With the close of the call process comes a new pastor at the Lutheran Church of Dell Rapids. Stepping in for the outgoing the Rev. Dave Winterfeldt is Colorado-based the Rev. Michael A. Mortvedt, a pastor with a 19th Century link to Dells.

Mortvedt’s grandfather, the Rev. A.O. Mortvedt, served an ancestor congregation of LCDR’s in the 1890s and early 1900s.

To call a pastor within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a congregation coordinates a search for candidates with the larger synod, assigns a call committee to interview candidates, and votes on the committee’s decisions.

“After following this careful and deliberate process, the congregation is truly delighted and thankful to announce the call,” Winterfeldt said.

The current pastor has been with the congregation as the interim/transition pastor since Nov. 1, 2010. His last worship service with LCDR will be April 22.

Mortvedt and his spouse Sandy Olson will be moving their home to Dell Rapids later in the month. He will begin serving the congregation by April 29, with his installation scheduled for Sunday, May 27, with South Dakota Synod Bishop David Zellmer presiding.

The Rev. Mortvedt has been in the pastoral field for 30 years, serving in both California and Colorado. He is currently rostered within the Rocky Mountain Synod and is serving at churches in Kremmling and Granby, Colo.