Board of Directors
The Rev. Kris D. H. Ferkin
Kris Ferkin was born and raised in Bozeman. MT. He is a 3rd generation Montanan. Before becoming a pastor, Kris served eight years with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks. In 1999 he received his M.Div from The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Kris has experience in various ministry settings ranging from small to large program-sized congregations. Currently serving as an interim pastor in Minnesota, Kris has served churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Dakota, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
Kris says, "I am drawn to ministry with small and rural congregations. I love working with the congregation as it seeks to discover God's leading and creative ways to move into a hopeful future." Kris has worked with
churches to develop open, honest, transparent processes. He has helped congregations heal from past situations, grieve the loss of past glory days, and see the future possibilities. His experience demonstrates that God's people are still alive and well in rural areas!
Kris is married to The Rev. Krista L. Henning-Ferkin. They have a daughter Rachel and a son Luke. They live in Plainview, MN, where Krista is the pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Kris has a passion for sports. He is certified as a golf instructor and ski instructor. He is an avid hiker who loves to spend time outdoors.
Beth Ann Gaede
Beth Ann Gaede is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served parishes in the Minneapolis area for eight years. She has a DMin from Luther Seminary, and her thesis focused on discerning vocations for retirement. Beth has been an editor for church-related publishers since 1990 and is currently an acquisitions editor for Fortress Press. She enjoys canoeing, fly fishing, and cooking.
Gary W. Meyer
Gary W. Meyer has worked in public accounting and in industry and is currently in retirement. After obtaining a masters in accounting at the University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee, Gary joined Arthur Andersen & Co. working in Milwaukee; Oslo, Norway; and St. Paul. After 10 years in public accounting, Gary worked in a variety of small- to medium-sized companies: a bar and restaurant company, cafeteria and vending company, grocery store chain, and bottled water manufacturing. His role was as the chief financial officer. Since retiring in 2012, Gary has pursued recreational music and painting.
The Rev. Peter Soli
Peter Soli is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Central to his call to ministry has been a desire to make a positive difference in people's lives and in the world. He says, "My interests are theology, family systems, peacemaking, teaching, and facilitation.”
Peter has been the settled pastor in four congregations. He served ten years as an intentional interim minister in eight congregations and four years as assistant to the bishop and Director of Evangelical Mission in the Western Iowa Synod.
During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Peter launched an effort he called the Grassroots Ministry Sustainability Project. Because of the many changes congregations have been facing and the effects COVID-19 is having on small congregations, he believed an organization dedicated to the life, ministry, and vitality of small congregations was needed. In the fall of 2020, he founded Dialog Works, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of serving the needs of small congregations and their leaders.
Board Members Emeriti
The Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson
Board Chair
Jan. 2021 - April 2022
After three settled calls in a variety of congregational settings, Dr. Olson began serving as an intentional interim minister in October 2019. He is passionate about vitalizing and revitalizing congregations in mission and ministry by asking the “God questions”: “What is God doing?” and “What does God want us to do?” Olson holds a BA in psychology from Gustavus Adolphus College, an MDiv from the former Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and a DMin from Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership. Because he was in the business world for 16 years and a lay leader in congregations before entering seminary, he understands congregational leadership from “both sides.” Olson is also passionate about golf, reading, and solving puzzles.