Pastor David Irgens is a native of Minnesota and the son of the late Dr. Lawrence and Patricia Irgens. His grandparents, the late Ted and Margaret Litsheim, lived in Eau Claire, and his mother attended school here.
He received Bachelor's degrees in English and psychology from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and his Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul. In 1998 he was inducted into the Luther College Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in swimming and contributions to the college. He holds a couple of swimming records at Luther and competed nationally.
Pastor Irgens was Associate pastor at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, Ill., where he also was lead pastor for 1½ years while the congregation sought a new senior pastor. He previously served churches in Brookfield and South Milwaukee.
He was previously involved with small group ministries and evangelism, and will continue to focus on those areas. “I look forward to working side by side with the members of Grace to invite, inspire and involve others, to make Christ known.”
Our Associate Pastor writes:
“17:26 From one ancestor (Adam) God made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and all the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him – 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’”
(Acts 17:26-28)
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light .”
(1 Peter 2:9)
Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “Now, with God’s help, I shall become myself.” We all are in the pursuit for understanding who we are in this vast universe. Socrates said, “Know Thyself.” Yet we know that in knowing ourselves we are left with questions. These are the questions that can only be answered through Jesus Christ.
In Germany, I had a good friend Thomas Randrup, who was an agnostic. He was born in Denmark and at the age of 10 moved to England. He told me that after German classes at the Goethe Institute, he would go home, lay down on his bed and go over all he had learned during the day, then he would ask questions about his existence. He would search for the answer to the question, “Is there a reason why I am on this earth?” Day after day he asked the same question. Day after day he was left with more questions than answers. He was searching for the truth. He told me about this one day and I told him, you can ask the same question over and over, but you’re always going to get the same answer. Later on I explained to him what I meant.
The problem wasn’t the question, the problem was that he wasn’t searching for the answer in the right place. He wasn’t looking for the answer in the one who showed us love beyond reason, Jesus Christ. We talked about Christ many times and I know that the Holy Spirit used our conversations to take a little hold on his life. He knew of the Danish Theologian, Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “Now, with God’s help, I shall become myself.”
Everything we do makes a little impact on those around us. It helps them to see that what we believe is real and true. God has made us “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light .” (1 Peter 2:9) Everyday we have the opportunity to be an encouragement to those around us. We are all evangelists! We are all called to proclaim the mighty acts of Christ who called us out of our inquiries into the marvelous truth that he is alive!
“In him we live and move and have our being.” We have been empowered as the priesthood of all believers to share the hope we have with others.
Now may you be a blessing to others as you share with them the way, the truth and the life.
