It's Official. Sean Bunger is the New Pastor of G.T.L.C. Why Did He Choose Gateway?

Last Sunday Sean Bunger was officially installed as the Pastor of Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church. Pastor Sean has been preaching at G.T.L.C. for the past three weeks, however, the church big-wigs were in town, they dotted his i's and crossed his t's making everything official.

Pastor Sean was born and raised in Newton, Iowa, the home of Maytag Appliances. He attended college on a basketball scholarship, but due to a knee injury had his athletic career cut short. He then transferred to and graduated from Coe College, a small private school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Following college Pastor Sean moved to the West Palm Beach and worked in marketing for Enterprise Rent a Car and the PGA National Resort and Spa. He eventually answered a call to ministry and began by volunteering with his churches youth group. That developed into a full time job as Director of Youth Ministries. He attended seminary at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. where he met his wife Jess, who graduated with a Masters in Youth, Mission, and Culture.

Pastor Sean received his Master of Divinity degree in 2006 and was called to a church in Gales Ferry, CT where he served for 4 years until moving to Gateway. Pastor Sean and his wife Jess have a 5 year old son now in kindergarten at Gateway Charter. He is a man on an island of Gator fans. "I'm a Tennessee Volunteer fan and my wife is a Wisconsin Badger". I had a chance to ask Pastor Sean a few questions about his new position in his new community. Here is our full interview. 

How are things going so far?

My family and I are very excited to be at GTLC. The first few weeks have been a whirlwind simply getting to know the area and people that make up not only GTLC but the Gateway community as well. When you start at a new church you need to listen to the history and stories of the congregation and at the same time bring your own thoughts and gifts. This takes time, but is an important part of the first few weeks together.

Why did you choose G.T.L.C.?

When I was discerning a new call, one of the things that I was looking for was a church that was eager to explore new ways of being and doing church. I sensed an energy and desire from those I met during the interview process to try new things. Many times churches get stuck in the mode of "we've never done it that way" and things never change and people wonder why the church suddenly starts to decline in activity and attendance. What I sensed from GTLC was a desire to be challenged to help this community grow in faith and service to their neighbors and the world around them.

What can people expect when the come to your service on Sunday?

People can expect to be accepted for who they are and where they are in their faith journey. Whether they have been coming to church for years or have never been, I want them to feel like they have a place. Our worship service is one that I would define as "blended" with elements of traditional Lutheran worship mixed with more contemporary praise songs. In my preaching I really try to bring God's Word in context for our lives today. I want people to know that the church is not a place for perfect people, there are none, but rather a place where you can hear about God's love and be challenged to ask questions and take the next step in your spiritual journey, whatever that next step might be. I also hope that people realize that as a Pastor I'm not perfect, I've made mistakes and I'm growing each day just as they are.

Will you be adding anything new to G.T.L.C.?

Over time I hope to expand and build on the existing youth ministry programs and education opportunities for all ages. A passion that I have is small group ministry, this is something that takes time to nurture and build, but once it gets going is a strong program that those who are involved in look forward to each week. I hope that we will be expanding our Sunday school ministry and our outreach into the community by hosting and welcoming groups from the community to use or facilities.

How do you plan to grow the membership?
In the next few weeks we will be unveiling a redesigned website that will serve as an outreach tool to welcome people who are looking for a church as well as for people who already attend to get up to the date information about our programs and ministries.

The one question that every church has is how do we get more people to join our church. People want to be a part of something that adds to their life. We are all busy and over scheduled, so when we choose to be a part of a church we want it to bring meaning to our lives. People also want to be a part of something that makes a difference in not only their own lives, but also the lives of others. I want to help people realize that the church can be all of these things, relevant, exciting, life changing, and a place that you want to be. The only way this happens is by listening to those who walk through our doors. What are they seeking? What gifts and passions do they have? How might the church serve their needs and nurture their passions and gifts? What the church has to realize is that we are constantly changing. Whenever someone new walks through our doors we have changed because the person brings something new to the table. Of course the church can't be everything to everyone and not everyone will agree with everything I do, but we can show Christ's love and care for everyone who comes. Church growth is hard work, but GTLC has the one ingredient that is the first step, we have people who love God and each other.