I grew up in Watertown, Wisconsin where I attended high school at Northwestern Preparatory School. After that, I attended Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. During my seminary years, I did my vicar (intern) year in Thornton, Colorado, as well as spending a summer serving a church in Alexandria, Louisiana.

After graduation, I served as a teacher at Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin, for two years. Then, God blessed me with the opportunity to serve at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Wasilla, Alaska, for five years. Most recently I served as a high school teacher of religion and Latin and football coach at St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul, Minnesota from 2010-2015. It was such a joy and privilege to be a positive influence in the lives of the next generation of leaders.

I love spending time with my family, traveling, hiking, and working to present the message of Jesus in as clear a way as possible.

My wife, Sara, and I met in 2003. We married in 2005. Now we live in San Antonio with our five kids (Meredith 11, Eli 9, Emily 7, Jack 4, and Norah 1). We are excited to be in Texas and especially to be part of the thriving, family-oriented community of Our Savior Lutheran Church. We can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store as we continue to share the message of Jesus.

Pastor Koelpin currently heads-up our new campus in west San Antonio.

I was born and raised in small-town Michigan, the middle child of five. I developed a love of languages in high school and went to Michigan State University to become a French teacher. Realizing that teaching high school was not my calling, I graduated from Michigan State with a degree in French and Russian in 1977. In 1979 I married Betty Manning, and we have three adult children: Michael, Paul, and Rachel.

I spent over 33 years working in the U.S. government as a language analyst in a number of languages and was blessed to be able to visit many areas of the world before retiring in 2010. The exposure to other people and cultures made a huge impact on my worldview and my faith in Jesus.

I am now a certified staff minister called to serve Our Savior Lutheran since 2011. Within my call, I focus mostly on member care and discipleship: teaching Bible classes, taking the Word of God to the ailing and the homebound, working with small groups, and overseeing the Sunday School—plus wherever else I may be needed. In my spare time I read, dabble in language, and keep up with my MSU Spartans.