Row is New Minister at St. Paul and Salem UCC

Pastor Mike Row, rhymes with wow, will officially start his new venture as the minister for St. Paul’s United Church of Christ at Maple Grove and the Salem United Church of Christ near Steinauer on Sunday, February 15. He has been serving as one of a group of interim pastors in these two churches for about three years. “The churches and I are well acquainted,” said Pastor Row.
 Row is a native of Shickley, Nebraska where he attended school. He moved away to attend college, but later had a chance to return and become involved in his family’s farming operation.
Pastor Row has been involved in ministry in one form or another since 1983. The last church he pastored was Bethel Church, rural Carleton. Row was there for five years and retired in the fall of 2021. “But retired Pastors are rarely completely retired, he preached 26 Sundays last year in several different churches.
“I was often bi-vocational, that is I served while I also worked to support myself and my family outside the ministry. So I’ve been in the ministry for most of my adult life,” said Row.
“Rarely have I met pastors who can point to one single reason or event that prompted them to pursue ministry. I’m the same way. It was a combination of several circumstances and at the same time the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart, calling me to surrender my life to serve the Lord and serve His people.”
Row has attended several schools throughout his life, including Doane University, Southeast Community College, Christ for The Nations Institute, and Drury College. He has Degrees in Agribusiness and in Theology.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the people in both congregations. That’s the greatest part of ministry,” said Pastor Row. “Teaching and sharing and all of us growing in our faith. Rejoicing with them in happy times, offering words of faith and comfort in trials or times of sorrow. Trying to help people come to fully know Christ and to grow in that knowledge; a growth and a love that last a lifetime.”
If Pastor Row had a philosophy about serving rural churches like St. Paul and Salem, he believes it would start with a quote he saw in Christianity Today many years ago which states: “One of the things that the rural church reminds the global church of is God’s commitment to be with people everywhere. We, as the people of God, have been sent to the ends of the earth and sometimes rural is one of those ends,” said Brad Roth, pastor of West Zion Mennonite Church in Mound-ridge, Kansas.
“Not every place is going to have the same potential for that growth metric. But every place is still beloved by God and worthy of our best and most thoughtful ministry as the church. These two churches are loved by God and even though they might not be noticed by much of the world, God loves them and has a calling for them,” said Pastor Row. He plans to get to know the churches and the people better before implementing new programs at St. Paul’s UCC and Salem UCC.
Row is a widower. He was married for 37 years before losing his wife to cancer. Row is 69 years old. He has three grown children and two grandsons. “As far as hobbies, I love to read. I like cycling, long walks with my dog, painting (barns and houses), crossword puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles. I’m looking forward to trying the fishing around here. I like drinking coffee and laughing with friends. Traveling is fun too.”