Pastor Schmidt was brought up in a fairly traditional family that always went to church on Sunday. As a western Christian, and one brought up in the Lutheran Church, he always thought the reason Jesus came was to rectify the great sin of Adam and Eve in the story of “the fall” found in Genesis chapter 3. Yet the doctrine of “original sin” was developed only in the Western Church. Eastern Orthodoxy has no doctrine of original sin. Jesus’ death and resurrection was not to balance some celestial scale, but to defeat death. Reading Matthew Fox’s Original Blessing: A Creation Spirituality and more recently Danielle Shroyer’s Original Blessing: Putting Sin in Its Rightful Place has been truly renewing of his faith in a God who loves us completely and ALWAYS has! Jettisoning the doctrine of original sin has truly universalized his concept of all people are blessed and loved and he is called to do the same.

Pastor Stephen R. Schmidt grew up in Wisconsin and is a diehard Packer fan. He met his wife, Joyce, while attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN., where he earned a Master of Arts in Liturgical Studies degree. He earned his M.Div. degree at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He served congregations in Vermont and Connecticut and spent fifteen years in campus ministry serving as the College Chaplain at Williams College, Denison University and Connecticut College. On July 1st this past year he entered retirement after serving as the Lead Pastor at Hope Lutheran here in Bozeman for nine years. Joyce and he have two adult daughters who both work in higher education. In retirement he enjoys hiking, riding his e-bike, cooking, reading, and traveling. Plus occasionally serving as a supply preacher.