Pastors

 

Pastor Scot Sorensen,

Senior Pastor

scots@bethel-madison.org

Pastor Scot Sorensen began serving as Senior Pastor at Bethel in late November 2011. His primary responsibilities are in the areas of worship, vision and stewardship. Pastor Scot has experience in urban ministry, with multiple styles of traditional and contemporary liturgical worship styles, addressing issues of poverty and homelessness, keeping a global focus while fostering international partnerships, and participating in multiple building and capital campaigns. He is excited about the rich opportunities for Bethel in the 21st century.

Prior to Bethel Pastor Scot served as Senior Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento, CA. Before Sacramento Pastor Scot was Associate Pastor at churches in Texas and California. He is a native of California, and completed his Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary in St. Paul in 1984. He is married to Kathy, who holds a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Texas – Austin. Kathy works at MATC. Pastor Scot and Kathy have a son, Kai.

Asked about his convictions, Pastor Sorensen identifies three prominent themes of his ministry: First is the truth that we are saved by grace through faith and this is not our own doing. Second is awareness of the resurrected Jesus in our lives - leading to the question, “Where have you encountered Jesus this week?” Third is a conviction that God is constantly calling us into a preferred and promised future and inviting us to discern and live into that reality.

 

Pastor Jaime Dubon,

Latino Ministries

padrejaime@bethel-madison.org

Pastor Jaime Dubon, from El Salvador, was called as Associate Pastor for Latino Ministries of Bethel in the summer of 2012, after serving the previous year in the capacity of Interim Pastor for the same Bethel ministry. Jaime served the Lutheran Church in El Salvador as a lay leader from 1987-1991. He moved to Chicago in 1991 to study at the Lutheran School of Theology, and was ordained in 1994.

Returning to El Salvador, he served as an Associate Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church, with a focus on education and working with church sponsored schools. From 1997-1999, he served Rivers of Living Waters Lutheran Church, his original lay leadership church from 1987. During this time, he also led the Department of Theology at the El Salvador University and directed the activities of the Sister Parish Office, coordinating the programs between El Salvador, the United States, Finland and Germany. In 2004, Pr. Jaime accepted a call to serve the congregation of St. Andrew’s Church in West Chicago. During the first five years of this call, he traveled to El Salvador, visiting his family until they were able to secure visas in 2009. Pr. Jaime is married to Marisol, and they have four children: Jaime Jr., Johnny, Gaby and Luis.

 

Pastor Curt Everson,

Visitation & Worship

Pastor Curtis Everson was born just west of Madison in the township of Black Earth. During the Korean conflict, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, where he was a History major and a member of the St. Olaf Choir. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, and did graduate work for two years at the UW-Madison.

Pr. Everson interned at North Community Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio; was senior pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Warren, Ohio; and for 30 years (1967-1997) at West Middleton Lutheran Church on Madison's western edge. Since his retirement in 1997, he has been on the pastoral staff of Bethel where he serves part-time in the areas of worship and visitation.

 

 

 

Pastor John Swanson,

Confirmation & Visitation

jswanson@bethel-madison.org

Pastor John Swanson was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, but spent most of his early years in Iowa, first in Des Moines and then in Bettendorf as the son of a Lutheran pastor. John graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with a degree in Elementary Education. After working several jobs, including the position of Director of Christian Education and Youth at a Lutheran Church in Sterling, Illinois, he entered the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

During the summer between his first and second year in seminary John married Beth Miller in the summer of 1992. After seminary graduation and ordination, John was called to Bethel as an associate pastor in the summer of 1994.

Beth, who is a Speech Language Pathologist, works at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, where she supervises graduate students. She also has a private practice, working with children facing a variety of speech and language challenges. John and Beth have two children: Lydia, born in 1997, and Caleb, born in 2002.

John is an avid sports fan. His areas of ministry at Bethel include Confirmation and Visitation.

 

 

Pastor Alison Williams,

Interim Associate Pastor, Outreach and Service

alison@bethel-madison.org

Pr. Alison is Bethel’s new Interim Associate Pastor for Outreach and Service. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, and the Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. Alison is from Tennessee, and completed an internship in Montana. Alison’s responsibilities include the Homeless Ministry, 20†30 Group, Outreach Ministries, preaching and visitation.