Our Pastors 

(This is a work in progress)

Rev. Adam Miller is believed to be the first pastor. He was ordained Deacon, 1825 and Pastor 1826 by Tennessee Synod. He had 15 pastoral calls in North Carolina: Grace, St. John, St. Paul, and St. Stephen in Catawba County; Daniel's, Emmanuel, St. Luke, St. Paul, and Trinity in Lincoln County; Antioch and Bethel in Gaston County; Morning Star in Mecklenburg County; Mt. Moriah in Rowan County; Friendship in Alexander County. ( It may be that he had a joint parish with Pisgah…….need to try to confirm.) He died in February 1868 and is buried in Old St. Paul’s Church Cemetery near Newton.

Rev. George Luther Hunt (served Old St. Pauls 1868 to 1895; maybe also Pisgah

1866 Dispute and division arises among Pisgah Lutheran Church (Tennessee Synod) congregation, and as a result a large number of members leave Pisgah and organize a new congregation, Shiloh Lutheran Church under the Pastoral leadership of Pastor C. H. Bernheim.¹

Rev. Davidson C. Huffman

Rev. Luther M. Hunt (served Old St. Pauls 1925-1938)……this would not be the time he served Pisgah, but maybe earlier in his career.

1884 Eight area congregations (Miller’s Haas’s, St. Paul’s and St. John from Catawba Co, Pisgah from Alexander Co , Ebeneezer and Luther’s Chapel, Lincoln Co, and Bethel (Gaston Co) leave the Tennessee Synod Reorganized and joined the Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States²

Rev. H. K. G. Doermann (Was a professor at the seminary in Hickory. He was supply pastor to St. John’s and St. Marks march- to August 1895)³

Rev. C D Besh (may be spelled Besch)

Rev. S. H. Puffenbarger

Rev O. C. Propst (may be spelled Propes)

1910 or 1911 Realignment of Catawba Co parishes: St. Paul’s and Millers formed the Hickory Parish; St. Mark’s and Old St Paul , the Claremont Parish and St. John’s and Mt. Zion, the Conover Parish ⁴

Rev. R. M Carpenter (served Old St. Pauls 1912 to 1916) Rubertus Melancthon “Burt” Carpenter was called by the Claremont Parish 8 May 1910 and remained till he resigned in 1916⁵

Reve. J. E. Barb (served Old St. Pauls 1916 to 1924)

Was supplying Mt. Zion in 1912. He was also a professor⁶ at St. Pauls Academy June 12, 1901⁷

Rev. G. A. Derhammer

Rev. Rev L. H. Hurrelbrink

Rev. Miller

10 Jul 1932-1943 Rev. Royal E. Walther installed as Pastor of St. Paul’s, Pisgah and St. Luke’s Lutheran Churches in the Hickory/Taylorsville area. He served until 1943 when he took a call to an Ohio congregation.

March 3, 1933 Fire destroys the original building. (Some more info on the fire needed here) Shiloh Lutheran Church offered its facilities for use until Pisgah could rebuild.

September 9 1934 First services held in new building, built on land donated by Partee Bolick. This location was north of Wittenberg’s store on Highway 96 (now 127)

October 14, 1934 Unanimous agreement reached to change the name of the congregation from Pisgah Lutheran to Mt. Pisgah Lutheran. Formal dedication of this name change came at special service on May 12, 1935.

Rev. William Toedtman

Rev. O. A. Bertram

Rev. Bernard E. Walck

Jan 1955- July 1967 Rev Paul E. Lautenschlager was pastor of Mt. Pisgah-St. Luke Parish of the American Lutheran Church. He was ordained into the ministry July 15, 1928 and served in West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio. During his pastorate at Mt. Pisgah- St. Luke organs were placed in both churches and both were extensively remodeled.

Early 1967 NC Highway Department informs the congregation that a road (HWY 127) was to built through the church and that the church would have to move.

July 16,1967 Congregation votes to buy land from Mr. & Mrs. Partee Bolick; on August 6, 1967, the congregation votes to build a new church with greater seating than the old structure,which is later moved out of the right of way of the highway

July 1967 Pastor Norman M. Nilsen, a 1967 graduate of Capital University Seminary, Columbus, OH, accepts the call to become Pastor, succeeding Pastor Lautenschlager. He served until xxxxxxxxx?

Oct 27, 1968

Reformation Day Dedication service for the new church building held at 4PM. The sermon was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Gordon S. Huffman, President of the Eastern District, The American Lutheran Church.

Rev. Richard Browder

Rev. Timothy Jordan

Rev. Kenneth Tonnessen- Pastor Ken Tonnesen began as pastor in January 1990. He and his wife Carol had previously served at Grace Lutheran Church in Raleigh NC. He served until December 1, 2001. Pastor Ken was born in Elizabeth, NJ and graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead MN (1960) and Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul MN (1964).

Rev. Dr. James Stephenson—Pastor Jim Stevenson was called as interim pastor in January 2002 and he served until October 2002

Rev. Michael Stone –Pastor Mike Stone was called as Pastor in January 2002. He came to Mt, Pisgah from St. Johns’s Lutheran Church in Winter Park, FL. He is a graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus OH.





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