Meet our Staff

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Pastor Aaron West

Pastor Aaron West joined St. Matthew in April 2018.  He serves as the pastor at our Spokane site.  He and his wife Kelly have four children.  

Aaron grew up in Johnson City, Tennessee. He has a B.A. from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, an M.Div. from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI, and a M.A. in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin. He had part-time ministry experience in Georgia, Wisconsin, and parts of east Asia. From 2012 to 2018 was a faculty member of Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong where he taught Hebrew and Old Testament.

"Pastor" means "shepherd", and Pastor West is responsible for shepherding God's flock st St. Matthew by preaching, teaching, visiting, and counseling, plus he helps plan and oversee the church's ministry together with the council and the board of elders (see below). Please contact him if you'd like to learn more about our church, to discuss something related to your faith, or to request a visit for someone who is sick or in otherwise in need of spiritual care. 

​Pastor Kevin Schultz

Pastor Schultz joined St Matthew in June of 2014 with his wife, Miriam, and their two grown children: Caleb & Tabitha.  He currently lives and serves as the lead pastor at our church site in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, called “The Vine.”

Pastor Schultz grew up in Wisconsin and went to high school at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  While there, he began his pastoral studies.  After graduating he attended Northwestern College in Watertown, WI, where he studied Greek & Hebrew along with theology and Biblical history and received a bachelor’s degree in Biblical languages.  From there he went on to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI, and received a Master of Divinity degree in theology.  While studying at the seminary, he served an internship for one year at St John’s Lutheran Church in Burlington, WI. 

Upon graduating from the Seminary, he married his wife Miriam Westendorf and served as pastor of Abiding Word Lutheran Church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for 20 years, and also president of WELS-Canada.  In 2007 he moved to San Diego, California, and served Reformation Lutheran Church for 6 years, before moving to Spokane and then to Coeur d’Alene in 2016 to serve as pastor at The Vine.

Pastor Schultz loves the Lord and is passionate about reaching people for Christ and seeing their lives changed for the better.  He is available to you at his office in Coeur d’Alene and would love to meet you.  You can call him, e-mail him, or text him if he can be of any service to you or if you would like to discuss a personal or religious concern.

Our Church Council, 2020:

2020 Church Council, from the top left: Albert Tripp, Evangelism, Gordon Thompson, Christian Growth, Jake Laete, Trustees, Ron Klawitter, Treasurer, Jacob Biebert, Principal, Les Panther, Financial Secretary, Steve Schultz, Head Elder, Tony Diaz, Board of Education, Mike Thorpe, Secretary, Dave Sauer, El Presidente