A Free Lutheran Congregation on Hawthorn Path
Minnesota Valley Church sits at 16075 Hawthorn Path on the south side of Lakeville, Minnesota, where it has welcomed neighbors into the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations since 1981. The congregation gathers around a simple motto, "Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known," and lives it out as a place where members know one another by name, pray for one another by name, and treat Sunday morning as the center of the week. The tone is unhurried, the congregation is intergenerational, and the building is a familiar stop for families, retirees, and young adults who all share the same pews.
Sunday Mornings Built Around the Word
The Sunday rhythm at Minnesota Valley is layered to make room for every age. Sunday School for all ages begins at 9:00 AM, followed by a half hour of Prayer Time at 10:00 AM, and then the main Worship Service at 10:30 AM. Music draws from a heritage of hymns alongside contemporary praise songs, and the service is described by the church as a balance of worship in spirit and truth, centered on scripture, filled with praise, and dependent on prayer. After the service, the congregation lingers over coffee and snacks, and on special Sundays the whole church moves into a potluck meal. Children are not an afterthought: nursery is available for ages 0 to 2 during the service, and children's church is offered for ages 3 to 7.
Pastor Kevin Olson and the Wider Calling
Minnesota Valley is pastored by Pastor Kevin Olson, who accepted a part-time call to serve the church in June 2026. Olson's road to Lakeville ran through three engineering jobs, a Free Lutheran Youth Convention in Estes Park, Colorado in 1991, seminary graduation in 1996, and eleven years with the Ambassador Institute under AFLC World Missions, where he helped train pastors and leaders in their own countries. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in Servant Leadership Development from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul and also founded the International Orality Institute, an oral strategy that equips leaders in multiple countries to teach God's Word through Bible stories in their own languages. That same heart for the Word carries over into Minnesota Valley's preaching and teaching.
Bible Studies, Breakfasts, and GriefShare
The church takes seriously the idea that faith grows best in community, and the weekly calendar reflects it. A Thursday Bible Study meets at 1:00 PM, currently led by Dave Fischer through the life of Moses. GriefShare gathers on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 PM from late September through late January; it is a national grief recovery program that pairs video teaching from pastors with group discussion and a reflective workbook. Women's Bible Study meets at 9:00 AM on the second Saturday of each month over breakfast, and a Men's Prayer Breakfast gathers at 8:00 AM on the first Saturday of each month. The congregation also encourages small groups and seasonal events that bring the body together outside the sanctuary walls.
Congregational Leadership and Council
Minnesota Valley is self-governing under the authority of the Word and the Spirit of God, and the lay leadership carries that responsibility with care. David Fischer serves as congregational president, Brenda Fischer as treasurer, Kevin Kruse and Gary Kalstad as trustees, and David Fugleberg and Jacob O'Flanagan as deacons, with Fugleberg also serving as council secretary. Carol Gustafson rounds out the council. The team approach shows up in the four ministry teams the church invites new volunteers to join: Worship, Maintenance, Children's Ministry, and Women's Ministry.
Beliefs and the Free Lutheran Family
The church holds that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God and the supreme source for faith, doctrine, and life. Eternal life, in their words, comes from a living faith with Jesus rather than from membership, church attendance, or outward actions alone. Minnesota Valley treasures the creeds and confessions passed down through history and shares the responsibility of spreading the good news of Jesus to the whole world. The congregation belongs to the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations and partners with a network of ministries that extend its reach, including the Free Lutheran Bible College and the Association Free Lutheran Theological Seminary, both in Plymouth, Minnesota; Alpha Women's Center, which offers free ultrasounds and counseling; the International Orality Institute; AFLC Home Missions; and AFLC Youth Ministry. Locally, Minnesota Valley hosts events such as the Women's Mission Federation District Fall Rally, where Madison Trost of Free Lutheran Bible College and FLBC alumni bring the program.
Worship Online and Giving
For those unable to be in the sanctuary, the Sunday service is available on the church's YouTube channel. Giving can be made in person during worship as an act of devotion, online through PayPal, or by US mail to the church's Hawthorn Path address. The congregation keeps its life on a simple rhythm: Sunday School at 9:00, prayer at 10:00, worship at 10:30, and then coffee, conversation, and the long work of knowing and being known.