This past July, Faith Lutheran Church in The Dalles welcomed Zac Patterson as its new pastor. Since its founding back in 1954 the church has had a total of 12 pastors, including Patterson.
Son of a Lutheran pastor, Patterson is originally from Houston, Texas, where he spent most of his childhood. He attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Indiana.
“Immediately before [Faith Lutheran Church], I was at seminary training to be a pastor at Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was there for two years,” said Patterson. “One year I did an internship at Gresham just outside of Portland, then went back to Fort Wayne for one last year. So the past four years I have been training mostly in Indiana.”
Seminary is like a university or college for students who intend to become priests, ministers, pastors or rabbis.
“I took classes in the different books of the Bible. I learned the original languages of the Bible, Greek for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament,” explained Patterson.
Also part of the curriculum were church history, missions and similar courses. These courses aimed to broaden the background of knowing how to look at the bible and do bible studies and preaching, said Patterson.
Patterson attended Concordia from 2015-17, interned in Gresham from 2017-18 and returned to Concordia for his last year from 2018-19.
During his stint at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Gresham, Patterson interned for Pastor Eric Lange.
“I’ve always preferred doing ministry with actual people as opposed to being in the classroom,” said Patterson. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s all very valuable and I’ve learned a lot from that. But I love being out here with the people.”
Patterson relocated with his wife Emma, three-year-old daughter Sophia and ten-month-old son Luke. The Pattersons will celebrate their five-year anniversary this Friday.
Zac Patterson met his wife during their time in Concordia University in Austin, Texas. “I met her in some English classes we had together and instantly connected,” Patterson said.
The Patterson kids are special in their individual ways, he said. His daughter Sofia is a smart girl with an imaginative mind.
Luke Patterson, the baby of the family, is a ray of sunshine. “He’s starting to walk. He’s been taking some steps recently,” he said.
Zac Patterson himself is a huge soccer fan and former player. When he was in kindergarten, his father introduced him to the sport. “I played through high school and intramural in college.
“It’s always something I’ve done and enjoyed,” he said. “I was captain of our seminary soccer team.”
The best experience was a Timbers game two years ago. “The crowd just going wild when the Timbers would score, everyone had their scarves, spinning them, and it’s just an awesome atmosphere,” he said.
Compared to his previous residences, The Dalles, with a population of 13,631, is the smallest city he’s lived in. Houston, Zac Patterson’s hometown, has a population of 2.3 million.
Despite previously living in large metropolitan areas, Patterson prefers a small community, where he sees people in the congregation and out in public as well.
“It’s not just another face, you remember them,” he said.
He believes the smaller community allows him to create a better, more genuine relationship.
“As opposed to people just seeing
you on Sunday, they’ll see you out going to get food as well. You’re a normal person,” he said. “You get to build that personal relationship a little bit better. That helps with people getting them a little bit more comfortable with you, and helps in ministry in a lot of different ways.”
Being the newest pastor for Faith Lutheran Church, Patterson said he’s honored and looks forward to preaching the gospel.
“It can be a little intimidating because I’m just 27, walking into a church that has been going on for 65 years. But it’s cool being part of that legacy,” he said. “I just want to be a faithful pastor for these people. I want to be known for preaching the gospel and pointing people to Christ.”
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