Rev. Stephanie Newman
Pastor
Rev. Stephanie “Steph” Newman is the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, where her ministry is rooted in a deep love of Jesus and a belief that the church is at its best when it makes room—for questions, for difference, for healing, for justice, and for every person who has ever wondered whether they belong.
Pastor Steph earned her Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary, graduating at the top of her class in 2023, and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry at Christian Theological Seminary. Her doctoral work focuses on equipping congregations to create sacred, protective, and life-giving spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth.
She also serves in leadership throughout the Southeast Michigan Synod of the ELCA, including the BRRICK (Building Racial Reconciliation in Christ’s Kingdom) Team and the Synod’s diversity work. Her ministry is deeply connected to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racial and disability justice, advocacy, and the ongoing work of helping the church become more fully what Jesus calls it to be.
Pastor Steph’s ministry has taken her beyond the walls of Christ Lutheran. She has preached and spoken across the United States and internationally, including in Tokyo, Japan. A passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ people and especially queer youth, she speaks and teaches on inclusion, belonging, faith, and the church’s responsibility to create communities where all people are not simply welcomed, but fully seen, valued, protected, and celebrated.
An avid writer, Pastor Steph is also the author of numerous Spirit-led devotionals and reflections that invite people to discover God in both the sacred and the beautifully ordinary moments of life. Whether she is preaching, teaching, writing, leading worship, or sitting across the table from someone who needs to know they are loved, she seeks to make the good news of Jesus tangible and real.
She shares life with her wife, Kim, their two children, Harper and Ethan, and a house full of very loved dogs. She loves travel, learning, laughter, music, writing, fishing, hiking and pretty much anything involving nature.
Above all, Pastor Steph wants people to know that they are loved by God—not someday, not after they change, and not once they have everything figured out. Right now. As they are.
And that is her hope for you here at Christ Lutheran, too. Whether you are discovering faith for the first time, carrying more questions than answers, returning after years away, trying to find your way back to a faith you once knew, or carrying wounds from a church that did not love you as it should have, there is room for you here. You do not have to have the right words, the right beliefs, or your life neatly put together before you walk through the door.
We hope you will find a community where you can breathe, belong, encounter Jesus, and discover that perhaps you were never as far from God as you thought.
A place to breathe. A place to belong. A place where you can finally feel at home again.
Welcome home.
Pastor Steph earned her Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary, graduating at the top of her class in 2023, and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry at Christian Theological Seminary. Her doctoral work focuses on equipping congregations to create sacred, protective, and life-giving spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth.
She also serves in leadership throughout the Southeast Michigan Synod of the ELCA, including the BRRICK (Building Racial Reconciliation in Christ’s Kingdom) Team and the Synod’s diversity work. Her ministry is deeply connected to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racial and disability justice, advocacy, and the ongoing work of helping the church become more fully what Jesus calls it to be.
Pastor Steph’s ministry has taken her beyond the walls of Christ Lutheran. She has preached and spoken across the United States and internationally, including in Tokyo, Japan. A passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ people and especially queer youth, she speaks and teaches on inclusion, belonging, faith, and the church’s responsibility to create communities where all people are not simply welcomed, but fully seen, valued, protected, and celebrated.
An avid writer, Pastor Steph is also the author of numerous Spirit-led devotionals and reflections that invite people to discover God in both the sacred and the beautifully ordinary moments of life. Whether she is preaching, teaching, writing, leading worship, or sitting across the table from someone who needs to know they are loved, she seeks to make the good news of Jesus tangible and real.
She shares life with her wife, Kim, their two children, Harper and Ethan, and a house full of very loved dogs. She loves travel, learning, laughter, music, writing, fishing, hiking and pretty much anything involving nature.
Above all, Pastor Steph wants people to know that they are loved by God—not someday, not after they change, and not once they have everything figured out. Right now. As they are.
And that is her hope for you here at Christ Lutheran, too. Whether you are discovering faith for the first time, carrying more questions than answers, returning after years away, trying to find your way back to a faith you once knew, or carrying wounds from a church that did not love you as it should have, there is room for you here. You do not have to have the right words, the right beliefs, or your life neatly put together before you walk through the door.
We hope you will find a community where you can breathe, belong, encounter Jesus, and discover that perhaps you were never as far from God as you thought.
A place to breathe. A place to belong. A place where you can finally feel at home again.
Welcome home.
Edelyn Rose
Office Administrator
Edelyn Rose joined the staff of Christ Lutheran Church as Office Administrator in September 2025, after more than 40 years of as a professional photographer. She first became a member of the congregation in 2021 and soon began serving on the church’s technology team. She currently serves on the Church Council as well.
Edelyn’s faith journey deepened following her coming out as a transgender woman in 2020. For her, the journeys toward greater authenticity and a deeper relationship with God have been closely intertwined. As she has grown into the person God created her to be, she has also experienced a renewed sense of calling and purpose within the life of the church.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Luther Seminary. Through her ministry, creativity, administrative work, and presence in the congregation, she is grateful for the opportunity to serve Christ Lutheran and contribute to its mission of welcoming, worshiping, and growing together in faith.
Edelyn’s faith journey deepened following her coming out as a transgender woman in 2020. For her, the journeys toward greater authenticity and a deeper relationship with God have been closely intertwined. As she has grown into the person God created her to be, she has also experienced a renewed sense of calling and purpose within the life of the church.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Luther Seminary. Through her ministry, creativity, administrative work, and presence in the congregation, she is grateful for the opportunity to serve Christ Lutheran and contribute to its mission of welcoming, worshiping, and growing together in faith.
John Joanette
Music Ministry
Daryl Hurley
Treasurer
Karen Hillestad
Bookkeeper
