RIVER FALLS – Ezekiel Lutheran Church of River Falls has brought Pastor Steve Dow aboard to be the next leader of the church.

Dow hopes to bring stability and a familiar face to Ezekiel Lutheran, giving members someone who will be there through good times and bad.

“You're invited into people’s lives often at some of the most joyous and also some of the most heartbreaking times,” Dow said. “We’re called into those places and spaces to bring the presence of God to the people we serve.”

Growing up in Land o’ Lakes, Wis., Dow is making a return to the Midwest after spending time as a pastor in Oregon. Dow was looking for a place outside of the city that could still provide the things that a larger church from the city could provide. Ezekiel Lutheran had everything Dow could have wanted, and gave him an opportunity to return close to home.

Dow has spent 22 years as a pastor after attending Augsburg and Wartburg Seminary. Looking to adopt a 2-year-old daughter in July, the River Falls community was one that Dow feels comfortable raising a child.

Dow spent a year between college and seminary at Holden Village in the Cascade Mountains in Washington. He used this time to sort out his thoughts and found that becoming a pastor is what he was called to do.

Back in Land o’ Lakes, Dow said he was given opportunities to read Scriptures, participate in the worship services and sing the liturgy long before deciding to become a pastor. The people of Pioneer Lake Lutheran Church felt the connection Dow had with his faith, and they gave him many opportunities that he did not forget.

“The people in my home church, Pioneer Lake Lutheran Church, they knew I was going to be a pastor before I knew I was going to be a pastor,” Dow said. “It wasn’t til I was in college that I kind of started to hear that call myself.”

The COVID-19 pandemic separated people in communities across the world as people were limited in public interactions. Dow said this disconnect extended to worship spaces, and he hopes people can grow closer with each other and stronger in their faith.

“How do we live, work, play, you know, worship with people again,” Dow said. “We’re united by something greater than those thoughts and differences.”

Ezekiel Lutheran spent about a year without a permanent pastor, and Dow is looking to bring a stability that is difficult to find without a pastor. Dow said the church handled the situation the best they could have, but having a pastor there at all times will be extremely helpful.

“What a pastor brings is that consistency of presence, that consistency of message, the consistency of support for the staff and for the congregation,” Dow said.