Pastor Jason Wolter with family members who attended his recent installation at Trinity Lutheran in Janesville.Front from left: Christa Felt; Zerubbabel (Zeb) Wolter, (youngest son); Jacob Wolter (oldest son). Middle row: James Wolter Sr.; Pastor Jason Wolter and his wife Tracy; daughter-in-law Abby. Top row: Ava Wolter (niece); Jacob Wolter (nephew); Derek Wolter (brother); Beth Wolter (sister-in-law). Not pictured is the Wolters' daughter, Isabella.
Janesville’s Trinity Lutheran welcomes Pastor Wolter
Sun, 01/26/2025 - 5:44pm
Trinity Lutheran Church of Janesville installed its newest pastor, Jason Wolter, in November.
Pastor Wolter was born Sept. 15, 1972: He grew up in Waconia, Minnesota, which is a suburb of the Twin Cities. “It used to be a farm town; now there are so many businesses up there I got lost in my own town, had to drive through a farmer’s field to find my way.” He has served in Benson, Minnesota, for the past seven years. He and his wife Tracy, 52, have three children. Their oldest, Jacob, 23, married to Abby. Daughter Isabella, 21, is a junior and a member of the softball team at Concordia University in Seward, Neb. Zerubbabel, or Zeb for short, is 13. Zerubbabel is a name from the bible, according to Wikipedia, “a governor of the Achaemenid Empire's province of Yehud.”
Lutheran churches have a practice of “calling” their ministers. In Wolter’s case, Trinity Lutheran provided its 1800 members with a list of options. Wolter was the group’s first choice. Wolter now resides in the parsonage next to the church. There are three services per week, one on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Also nearby, (New Richland) is Pastor Rudy Maurer, he is retired but once a month he will be taking over services to give Paster Wolter a chance to serve elsewhere. They will also take turns visiting nursing homes and people who are homebound. Said Pastor Wolter, “It’s been a long time since there has been a senior pastor. I always respect the rules on the books, but if ever possible, I would like to see confirmation changes. Just because something is ‘the way we’ve always done it’ doesn’t mean that’s the correct way. But always, always the congregation has to agree before changes are made. God has placed people because they are the best place for them to be. I don’t see myself as a boss, I don’t even like that word, I am a servant of the church and will work towards that.”
Wolter says he and Tracy are considering buying the parsonage next to the church, and will give church first rights to buy it back. “God willing,” he says, “we’re going to be here for the rest of our lives.”