Rev. Kirsten Nelson Roenfeldt                                   Salem Lutheran Church, Senior Pastor                                                         Kirsten is married to Steven. They have two children: Axel (14) and Else (12)

Hometown: Annandale

What do you actually do at work?    I administrate a small non-profit organization, a church. While we have some special rules that are different from other nonprofits, we operate similarly. This includes building a staff of eight (one full time and the rest part time) in addition to myself. We work together to:

• Lead meaningful worship
• Teach about Jesus in hopes of growing faith  
• Create connected community
• Serve our neighborhood and the world.

Salem has been involved most recently in the formation of a Community Outpost on the East End. This effort will result in a free healthcare clinic available in the north end of our building at 90 Riverside Drive SE. The outpost will be staffed by the St. Benedict College nursing students and faculty in partnership with Centracare. Our St. Cloud police department will use this outpost as a place for neighborhood outreach, particularly through their co-responder team where police and mental health professionals respond to calls side-by-side. Like the first COP house in the Southside neighborhood, this effort is led by the St. Cloud Area Public Safety Foundation                 

What is your biggest accomplishment?  Seeing a group of people motivated and moving toward the goal of a beloved community. 

Is your desk/office messy or organized? Messy. My desk is a clutter of deeply compassionate ideas and hopeful projects. I organize it when I can't think anymore and need to clear my head. 

Do you have or are you a mentor? Both. I have relied on mentors to help me find my guiding direction in the midst of a rapidly changing world and the organization for which I work (the church, jot just Salem). I have coached pastors who are new, those approaching retirement and those in transition. Professional coaching is a skills set I am grateful to have been trained in as a way to walk alongside my colleagues and other leaders who are finding their best next step. 

Who is your oldest friend and where did you meet them? Lynda Porter might be my oldest friend. She and I went to church and school together from the time we were small until we graduated from high school. Since I've come back to MN, we have reconnected over the Ride to End Alzheimer's. Her sister and my dad are diagnosed with dementia, and it has been good to have someone who cares as deeply as I do about research to end these diseases. 

Who had the biggest impact on the person you have become? My dad. He taught me to be independent and to charge forward into the unknown. That comes in very handy in a profession full of unknowns for the church these days. 

What do you do for fun? Ride a bike, Nordic ski, read a book by a fire

Who is your hero? Women who lead. Brene Brown. I feel connected to her because I was a social worker in my first profession, and I love that she has helped so many people in the business and personal worlds understand the importance of vulnerability for real connection, as well as redefining that honesty is kind. 

What would other FEW members be surprised to learn about you? I'm very interested in each person I encounter and their unique perspective, and I'm not so interested in convincing people to agree with my perspective.