Pivot

#124: Discerning God’s Movement: A Father and Son’s Journey in Church Leadership

Mike and Danny Housholder share how Lutheran Church of Hope focuses on following God's lead rather than their own plans.

Mike and Danny Housholder from Lutheran Church of Hope in Iowa share their journey in multi-site church ministry spanning several communities across Iowa. At the heart of their approach is a commitment to “set the sails of this church to the wind of God’s Spirit” rather than simply doing church for God. They explain how their guiding principle—”Jesus is life, the rest is details”—provides both foundation and flexibility across diverse contexts.

This conversation explores their distinctive approach to discipleship that emphasizes belonging before achieving, their practical methods for identifying and developing leaders, and how they maintain a consistent vision while allowing each campus to develop its own personality. Church leaders will find valuable insights for navigating change while remaining centered on mission.

Resources Mentioned:

Shift Ministry Models
Faithful InnovationFaith & Contemporary IssuesMinistry LeadershipMission & Evangelism

Featuring

Headshot of Mike Housholder

Mike Housholder

Mike Housholder serves as the Senior Pastor at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, Iowa. Under his leadership, Hope has grown from a small congregation into a multisite, multigenerational and outreach-focused church with seven campuses and eight local sites throughout the Midwest.With a passion for evangelism and discipleship, Mike has guided the church through significant expansion while maintaining a strong focus on faith formation and community impact.

Headshot of Danny Housholder

Danny Housholder

Danny Housholder is lead pastor at the Ames campus and Hope’s college ministry, Kairos. He has a particular focus on reaching new generations. With experience in campus ministry contexts and leadership development, Danny brings insights on engaging young adults and creating pathways for emerging leaders within the church's network model.

Meet Your Hosts

  • Terri Elton

    Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

    Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

    Before her work in the synod, she served at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minn. for 16 years. While at Prince of Peace she worked in various roles within children, youth and family ministries, as well as served as the director of Changing Church Forum, an outreach ministry of Prince of Peace. She also authored To Know, To Live, To Grow, a confirmation curriculum, and co-authored What Really Matters, a book for congregational leaders, with the Rev. Mike Foss.

    Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

    Elton’s research and teaching interests include: congregational leadership, leading in the midst of change and conflict, helping ministry leaders craft a missional ecclesiology with an eye toward the First Third of Life, awakening a vibrant theology of baptism and vocation and reimagining faith and mission practices for children, youth, young adults and their families.

    Elton is a member of the Academy of Religious Leadership, the Association of Youth Ministry Educators, the ELCA Youth Ministry Network and the American Society of Missiology and is on the board for Real Resources. Elton spends much of her time working with congregations and congregational leaders and seeks out opportunities for enhancing ministry with those in the First Third of Life within the ELCA.

  • Dr. Dwight Zscheile

    Dr. Dwight Zscheile is vice president of innovation and professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His latest book is Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress Press, 2023).