Our Leadership

Rev. Miriam Samuelson-Roberts, Lead Pastor

Lead pastor at Christ Church since 2020, Pastor Miriam loves her call at Christ Church Lutheran, which began in the physically distanced time of coronavirus. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2008, and later attended seminary at Yale Divinity School, graduating in 2015. She previously served as associate pastor at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, MN. She and her husband, Daniel, have two children and live in Longfellow.

Rev. Erik Haaland, Associate Pastor

Associate pastor at Christ Church since 2013, Pastor Erik has been a member of Christ Church Lutheran since 2010. He graduated in 2000 from St. Olaf College, where he majored in music and religion. He later received his seminary training at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. From 2006 to 2009 he held the position of Village Pastor at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in Washington State. He and his husband, Daniel, make their home across the river in St. Paul.

Mark Sedio, Cantor

Mark recently retired from his position as Cantor at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, where he had served since 2000. Prior, he was Cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church (Minneapolis) from 1974-2000 and Director of Music at Saint Paul Lutheran in Davenport (IA) 1979-1982. He is an active recitalist, clinician, conductor and composer, with over 125 of his compositions for organ, piano, choral and instrumental ensembles available from a variety of publishers. An ordained deacon in the ELCA, Sedio lives in the Twin Cities with his spouse Jeffrey Sartain, an ELCA pastor.

Martha Mutch, Cantor

Martha Mutch joined Christ Church after serving as organist at Roseville Lutheran Church since 2007. She grew up in Larimore, ND, and received a B.A. in music from Concordia College, Moorhead, and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from Northwestern University. She also spent two years studying organ and piano in Germany. She worked for more than 25 years full-time in Information Technology while also serving as organist for several churches both in the Chicago area as well as the Twin Cities. Martha loves to play tennis, knitting (especially Norwegian mittens), gardening, and cats.

Lori Schlecht, Director of Children’s Ministry

At Christ Church since August 2023, Lori felt God's nudge to this position after raising her four children and a long career of teaching in Sartell, MN. She graduated from Jamestown College (ND) in 1993 with a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. After teaching in the public school system for years, Lori's passion for children and her deep faith led her to start a preschool program in her ELCA church where she taught and wrote curriculum for 11 years. She and her husband, Scott, are excited to be a part of the Christ Church family.

Caleb Rollins,

Office Administrator

Office administrator for Christ Church since 2022, Caleb loves being part of a congregation that is committed to welcoming others and attentive to its history. Caleb graduated from Valparaiso University in 2015 and is currently attending Luther Seminary for an MA in History of Christianity. He previously served in various roles for faith-based nonprofits and congregations in Washington, D.C., and the Twin Cities. Caleb lives with his spouse, Cassie, in south Minneapolis.

Current Council Members

Drew Benson, Melody Pauling, Dan Mueller, Brad Hubert, Noah Niermann, Michael Bly, Luann Skrivseth, Lynn Larson, Judi Iverson