Pastors

Ben Wiechmann was born in Mankato, MN to David and Ann Wiechmann and was baptized shortly after at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church.  The second of five children, Ben was blessed to grow up in a home that emphasized grace and forgiveness through Jesus.  He attended grade school at Trinity Lutheran in Boone, Iowa and Bloomington Lutheran in Bloomington, Minnesota.  His high school years were spent at West Lutheran in Plymouth, MN from which he graduated in 2005.  After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Bethany Lutheran College in 2009, he went on to attend Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary.  

During his seminary training, Ben married Emily Zehrer on August 6th, of 2010.  They began dating at West Lutheran, being paired together as dancing partners in West’s choral group, Western Accents. Ben was assigned to serve his vicarage at King of Grace Lutheran Church and School in Golden Valley, MN in 2012.  King of Grace was Emily’s home church where she was baptized and confirmed, and the church where the couple was married.  During Ben’s vicarage, the couple welcomed their first child, Eli Benjamin in March of 2013.  Later that year, Ben was assigned to serve King of Grace full time as their pastor and was ordained on June 23rd.

Over the next nine years Ben was blessed with a joyful ministry that emphasized serving the grade school and youth of King of Grace.  Ben and Emily have been blessed with three more children. Molly May was born in May of 2015, Camden Michael was born in February of 2018, and Olivia Lucile was born in August of 2020.  In the summer of 2022, Ben accepted a call to serve as pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in North Mankato, Minnesota.

Ben’s hobby is his family, but when there is extra time he also enjoys woodworking, disc golf, the outdoors, and learning more about pretty much anything obscure or off-the-wall. He loves being a husband, father, and pastor and is eager to begin his work among God’s precious people at Peace Lutheran Church.