By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC
Enjoy this interview with John and Karen Olson, the new Associate Co-Pastors for Youth at McMinnville Covenant.
What is your personal and ministry background?
John’s hometown is Burlington, Iowa, and Karen’s is Hartford, New York. We’re both pastors’ kids, and we moved around quite a bit growing up. When we met, we had in common that we both moved to a new state for our senior year of high school. We also both majored in Bible and communications in college, but neither of us intended to join “the family business.”
As newlyweds, God began to draw us to church ministry through our neighborhood church in Chicago. We then spent 10 years in pastoral ministry at a church on the Oregon coast, before being called to Mac Cov this spring. We’re thrilled to be serving as a co-associate pastor team—we’re at our best when we’re working together.
What are you passionate about in ministry right now?
This is such a unique time to join a new church family! Without the usual ways of connecting in person, we’re passionate about finding creative ways to get to know the Mac Cov family and care for their spiritual and emotional needs in this challenging season. We’re learning how to do Zoom youth group and livestream church, and praying that God can use our imperfect efforts to help our community know God’s love and compassion.
How can we pray for you?
Our relocation to McMinnville was delayed several times, so we’re just now getting to move into our new home. We would love prayer for our family’s transition—we have four elementary school-aged kids who are experiencing their new church and school almost entirely online. We all long to be able to develop community and feel at home.
Five things you didn’t know about John and Karen
1. Where is your favorite place to be?
We love to be outdoors together as a family. Hiking, family bike rides, camping—we’re all about exploring the Pacific Northwest together.
2. What is your favorite thing to do?
John enjoys woodworking and playing guitar, and Karen likes hiking and writing. Together, we love exploring new places on foot—our first dates were walking miles around Chicago in the winter, and we’ve never stopped going on long walks together.
3. What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?
John was a DJ at a roller-skating rink, so he has excellent Hokey Pokey skills. Karen worked at a nursery, so she can spend hours alone with a greenhouse full of geraniums.
4. What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
When she’s not pastoring, Karen also works as a spiritual director and a communications consultant. She’s been having fun researching public art on the Oregon Coast for a client this spring. John worked in radio broadcasting before becoming a pastor, and would probably still be hosting concerts and giving the weather report if not for God’s redirection.
5. Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
Karen’s ancestors came to Oregon on the Oregon Trail and settled in the Willamette Valley, where they eventually had a U-pick orchard and fruit stand north of Salem. Moving back to the valley feels a bit like coming full circle. John, meanwhile, was Midwest born and raised, and had never been to Oregon before meeting Karen—but it’s home now.
