Grace Lutheran Church, ELCA

Meet Michael J Fox

Meet Pastor Michael J Fox

       I am Pastor Michael J. Fox.  My wife, Susan and I came to Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis in March 2006.  We are happy to be here to serve the Lord in this place called Grace!

       Permit me to share some personal information.  I am the son of the late Jim and Pauline Fox of South St. Paul, MN.  I grew up in a family of two brothers and sisters.  My family still resides in the Twin Cities area.  And yes, I am an avid Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings fan!

       I have two adult children.  My daughter is married to Ron Schultz and lives in Lewiston, MN.  They have one son, Zachary.  Another daughter, Stephanie is married to Jesse Zuerlein and lives in Menomonie, WI.  They have one daughter, Jayda. 

       I was quite young while in 8th grade confirmation class when I received a call from God to become a pastor.  I enrolled in Concordia Academy in St. Paul, as a freshman in high school.  I went through the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pre-ministerial education system.  I attended Concordia College in St. Paul, MN; Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, IN; and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, and graduated from Concordia Seminary in Exile in 1976.

       After receiving approval by the Colloquy Board of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1977, I received my first call and served a two-point parish at Zion Lutheran Church, Hardwick, MN and St. John’s Lutheran Church, Trosky, MN; St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, Winona, MN; Spirit of Christ Lutheran Church, Ham Lake, MN; and Trinity Lutheran Church, Waconia, MN.

While serving at Trinity Lutheran Church, my former wife, Diane and I divorced in 1997.  I took a leave of absence from the pastoral ministry for a number of years.  During a time of needed internal healing following that difficult time, I still had a strong sense of call to serve as a pastor within the Lutheran Church.

       After being accepted with the pastoral roster of the ELCA, I was assigned to the South Dakota Synod of the ELCA.  I served at a two-point parish at Baltic Lutheran Church, Baltic, SD and East Nidaros Lutheran Church, in rural Baltic, SD for four years.

       As I was serving in Baltic, SD, I met a wonderful woman named Susan Reiger, and we dated for a number of years, and we were married on November 19, 2005, in Colton, SD.

  Susan is presently serving as a pastoral student, at Buffalo, SD at a three-point parish.  She will be ordained as a Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ pastor, which is split from the ELCA in the near future. 

       We both enjoy serving the Lord Jesus and his church together.