Senior Pastor Call Information
August 23, 2026 - An update from Ben Price, Senior Pastor Call Committee Chair:
On behalf of the Senior Pastor Call Committee, I would like to extend our thanks to everyone who has prayed for and participated in the call process up to this point.
After reviewing the church and district nominations, and conducting interviews with several talented and qualified pastors, the Call Committee is recommending Pastor Michael Knippa to serve as Redeemer’s next Senior Pastor. Pastor Michael has demonstrated a deep understanding and passion for Redeemer’s many ministries. We believe that his experience as a High School Pastor in St. Louis, teacher at Concordia Seminary, and his service as Congregation Pastor at Redeemer has allowed the Lord to shape Michael into a thoughtful, forward-thinking, and well-rounded leader. Redeemer would benefit from his leadership and talents.
At this time, we are asking the Congregation to prayerfully consider calling Pastor Michael in the Congregation voter’s meeting on September 13 at 12:15pm in the sanctuary.
About Pastor Michael Knippa:
Michael Knippa is married to Emily Pirraglia Knippa—the two met while working summers together at Camp Lone Star in LaGrange, Texas and are blessed with three children. Michael was baptized, confirmed, and married at Bethany Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas. He completed his undergraduate studies at Concordia University in Irvine, California and his Master of Divinity at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. His ministry began with teaching at Lutheran High School South in Afton, Missouri and Concordia Seminary before he was called to serve as associate pastor at Redeemer in Austin, Texas in 2022.
Please note: In order to be eligible to vote in a congregational meeting, you must be a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church and 18 years old or older. Voting must be done in person.
In keeping with Redeemer’s bylaws, all nominated candidates are listed below:
Sam Beltz – Oskaloosa, IA*
Richard Browning - Bonita Springs, FL
Jeff Cloeter - St. Louis, MO
John Cordrey – Columbus, IN
Josh Duffy – Houston, TX*
Gene Johnson – Spring, TX
Michael Knippa – Austin, TX
Landon Ledlow – Tampa, FL*
David McGinley – Webster Groves, MO
Kristopher Morris – Seward, NE
Ryan Ogrodowicz – Brenham, TX
Jeff Smith – Westlake, OH
Adam Steinbrenner – Dublin, OH
Jason Taylor – New Palestine, IN
Andrew Whaley – Frisco, TX
*Indicates that the nomination declined the nomination
Bold indicates Redeemer Call Committee’s Recommended Candidate
Previous Updates:
With the announcement of Pastor Kevin’s upcoming retirement, Congregational President Ben Price and Lay Ministry (Elder) Board Chair Johnny Humphreys have announced that Redeemer will be engaging in a call process to find Redeemer’s next Senior Pastor. This process is outlined in the bylaws below:
SECTION II
CALLING AND EMPLOYING PROCEDURES
A. Procedure for Calling Pastor, Head of School and Other Ministerial Staff.1. A Calling Committee, appointed by the Congregational President, shall, with the advice of the Texas District President, LCMS, produce a list of nominees and establish an election date for a congregation meeting. Any voting member may submit a name for the list of nominees prior to the closing date for nominations.2. The list of nominees, together with the set date for the election, will be shared with the congregation at least ten days prior to the election date.3. The Calling Committee shall be responsible for screening and presenting a ballot to the congregation. No new nominations will be allowed from the floor at the calling meeting.4. The election shall be by ballot producing a simple majority of the voting members present.The Call Committee members are as follows:
Ben Price (Presidium)
Brian Evans (Presidium)
Angie Schiller (Head of School)
Barry Samsel (Member)
Connie Jennings (Member)
Jon Block (Elder)
Job Description:
The job description for this role can be found here.
Nominations:
Nominations are now closed.
In order for your nomination to be considered, you must be an Active Member of Redeemer who is at least 18 years old. Please contact a member of the Call Committee or email call@redeemer.net should you have any questions.
Pastoral Profile Survey Results:
Thank you to everyone who participated in the District’s Pastoral Profile Survey. The results from the survey, as shared by the Call Committee, can be found here.
Updates will be made on this webpage as available.
If you have any questions, please contact call@redeemer.net.