Pastor Michael Tassler
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On December 11, 2022 the Congregation voted to call Pr. Michael Tassler as the full-time pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. He officially begins his call on March 1, 2023.
A service of installation, Rocky Mountain Synod Bishop Jim Gonia, peaching, Pastor Tassler, presiding, will be held at Zion on March 11 at 11 am with a reception following. All are welcome! Pastor Michael Tassler joined the staff of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church as pastor on March 1, 2023. He came to Zion from the office of the bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod, where he served for five years as Program Director of Educate, Equip, Enact (3E), administering a grant from the Lilly Endowment. He has previously served parishes in a variety pastoral roles and contexts, including inner city and suburban, in Columbus, OH; Silver Spring, MD; Manassas, VA, and Colorado Springs, CO.
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In the Rocky Mountain Synod, Pastor Michael has served on the Bible study writing team for Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp. He also headed a team that created resources for the Rocky Mountain Synod’s celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. He has written prayers of intercession for Sundays and Seasons, the ELCA’s worship planning resource published by Augsburg Fortress, and contributed to Augsburg Fortress’ Bread for the Day, an annual book of daily Bible readings and prayers.
Pastor Michael has contributed chapters to two books, In the Shade of the Sycamore Tree: Ministers Reflect on the Subject of Wealth (Intermundia Press, 2015), and The Gospel of Justification in Christ: Where Does the Church Stand Today? (Eerdmans, 2006). He also contributed a number of biblical commentary articles to the journal Homily Service.
Throughout his ministry, Pastor Michael has been active ecumenically, seeking partnership with faith communities of a variety of traditions. He has also engaged in non-profit work, having served on the boards of directors of Prince William Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers in Prince William County, VA, and Westside CARES in Colorado Springs.
Pastor Michael considers his top gifts to be in the areas of evangelism/mission, administration, preaching/worship leadership, public policy/advocacy, and Christian education. Additional areas of strength include youth and family ministry, stewardship, recruiting and equipping leaders, pastoral care and visitation, and building a sense of community.
Pastor Michael and his wife May have been married 30 years. Together they have three children, Hannah, Andrew, and Peter. Hannah is a graduate student in flute performance in the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Andrew is a senior at CU Boulder studying mechanical engineering. Peter is a freshman at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, KS, where he plays for the DC3 baseball team, and from which he hopes to transfer to a D1 NCAA school to continue his baseball dream.
In their spare time, Pastor Michael and May enjoy hiking, especially when accompanied by their dog, Porter. A music major in college, Pastor Michael occasionally breaks out his trumpet and likes to fool himself into thinking he’s making progress on his electric bass. He enjoys reading and writing poetry and tortures himself daily with the New York Times Spelling Bee. He also assiduously attempts to keep his Wordle streak alive.
Education
Pastor Michael has contributed chapters to two books, In the Shade of the Sycamore Tree: Ministers Reflect on the Subject of Wealth (Intermundia Press, 2015), and The Gospel of Justification in Christ: Where Does the Church Stand Today? (Eerdmans, 2006). He also contributed a number of biblical commentary articles to the journal Homily Service.
Throughout his ministry, Pastor Michael has been active ecumenically, seeking partnership with faith communities of a variety of traditions. He has also engaged in non-profit work, having served on the boards of directors of Prince William Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers in Prince William County, VA, and Westside CARES in Colorado Springs.
Pastor Michael considers his top gifts to be in the areas of evangelism/mission, administration, preaching/worship leadership, public policy/advocacy, and Christian education. Additional areas of strength include youth and family ministry, stewardship, recruiting and equipping leaders, pastoral care and visitation, and building a sense of community.
Pastor Michael and his wife May have been married 30 years. Together they have three children, Hannah, Andrew, and Peter. Hannah is a graduate student in flute performance in the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Andrew is a senior at CU Boulder studying mechanical engineering. Peter is a freshman at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, KS, where he plays for the DC3 baseball team, and from which he hopes to transfer to a D1 NCAA school to continue his baseball dream.
In their spare time, Pastor Michael and May enjoy hiking, especially when accompanied by their dog, Porter. A music major in college, Pastor Michael occasionally breaks out his trumpet and likes to fool himself into thinking he’s making progress on his electric bass. He enjoys reading and writing poetry and tortures himself daily with the New York Times Spelling Bee. He also assiduously attempts to keep his Wordle streak alive.
Education
- Trinity Lutheran Seminary
- Master of Divinity - MDiv, Ordained Ministry, 1985 - 1991
- Iowa State University
- Bachelor of Arts - BA, Distributed Studies (Education, Psychology, Music)
