, this series encourages us to find “hope in a society that is in despair” and to tell the truth in a world that often lives in denial. Rather than viewing faith or scripture as a “relic of the past” or a “static entity,” these videos explore the Bible as a “living, dynamic, vibrant, and lifegiving” word that “happens” to us today.
Our goal is not to impose a single viewpoint, but to provide a “springboard for further discussion” within our South Carolina congregations, helping us move toward a faith that is “always becoming” as we continue “On the Road With Jesus.”
Foundations of a Living Faith
A primary focus is examining how we approach the word of God. We question whether the Bible is approached as a relic of the past, something static and “dead”, or as a living, dynamic, vibrant, and lifegiving entity. This exploration reveals that scripture is fundamentally a relationship story that is expected to mature and change over time, much like any journey of adoption and growth. Interpretation is inherent to this living word, beginning with the necessary interpretive work involved in translating ancient Hebrew and Greek into modern languages. We examine how Jesus himself provided further interpretations of laws, such as the commandment not to murder or the need to keep the Sabbath holy, emphasizing that the word of God must always foster life.
The series also addresses contemporary issues in the church, such as women in leadership. Using the analogy of riding a motorcycle, which involves power, balance, and learning to work with the wind (God’s spirit), we discuss the historical exclusion of women from certain roles signified by clerical garments.
Finally, we address concerns regarding doctrines like the rapture, using the assuring message from Revelation 21 that “The home of God is among mortals”—emphasizing that God reaches us, persisting to dwell with us (Emmanuel, God with us).
Faith, Scripture, and the Journey Toward Inclusion
Welcome to a special segment of our “On the Road With Jesus” series, filmed at the historic “Old White Church” at St. John’s Lutheran in Pomaria.
In these videos, we invite you to join us in a “search for truth” as we explore how we use and misuse scripture to navigate one of the most significant conversations in our church today.
The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly decision regarding the ordination of gay and lesbian individuals in committed relationships remains a point of deep reflection and, at times, division within our pews. Recognizing that many of our members have wrestled with these changes, we sat down with South Carolina pastors—who are “sons of the South” with deep roots in places like Greenville and the Dutch Fork—to discuss their personal journeys of faith.
In this series, we delve into:
- The Living Word: Discover how reading scripture is a “dynamic process” where the Holy Spirit continues to speak to us in our current contexts, moving beyond static interpretations to see the “living word of God”.
- Faith as a Journey: Hear honest stories from leaders who once held natural aversions or strictly conservative theological views but found their hearts changed through pastoral encounters, personal relationships, and a deeper study of the Gospel of love and grace.
- Wrestling with Certainty: Reflect on the “sin of certainty” and the Lutheran tradition of asking, “What does this mean?” as we learn to struggle with complex questions rather than seeking easy answers.
- Unity in Diversity: Revisit the constitutional realities of the ELCA, where congregations maintain their voice in calling pastors, while we also strive to ensure that all God’s children feel a true sense of belonging.
These conversations are not meant to impose a single viewpoint but to serve as a springboard for further discussion within your own congregations. We invite you to listen with an open mind and a prayerful spirit as we consider what it means to be a church that is “always becoming”.
Whether you are seeking clarity, struggling with the 2009 decision, or looking for ways to love your neighbor more faithfully, we hope these videos help you behold the “new thing” God is doing in our midst.
Call, Challenge, and the Future of Women in Leadership
We invite you to join us for a compelling roundtable discussion in this segment of the “On the Road With Jesus” series, which offers a “microcosm of what it means to lead in the church”. In this playlist, you will hear the honest “call stories” of a pastor, a deacon, and a lay leader who moved from early discouragement, such as being told “Not you, you’re a girl,” to answering the Holy Spirit’s urging toward leadership. These videos are designed as “discussion starters” to “prime the pump” for the Spirit, addressing both the joys and the systemic “challenges”—including bias and “harassment”—faced by women in ministry. By looking past the “package” to see a leader’s true spiritual gifts, these conversations point toward a “new reformation” where “every baptized believer regardless of gender is welcome” into the mission of God that takes place “out there in the world”.
Unity vs. Uniformity: How Do We Keep It All Together?
Host: Dr. Susan McArver
Guest: Rev. Dr. Chad Rimmer
This six-part video series explores the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a global communion of 154 churches established to foster unity and humanitarian action through the celebration of diverse cultural expressions. It defines core Lutheran identity markers, such as the Creeds and justification by grace, through the lens of Christian liberty, arguing that diversity is a spiritual gift meant to build up the church through the law of love. By examining communal discernment and spiritual reconciliation, the series offers a hopeful model for navigating modern social divisions while providing solidarity for the voiceless and a powerful counter-narrative to exclusionary rhetoric.
This is Christ’s Church. There is a place for you here.
We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person–questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God’s work in Christ’s name for the life of the world.
Contact Information
ELCA South Carolina Synod
1003 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Telephone 803-765-0590
Fax 803-252-5558
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Related Organizations
James R. Crumley, Jr., Archives (ELCA Archives)
Lutheran Homes of South Carolina
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
NovusWay (Lutheridge+Lutherock+Luther Springs+Lutheranch)
South Carolina Lutheran Church Youth
South Carolina Lutheran Men in Mission
