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The Rev. Joshua D. Ebener has been called as the Director of Evangelical Mission in the Northern Illinois Synod. Pastor Ebener graduated with a Master of Divinity from LSTC and was ordained in 2009. His first call was to Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Beach, CA. For the past nine years, he has served as pastor of St. Andrew / San Andrés Lutheran Church in West Chicago, IL. He also currently serves part-time at the Metropolitan Chicago Synod as the coordinator of Latinx Strategy.

Pastor Ebener has served multicultural congregations that were learning how to re-root in their communities. At both congregations, community ministries were a priority, including English/citizenship classes, tutoring programs, and food distributions. He has fluency in Spanish and experience in leading worship in both English and Spanish services, as well as occasional bilingual worship services. His leadership has focused on bringing together the diverse body of Christ and creating spaces of welcome for all of God’s people.

Bishop Fidlar remarks, "I am excited to bring Pastor Ebener's gifts and skills to our table. We are excited for him to begin work with our congregations and communities as the new year begins. Please pray for Pastor Ebener as he completes his ministry at St. Andrew/San Andres and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod."

Pastor Josh Ebener will begin serving in this role on January 1, 2023, and can be reached at jebener@nisynod.org