Meet Interim Pastor Jared

Passionate, insightful, and visionary are all words that have been used to describe Pastor Jared Carson by the congregation that he has served. Jared is a native Californian who has lived in Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa.  He graduated from Indiana University, in Bloomington, IN with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications and minors in Business and Germanic Studies.  In May of 2009, Pastor Jared graduated with a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC and was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA in August 2009.

He has served in settled congregation ministry for more than 12 years, as Associate Pastor and Director of Serving Ministries at First Lutheran Church and School in Torrance, CA from 2009-2014, then as Senior Pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces, NM from 2014-2021.  Pastor Jared enjoys leading worship, building relationships, and equipping members of congregations to live out their baptismal calling.

In September 2021, Pastor Jared and his family moved to North Dakota from Southern New Mexico.  He began a new ministry focus as an Intentional Interim Minister, with training from the Lutheran Transitional Ministry Association (LuTMA).  He has since served as an Intentional Interim Minister at St. Peter Lutheran in Audubon, MN and St. John Lutheran, in Fargo, ND.  Pastor Jared discovered that he has gifts for working with congregations in conflict and transition.  “I empower members of congregations to listen to God and to each other. Doing so, allows each person to follow their call and fulfill Christ’s mission for the life of the world,” says Carson.

He is married to Deacon Laura Carson, Associate with the Bishop in the Eastern North Dakota Synod.  They have two sons, Andrew (12) and Aaron (10).  Their family enjoys hiking, camping, and travel.  Pastor Jared is involved in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts with his sons.

In addition to interim ministry, Pastor Jared is a trained Safeguarding God's Children facilitator, a child sexual abuse prevention resource, and a trained facilitator for Prepare/Enrich, a Pre-Marriage Counseling/Marriage Counseling resource. He serves on the Board of Red Willow Ministries, one of the outdoor ministry sites in the Eastern North Dakota Synod.  He also serves as a part-time consultant for GSB Fundraising, a strategic planning and fundraising firm for churches and nonprofits.  

"After much prayer and conversation, I have come to believe that God has sent me to serve as Calvary’s lead pastor. In that exact same way, I believe every single member (and visitor) here is called by our living God to serve God’s whole creation. Join us!"