Founder and President
Pastor Donald H. Fagerberg, D.Min.
In 1995, Dr. Fagerberg received the
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Cook County Board of Commissioners
as one of 24 outstanding religious leaders in Cook County, Illinois. In
addition to his successful ministry at Ascension through all four of the
classic church growth stages, Dr. Fagerberg had six and a half formative years
as an associate pastor at St. John’s Lutheran in Bloomington, Illinois,
mentored by one of the leading pastors in the ELCA, Bishop Emeritus Harold C.
Skillrud. Dr. Fagerberg's visionary, extroverted, friendly, hard working gifts,
coupled with a deep spiritual love for the Lord, the church, and for all people
make him an ideal beginning president in an organization that is not founder
dependent.
Professional Profile
Pastor Donald H. Fagerberg, D.Min., founder and president of
Ministry Mentors, is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and
received his M.Div and D.Min degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago.
He has a unique background that makes him well suited to guide the
program. Dr. Fagerberg has been a leader in college,
seminary, denominational, and interdenominational service, and in both
of the communities where he served as a parish pastor.
Dr. Fagerberg's creative,
entrepreneurial style has allowed him to have many "firsts" in his
career. A desire for excellence in pastoral ministry helped drive him to buck
the trend of congregations in decline in his North suburban Chicago community.
Under Dr. Fagerberg's 30-year leadership, the Lutheran Church of the Ascension,
Northfield, Illinois, experienced unusual growth: membership (300 to over 900),
physical facilities (7,000 to 21,000 square feet), staff (from 4 to 18). Giving
to causes beyond the local congregation rose from $6,000 in 1970 to over
$200,000 in 2000.
References from Institutional Representatives
Clergy References
Lay References