Reverend Tim Hartwig was born and raised in Queensland, Australia, and grew up on a small farm outside the town of Gympie. His parents raised him with good Christian example, to which Pastor Hartwig attributes much of his desire to serve Christ’s church. After graduating from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) in 1993, he worked in underground gold mines in Western Australia. Though he enjoyed the hard physical labor and the financial rewards, an important part of him was left unfulfilled. In August 1997, he entered Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. The summer of 2000 saw big changes in his life. On June 3, he married Katie nee Quist. Four weeks later, they moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where he started serving Our Saviour Lutheran Church and School and Family of God Lutheran Church, Bullhead City, Arizona, as a Vicar. On June 24th, 2001 he was ordained and installed as the Pastor of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Lake Havasu City. What began as a 12-month Arizona adventure turned into 11 years of service.
In June 2011, Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church of North Mankato called Pastor Hartwig to be their Pastor. The Holy Spirit led him to accept the call and he was installed on August 14.
Pastor Hartwig and Katie have been blessed with seven children. He loves seeing them grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We asked Pastor Hartwig, “What do you like most about being a Pastor?” He responded:
“I love telling people about Jesus. It doesn’t matter if they have never heard it before or if they have been a Christian all their life. When people believe that in Jesus their sins are forgiven, peace is shared. The circumstances don’t matter, either. Whether at a baptism, a wedding, the hospital bed, or a funeral, people receive peace from Jesus. In every stage of life, we need to be assured that God loves us and has forgiven us in Jesus. It’s my job to point people to Him. It is the best job in the world!”
