Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church

Rev. Christopher Ian Thoma, son of Edwin Charles and Sharon Marie (nee Miller) Thoma, was born on 19 October A.D. 1972 in Danville, Illinois and was baptized into the Christian faith in the summer of 1975 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Danville, Illinois. He has one older brother (now in eternal glory with Christ), Michael Bruce Thoma, and one younger sister, Shelley Joyce Thoma. After graduating from Morton High School in 1990 he entered into the Elementary Education program at Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois. While at Concordia, in addition to his studies in Education, he pursued the Pre-Seminary track, which included the formal study of Lutheran Theology and Biblical Languages. He also sought the Director of Christian Education (D.C.E.) degree. He graduated from Concordia in the autumn of 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts, completing a double-major in Education and Theology as well as receiving synodical certification as a D.C.E. He served a one-year internship at St. Mark Lutheran Church in West Bloomfield, Michigan under the supervision of Reverend Jon D. Vieker and upon completion received a call to remain in service there full-time. He served at St. Mark until February of 1998 when he received a call to serve as D.C.E. at Hope Lutheran Church in Levittown, Pennsylvania. That same year, he received a call to serve as D.C.E. at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland, Michigan. He accepted the call and served the congregation in Hartland as Deacon until his ordination into the Office of the Holy Ministry in December of 2007. In the autumn of 2003, Pastor Thoma began commuting to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a full-time student while continuing his full-time duties as Deacon at Our Savior. His declared fields of study were Exegetical Theology and Pastoral Ministry and Mission. He served his fieldwork and vicarage requirements in his home congregation under the direct supervision of the late Reverend William E. Thompson. Pastor Thoma is a published author, poet, and hymn writer. In 2000, he authored the liturgical resource collection for parents and children entitled Kids In The Divine Service published by the Commission on Worship of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In 2008, he published Feeding the Lambs: A Worship Primer for Teachers of Children. He authored five essays for the Lutheran Service Book Hymnal Companion (Commission on Worship, 2011), four Bible studies for the Lutheran Service Book Hymn of the Day Bible Study Series (Concordia Publishing House, 2011), and several pieces for Concordia Pulpit Resources (2011). He is presently at work on a children’s fantasy/adventure book entitled The Heroes of Ganchimi, a children’s book dealing with the theology of Eschatology, entitled Right Now, But Not Yet. From 2003 until 2010, Pastor Thoma has traveled overseas to organize and facilitate Bible camps led by high school youth for disadvantaged children from local orphanages or the inner city (St. Petersburg, Russia; Klaipeda, Lithuania. These projects comprise the international mission face of Our Savior’s Youth In Missions project. Youth In Missions consists of local, national, and international service opportunities coordinated for Junior High, High School, and College youth and adults. Pastor Thoma is married to Jennifer. They have been blessed by the Lord with four children, Joshua (age 11), Madeline (age 6), Harrison (age 4) and Evelyn (age 2).