Comments or Questions?

Send a note to the pastor of Holy Trinity Evangelical-Lutheran Church, UAC.

Our pastor, the Rev. Eric J. Stefanski, is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America. A 1989 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, a seminary of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Pastor Stefanski learned at that institution to stand up for the right confession of God’s Word, and doing so brought him to leave the LCMS when it became obvious that it was mired in false doctrine and would not repent.

Pr. Stefanski was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and finds it amusing that some have accused him of having “Romanist tendencies,” while others have said that he is “Anti-Catholic.” Instead, he understands the Reformation as having been about restoring (especially) the western part of Christianity to true catholicism—to the faith once handed down to the saints (Jude 3). Thus, the Lutheran Confessions and the practice of the churches that adhere to them do not reject out of hand ‘everything’ that “looks Catholic,” but continue to use those things that the Church in antiquity found helpful for teaching the pure doctrine that sinful Man is saved purely by the grace of God through faith in the atoning life and death of God the Son, Jesus the Christ.

With that understanding of things, our parish joyfully sings the Psalms back and forth to one another just as the saints of old did, using the liturgy found in The Lutheran

Hymnal, and rejoices to receive the very Body and Blood of Christ each week in His holy Supper. Just as the Small Catechism says, through the Gospel preached and delivered in Holy Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper, we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

Pastor Stefanski has served as the Dean of Communications of The Augustana Ministerium since its inception, is the President of Confess and Teach for Unity, has been a repeat banquet speaker for the Association of Confessional Lutherans, been an instructor for the Confessional Lutheran Education Foundation in Sri Lanka and for the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America in both Sri Lanka and India, has served as an essayist at various conferences around the country, and regularly teaches both Greek grammar and courses in various books of the Bible for St. Ignatius Lutheran Theological Seminary.

For Adult and Junior Catechesis, we use Gottesdienst: God’s Grace in Liturgy and Life, which Pastor wrote and which is used by a good number of parishes in the ELDoNA, ACLC, LCMS, WELS, and ELS, as well as by individuals around the world. Pastor’s other catechetical works include an explanation of the Small Catechism for elementary school children, questions on the Large Catechism for middle school and junior high students, and a catechetical recitation for use by a congregation when their pastor must be absent and a suitable substitute cannot be found (after the pattern found at Hoya, Germany in 1581, keeping the parish from violating the Fourteenth Article of the Augsburg Confession and Romans 10:15). A layman’s guide to liturgical piety is on the schedule for completion next year.

Pastor’s ‘outside interests’ include service as president and member of the Board of Directors of the Ozark Arts Council and as their concert booking agent and co-director of the Children’s Choir of the Ozarks, Vice-President of the Historic Harrison Business Association, past service on the Homes Guide Committee of the Harrison District Board of Realtors, taking pictures of his daughters (and everyone else) in stage productions in Harrison, and making sure that his wife, Pat, has a sufficient number of books at all times. One of these days, he plans to go fishing again, but for now he just really enjoys driving between churches and spending time with the sheep and lambs the Lord has placed in his care and with the brethren from other parishes with whom we have been blessed to be in fellowship.