In the Field

Featuring the Rev. Scott A. Bruzek, 
Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, 
Wheaton, Ill.

by Monica Robins

The Rev. Scott A. Bruzek studied at Stanford; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; Cambridge; and Princeton Seminary.

In 1993, he accepted his first call to Our Savior Lutheran Church, Momence, Ill., where he served for 3 1/2 years. Our Savior Lutheran Church is a small, rural congregation that has about 250 members and 125 worshippers in service on Sunday mornings. While serving as pastor, Rev. Bruzek was also an adjunct professor at Valparaiso University and taught one or two courses each semester.

Pastor Bruzek then received a call to St. John, Wheaton, Ill. Although the Rev. Clarence Eifert was serving the congregation as emeritus, they had been without a full-time pastor for about 2 1/2 years.

"When I arrived at St. John, the first challenge I faced was building a staff," said Pastor Bruzek. "St. John is a large congregation with 2000 members and a school that serves 325 children, ages three years to eighth grade, so it takes a great staff to make things work. The congregation's sheer size makes a lot of demands on a pastor's time for pastoral care."

They now have a total of 52 staff members: two full-time pastors, the Rev. Scott Bruzek and the Rev. Dennis Schlecht; the Rev. Eric Allyn, who not only serves as pastor but also oversees the business affairs of the congregation; and the Rev. Clarence Eifert, who carries on half time as Pastor Emeritus. In addition, they have a fantastic principal in Elizabeth Skinner, and two brilliant musicians, Kantor Jonathan Mueller and Director of Music Susan Brown. Their teaching staff has a great mix of young, enthusiastic teachers and accomplished teachers with years of experience.

"It's always difficult to balance things in the church," continued Pastor Bruzek. "When you first arrive, there's no end to the work that needs to be done, but there comes a time when you need to settle down into a routine of Word and Sacrament. The Christian life has a rhythm, both for parishioners and for pastors."

"One of the best things at St. John is that the entire staff is pulling at the same end of the rope," said Pastor Bruzek. "There's a lot of wisdom here. I am always comforted by the fact that, down the hall from me, there are three pastors who, together, have over 100 years of pastoral experience."

St. John sees the church not just as its own congregation, but as part of a larger whole-the church universal. They have outreach to the community through the food, clothing, and shelter they are able to provide; and the school children have been partnered with Grace Lutheran School in Chicago to prompt the children to support and share what they have with others. Pastor Eifert is involved with a local prison ministry; Pastor Allyn was a Circuit Counselor and presently serves on the Mission and Ministry Board for the Northern Illinois District. Principal Skinner is currently on the Board of Directors for the District.

The congregation tries to have someone on staff to meet the needs of each age group. They have a Director of Children's Ministry, Val Gaede, and are searching for a DCE for high school youth. They also try to prepare and recruit workers for the church.

"We try to think of ourselves as a teaching hospital. This is a place that works well in many ways, and there is a lot of joy here. We want to share this with those who are on their way to serving the church. We find this to be one of the best ways to recruit church workers," said Pastor Bruzek.

Thus, St. John has a Director of Christian Education intern; a vicar; several field workers from Concordia University, River Forest; and regularly hosts student teachers. They also offer summer internships for students preparing to go to school for church work.

St. John certainly needs a concentrated effort in the same direction, as it is a growing, thriving congregation. They have increased the number of people attending worship on Sunday from about 700 three years ago to almost 900 now. The pastors offer 12 Bible studies each week: classes for men, classes for women, classes for seniors, seekers and new members, and Sunday morning Bible studies. In addition to its school, St. John is a charter member of the association that is building a new Lutheran high school, Christ Lutheran Academy, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2001.

This thriving congregation is located near Wheaton University and not far from Willow Creek Community Church. Pastor Bruzek says that it is, at times, difficult to be a pastor in an area that is not given to the Sacraments. We hope people will rejoice in all our Lord's gifts. His ministry is one of Word and Sacrament, not Word or Sacrament.

"Jesus was not simply interested in making church members, but in making disciples. The pastor's task is to deliver Christ to people through Word and Sacrament. There is sometimes the temptation to abandon Law and Gospel because it does not seem to be working. But Christ Himself stands behind what He has given us to say and do. It is also very helpful that men coming out of the seminary understand that the liturgy is pastoral care. In the liturgy, the pastor says and does all the things the Lord has given him to say and do, and it's a great gift when a pastor teaches this to his people."

The Rev. Scott Bruzek is married to Kirby, and they have three children: a daughter, Clare (11); and twins (6), Laine, a girl, and Kit, a boy.