Our Staff

Rev. Dr. Paul Hill has more than 35 years experience in outdoor ministries, lay education, youth and family ministry, and congregational development. He has served as a parish pastor, camp director and taught for 17 years in theological education.

Paul was the developer and first director of the Center for Youth Ministries of Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. While in this role, he launched the youth ministry certification schools and has trained more than 700 youth ministers. Paul has led seminars and workshops across the country on effective practices in vibrant faith formation and on youth and family ministry. He has also served as a national leader for the Lutheran youth gatherings and as president of Lutheran Outdoor Ministries.

Paul is a certified adventure facilitator and utilizes adventure education methods, including low and high element ropes courses, in many of his classes and seminars. He is also a certified camp director, serving as adjunct faculty to the Outdoor Ministry concentration through Luther Seminary's master’s degree program in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is co-author of many books and articles, including:

• Up the Creek with a Paddle: Building an Effective Youth and Family
• Frogs Without Legs Can’t Hear: Nurturing Disciples in Home and Congregation
• Coming of Age: Exploring Identity and Spirituality in Younger Men
• Operation Fuzzy Squirrel: Effective Youth Ministry Practices

Paul is the co-developer of Hand in Hand: Partnering Home and Congregation and Four Key training events. Both are designed to equip congregations and leaders in effective faith formation practices.

When not working, Paul enjoys life on any lake or body of water, biking, skiing and snorkeling. Paul and his wife, Elaine, have been married for 37 years and enjoy the company of their children, Amber and Josh, as well as their extended family. Paul is the proud grandfather and Monday daycare provider of his grandson!

Rev. Dr. David W. Anderson is a presenter, coach and author at Vibrant Faith Ministries. He has been instrumental in developing the Vibrant Faith Frame (formerly known as The Child In Our Hands Initiative), which helps congregations focus on faith formation and community outreach. He is also the co-developer of the Hand in Hand Congregational Training events that tailor the Vibrant Faith Frame to individual congregations.

David is an ecumenically and internationally recognized leader in faith and family life enrichment. He has worked as a seminary and college instructor, editor of adult Christian curriculum at Augsburg Fortress Publishers, parish pastor and hospital chaplain.

In addition, David has written extensively on partnering home and congregation in faith formation. Some of his publications include:

• Frogs without Legs Can't Hear: Nurturing Disciples in Home and Congregation (co-author)
• Coming of Age: Exploring the Identity and Spirituality of Younger Men (co-author)
• The Child In Our Hands Leadership Manual
• From the Great Omission to Vibrant Faith
• Vibrant Faith in the Congregation

Leif Kehrwald has worked in family ministry and faith formation on the local, regional and national levels for more than thirty years. Currently, he serves as the VibrantFaith@Home team leader, a service of Vibrant Faith Ministries. Leif has published several books and numerous articles on family life, family ministry, marriage and youth ministry. In his latest publication, The Catholic Faith and Family Bible, Leif served as general editor.

Leif has taught courses on family ministry, parish partnership and family spirituality at Dominican University (Chicago), Loyola University (Chicago), the University of Dayton and Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. He travels frequently throughout the country offering presentations and workshops on family faith development. Leif and his wife, Rene, have two young adult sons and live in Portland, Oregon.

Jim LaDoux supports the creation, planning and promotion of Vibrant Faith Ministries’ coaching and training services. Jim has a Master of Management Arts degree from Metropolitan State University with a special emphasis in organizational development and strategic planning. For more than 20 years, Jim has served numerous congregations by helping them establish gifts-based ministry programs, small group ministries, youth ministry programs, community outreach programs and strategic initiatives.

Jim and his wife, Gina, and their two young boys, Brett and Kenton, enjoy traveling, camping, board games and serving at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, their home congregation. Some of Jim's favorite pastimes include kayaking, digital photography, downhill skiing and being a "faith shaper" in the lives of young people.

With thirty-five years experience in sales and marketing, Patty Matthews brings broad experience, expertise and enthusiasm to Vibrant Faith Ministries as its marketing director. Prior to coming to Vibrant Faith Ministries, Patty served as sales and marketing director for Atomic Props and Effects, and sales support manager for EcoWater.

Patty's passion for her work at Vibrant Faith Ministries is fueled by her faith, being a parent of five grown children and grandparent to seven precious grandchildren, and her role as a pastor's wife. Patty's husband, John, serves as Senior Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

In her free time, Patty enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, knitting, gardening, traveling and looking for ways to make a difference.

Anna Rendell’s passion for faith development, writing and connecting with others is what brought her to the world of social media. She is now bringing Vibrant Faith Ministries into that world as its social networking manager.

Anna graduated from Augsburg College’s Youth and Family Ministry program, and went on to work as director of Youth Ministries at Grace Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota. She has also worked at several Bible camps as a counselor, high school leadership director, and year-round program director. Anna is the author of Girl with Blog (her personal blog), where she has created an active community on Facebook and Twitter. In addition, Anna frequently contributes articles to other websites and blogs.

In her spare time, Anna loves baking, crafting, being outside, and spending time with her husband, Jared, their son, Samuel, and their golden retriever, Nysse.

John Roberto serves as the project coordinator for Vibrant Faith Ministries’ Faith Formation Learning Exchange. In addition, John is president of Lifelong Faith Associates, where he acts as editor of the Lifelong Faith Journal and coordinator for the Faith Formation 2020 initiative.

John’s most recent publications include: The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry; Faith Formation 2020; Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life; Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners; and four volumes of intergenerational learning programs in the People of Faith series.

John was the founder and director of the Center for Ministry Development, where he worked for 28 years. John continues to serve as a consultant to churches and national organizations; teach courses and conduct workshops in faith formation; and author books and program manuals in youth ministry, family ministry and intergenerational faith formation. John created the theory and practice of Generations of Faith—an intergenerational, lifelong approach to faith formation. He also administered the five-year Lilly Endowment-funded project to develop lifelong faith formation in Catholic parishes across the United States.

Julianne Simmons brings her customer service and project management experience to her part-time position as Shipping, Inventory and Development Coordinator.

In her free time, Julianne employs her passion for music and photography by leading bell choir at their church camp and recording her daughter’s musical concerts and plays through pictures! Julianne and her husband, Kent, enjoy traveling and taking walks with their dog, Rosie.

As women's ministry presenter, Sara Larson Woodruff brings a distinct passion for working with women in a variety of settings. Sara is the owner and director of Finding Our Balance, an organization dedicated to providing empowering experiences for women. She also has more than 15 years experience in adventure-based travel, primarily backpacking and canoeing throughout the Unites States and Mexico. Sara is available for individualized trips and retreats and can help create an authentic experience for a wide array of groups and organizations. Additionally, Sara provides coaching and consulting services for churches, camps and other organizations that are exploring options for adult-based and women's programming.

Currently, Sara is finishing two master’s degrees. The first is in Adventure Education, with a concentration in the Therapeutic Implications for Adult Women, from Prescott College in Arizona. The second is in Youth and Family Ministry through Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. In addition to her own business, Sara works as field staff for The Women's Wilderness Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and serves as a co-instructor with Paul Hill for Luther Seminary's course in adventure education and theological reflection.

Sara's mission is to create a safe and encouraging space for women to give themselves permission to explore their lives, to discover their strengths, to live into their bodies, and to connect with other women.