Pastor
Zahn is the oldest of six children with one brother and four
sisters.
He grew
up in Watertown, WI. During that time his father was teaching at our
church body’s worker-training high school, Luther Preparatory.
Pastor Zahn's
path toward public ministry “officially” began when he enrolled at Luther
Preparatory School as a freshman to begin his formal studies for the
pastoral ministry. He graduated from Luther Preparatory School in May of
1992.
Pastor Zahn's
college days began on the same campus as the preparatory school.
Northwestern College was a college dedicated to preparing young men who
desired to study to be pastors for entrance into the Seminary. In the
summer of 1995 Northwestern College was joined together with Dr. Martin
Luther College of New Ulm, MN. His senior year of college was spent at this
new school now called Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. While in New
Ulm he met his future wife, Jess, who was studying to be a Lutheran
elementary school teacher.
The
final aspect of Pastor Zahn's formal education for the pastoral ministry took place at
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI. Pastor Zahn graduated in May of
2000 with a Master of Divinity degree. The third year of Seminary training
is spent in a congregation as a kind of “internship”. Pastor Zahn spent his intern
year at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Columbia, TN (near Spring Hill
where there is a very large Saturn automobile plant).
During
the summer of 1997 Pastor Zahn and Jess married at Grace Lutheran Church in
downtown Milwaukee, WI.
While
in Tennessee for his internship God blessed Pastor Zahn and Jess with their first child, Micah
Alec.
In May
of 2000 the Lord called Pastor Zahn to serve as pastor/missionary for Hope
here in Irmo.
In
November of 2003 the Lord blessed Pastor Zahn and Jess with their second child,
their daughter,
Susannah.
Pastor
Zahn and his family have been a great blessing to the congregation of Hope
Lutheran Church.
