Four new pastors for LCANZ in May

Four people have become pastors in the LCANZ in the first 11 days of May, including two in the Northern Territory and two in South Australia.

First this month to join the church’s pastoral ministry ranks, Justin Allen was ordained by LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith as Pastor for the Papunya Community, 240 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs, on Saturday 3 May. A day later, fellow First Nations Pastor Abraham Poulson was ordained by Bishop Paul at Areyonga NT, to serve the Utju Community, which is located 220 kilometres west of Alice Springs.

On Saturday 10 May, Dr Tanya Wittwer was ordained at St Stephen’s Adelaide, where she has also been assigned to serve as a General Ministry Pastor (GMP). Adam Morris also joined the LCANZ’s Roll of Pastors when he was ordained on Sunday 11 May, at Aberfoyle Park in suburban Adelaide, where he will serve as Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP).

Pastor Tanya is the third woman to be ordained in the LCANZ, following the ordinations of Maria Rudolph on 13 April at Concordia College in Adelaide and Sue Westhorp on 27 April at Luther College in Melbourne. Pastor Maria has been assigned to serve as a GMP at St John’s Lutheran Church in Perth, while Pastor Sue has been assigned to St Paul Lutheran Church Box Hill, Victoria, also as a GMP.

The latest ordinations bring the total for 2025 to eight. On 6 April, Mark Tung was ordained as an SMP in Auckland, in Aotearoa – New Zealand, and has been installed to serve Botany Lutheran Church’s predominantly Mandarin language-speaking community there.

In February, Sean Hotinski was ordained as a GMP at Blair Athol, South Australia, and has begun his service with Queensland’s Goombungee/Maclagan Parish, where he was assigned.

After the latest ordinations, Bishop Paul called on the church to pray for all of the new pastors. ‘In our Lutheran Confessions, we declare that those who bear these offices stand in the stead of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ he said. ‘Please pray for these newly ordained pastors that they would faithfully nourish God’s people with the gospel.’