Our Pastor

In 2025 we welcomed Pastor Lonnie Wilkerson and his wife Jan to Cornerstone.
Pastor Wilkerson is in joint ministry with us at Cornerstone Lutheran in Beatrice and also with Christ Lutheran in Pickrell, NE.

A Pastor’s Story

My journey into ministry did not begin with a dramatic moment or a perfectly clear plan. Like many faithful journeys, it unfolded over time—through work, family, prayer, struggle, and the steady, patient nudging of God’s grace.

I grew up in a Christian home where faith was present, even if it was not always clearly understood. I was active in church life as a teenager, and more than once someone suggested that I might someday become a pastor. At the time, I politely ignored those comments. Life had other plans—or so I thought. Looking back now, I can see that God was already at work, preparing me through experiences I could not yet recognize as formation for ministry.

My own conversion came during a simple Wednesday evening church service in the summer of 1976. I remember wrestling with the question of faith and sensing that the decision before me was not something to postpone. In that moment, God met me with a grace that felt both gentle and unmistakable. Only later did I learn that my grandmother had been praying specifically for that moment. I remain grateful for her faithfulness and for a God who listens.

For many years, my vocational life unfolded in the business and corporate world. I worked in procurement, contracts management, and operations leadership for organizations ranging from manufacturing firms to national research institutions. Those years taught me discipline, stewardship, teamwork, and accountability. I learned how organizations function, how conflict arises, and how leadership decisions affect people’s daily lives. At the time, I viewed this work as separate from ministry. In hindsight, I now see it as essential preparation for pastoral leadership.

Throughout those years, my wife Jan and I remained deeply involved in the life of the church teaching, volunteering, serving, and listening. Around the time of our twentieth wedding anniversary, we asked a simple but honest question: If we could change one thing about the past twenty years, what would it be? The answer was clear to both of us—full-time ministry. That realization marked a turning point. We began praying not for our plans to succeed, but for God’s will to be revealed.

God answered those prayers quietly but persistently—through mentors, conversations, opportunities to teach and preach, and a growing sense that I was no longer listening carefully enough to the call placed on my life. I pursued formal theological education, earning a Master of Divinity and continuing training in spiritual formation and pastoral care. Along the way, I also had to “unlearn” some things, particularly theological assumptions that did not fully reflect the freedom and joy of the Gospel. That unlearning became a gift, deepening my appreciation for grace, Word, and Sacrament.

My ministry experience has taken place primarily in small-town, rural, and transitional congregations—places where relationships matter deeply and where pastors are called to walk closely with people through both joy and hardship. I have served congregations in Virginia, Iowa and Michigan, celebrating milestone anniversaries, congregations navigating decline, and congregations rebuilding trust after difficult seasons. In each setting, I was reminded that the Church is not defined by size or programs, but by Christ’s living presence among His people.

Since 2018, I have served as bi-vocational pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Roscommon, Michigan. Messiah has a long history in the Higgins Lake area and is made up largely of retirees, seasonal residents, and those rediscovering their Lutheran roots. Together, we have faced significant challenges, including conflict, financial betrayal, and the long disruption of COVID. Through it all, the congregation has remained committed to worship, mid-week Bible study, local mission work, and partnerships that extend Christ’s love to those struggling with addiction and brokenness. It has been a privilege to serve a congregation that understands faithfulness as something lived week by week.

Alongside congregational ministry, I have also served as a chaplain with Munson Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual care across northern Michigan. Sitting with patients and families at the end of life has profoundly shaped my pastoral heart. These moments have reinforced my conviction that ministry is first and foremost about presence—being there with the promises of Christ when words are few and hope feels fragile.

Family has been a steady anchor in my life and ministry. Jan and I have been married for 42 years, walking this journey together through work, discernment, relocation, and ministry. We also share our home with two much-loved Airedales who keep us active and grounded. We valued the simple gifts of northern Michigan—quiet walks, time near the water, good conversation, and rest that renews us for service.

As I look toward the future of ministry in the Gage County area, my hope is simple: that we would walk together in faith, grounded in God’s Word, nourished by Word and Sacrament, and attentive to the needs of our neighbors. God wastes nothing. It is my prayer that, together, we will discover how God continues to shape our shared life for the sake of the Gospel and this community.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Lonnie