Rev. David Pavesic

Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM)
David.Pavesic@elca.org

Pastor David was born in the Chicago area, the oldest of three boys. He was baptized in the same font as his maternal grandfather in the oldest Danish Lutheran Church on the mainland in Sheffield, IL. (Because of that he got to meet Queen Margrethe II of Denmark when she visited for the Bicentennial!)

His mom was a 4th grade teacher and his dad worked for an airline. That job moved the family around a bit: Chicago, IL; Ontario, CA; Milwaukee, WI. He was active in Scouts, earning his Eagle Award. He served as a trainer and on camp staff with most weekends and summers “out.”

David grew up with a passion for history and went to Carroll College to become a history teacher with an eye towards becoming a history professor. Following college he moved to Guam (where his dad's job had taken the family) and began teaching in an all-girls Catholic high school. He worked the school through transitioning to a co-education high school and adopting a "year-round" schedule. He married his wife Jenni at the Lutheran Church of Guam. Their son, Zach, was baptized there as well.

It was the birth of Zach that caused David to change course and to finally heed the call into ministry. They moved to Chicago to attend The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, graduating in 2002. His first call was in the small central Illinois town of Gibson City, where he served at American Evangelical Lutheran Church. From there the call next took them to east central Wisconsin and the city of Fond du Lac, at Immanuel-Trinity Lutheran Church. He served as the Senior Pastor and walked with that church through a significant turning point in its life. From there the call took them all to Tucson and Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, where David has served for the last 11 years.

He has been active as a Dean in Wisconsin and in the (now) Kino Conference. David was part of the team that brought Diakonia-Growing in Faith to the Grand Canyon Synod and is a strong supporter of lifelong learning. He looks forward to collaborating and dreaming with congregations and ministries about how we can best follow God into the future with hope.