Pastor

Spring 2024

Thank you for visiting our web site!

I am Rev. Mitchell Otto, the Pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, and my goal here is to anticipate and answer some of your questions about the congregation. Of course, more than that, I would like to invite you to worship with us this coming Sunday morning. This web site is full of information to encourage you to come and worship God.

If you have read this far, you are probably someone who is moving into this area and looking for a church home--maybe even a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod home. Most of our new members tell me that they looked at this web site before they ever visited. Maybe you have looked it over, learned a few things, but now you would like to know little bit about me.

What is it that I do as the Pastor of this congregation? Well, in a few words: “In all I do, they will hear the Good News of Jesus and know who they are.”

This is what I am reaching for when I am preaching on Sunday mornings, teaching classes, or visiting with people. I am surprised at how many Christians do not know the simplicity and the depth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More than that, I am stunned by how many do not know that the Gospel is a free gift from God. Therefore, my work centers on sharing the Gospel and applying it to the lives of the people.

So, who am I? I am a Baptized child of God through Jesus Christ. In Baptism Jesus delivered a gift and a promise to me that I will be with Him forever. This is good news. I want you to know the same about yourself.

I have a wife, children, and grandchildren. Mary is God's greatest gift to me after life and salvation.  As a husband, father, and grandfather it is my greatest responsibility to see that these people hear about the Gospel of Jesus' death on the cross for their sins and His resurrection from the dead for their eternal lives.

Originally from Minnesota, the Twin Cities area, we moved to Ft. Wayne, IN in the early 1990s so could I attend Concordia Theological Seminary. I was a "second career man" as I was in my early thirties when I started at the seminary. I spent my Vicarage year in Elma, IA, graduated from the seminary and received my first Call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Chariton, IA.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Coralville Called me to be their Pastor in Nov. of '98. I accepted and was Installed on Feb. 28th. Since then, I have earned a Doctorate of Ministry ('07) from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.

My interests include cycling, walking, woodworking, and building machines to toss water balloons a long way. 

Though you can never satisfy everyone, we are about as "Missouri Synod" as you can be. Yet, we know that we have guests in worship every week. Therefore, we assume that there are people present who do not all know our specific worship practice or the doctrine behind it. Realizing this, we go out of our way to keep everyone on the same page in worship, take time to explain things as we go along, and we are not too upset if we make a mistake or have to pause to laugh at ourselves (mostly me). We make no excuses for using the hymnal, The Lutheran Service Book, for our worship services, following what is called a "liturgical" format, or for valuing the Gospel of Jesus Christ above all else.

We are a congregation of people who have moved here from someplace else. This is the nature of the community, and our congregation reflects it. As a visitor, you will fit right in.

I do hope that you come and worship with us, learn more about us, and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can email me at popcoralville@msn.com or call me at 319-338-1842. I love to talk about the Gospel and about this congregation.

In Christ,

Pastor Otto