First Lutheran Church in Fairfield hires new pastor

FAIRFIELD — First Lutheran Church in Fairfield has a new pastor, who is making his debut as a full-time minister.

Nathaniel Adkins took over the role as the church’s pastor on Aug. 1, and this is his first full-time assignment after graduating from seminary school. Luckily, Adkins said he got good experience during his time as a vicar at a church in Loganville, Wisconsin, where he was essentially the church’s full-time pastor for several weeks near the end of his internship.

Adkins is married with two children, one in elementary school and another in middle school. To accommodate his assignments during seminary school, the family had to move four times in four years, so they are excited to put down roots in Fairfield for what they hope is a more permanent home.

Adkins lived in various towns throughout Iowa during his upbringing, such as Allison near Waterloo, Oakland near Omaha, and then Red Oak. His family moved to Knoxville when he was 12, and that’s where he graduated from high school, and also where he met his future wife.

The ministry was not Adkins’ first career. He spent 10 years teaching elementary school, mostly fourth grade, while living in Massena, about an hour east of Omaha.

“I had really good teachers over the years, and I liked working with kids,” Adkins said about his decision to go into education. “It seemed like a good fit.”

However, Adkins said the seed for his career in the ministry was planted at a young age, and it just took time to germinate. The family’s pastor in Knoxville told Adkins’ father that Adkins would make a great pastor someday, and his grandma told him that his demeanor was well suited to the role, too.

“I guess I gave off the right vibe,” Adkins said of those early encouragements. “People felt comfortable talking to me in a way that reminded them of talking to a pastor.”

Adkins remembers overhearing a conversation between a couple of friends who were talking about the ministry. One of them said the way to know whether the ministry is right for you is to “run in the other direction, and see if it follows you.” Adkins said he never forgot that, and as the years went by, he kept seeing signs that he was meant to enter the ministry.

One day, Adkins brought up the subject of changing careers to his wife. He wasn’t sure what her reaction would be, but she was fully on board with his decision.

“My wife likes to have a plan, and is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type person,” Adkins said. “I knew this would be a major change, but when I told her that I was thinking of becoming a pastor, she said, ‘Yeah, you’d be good at that. What do we need to do to make that happen?’”

Adkins attended the Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque. This past spring, he learned there was an opening for a pastor at the First Lutheran Church in Fairfield. He interviewed with church leaders in April, and met the congregation in May. In June, the congregation voted to make Adkins the new pastor.

Adkins said he feels right at home in Fairfield, and that it feels like a mixture of his childhood homes in Red Oak and Knoxville.

“The university in town brings a unique diversity that you don’t often see in a town of this size in Iowa, which is very cool,” he said. “I love that there are two different places in town where you can get falafel. It’s this interesting mix of big city amenities with a small town feel. Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly. It feels like a place that can be home.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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