Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Herreid.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am probably the least likely candidate for pastor you might meet. I didn’t grow up in the church, and I experienced a difficult, volatile home life growing up. Never did I think my life would end up where I am today, but this is the transformative power of the love of Jesus Christ.
I had a career in human resources that I loved, a young daughter, and a happy marriage. Then, we had another daughter, Anna, who was born premature and lived only two days. This devastation caused a huge struggle with God, after which he invited me deeper into his presence and call for my life; we tried again and were blessed with another daughter, perfectly healthy and nine pounds! Losing a child changed me, and I took one look at that baby and knew I couldn’t leave her. I left my career to stay home. I started volunteering more at church, participated in leadership positions, then accepted a part time job there. God still wasn’t done with me; he kept pursuing me to do more.
I was shocked when I first felt God’s call to be a pastor, but the more I discussed this with pastor friends and folks considering the same journey, the more I was encouraged to answer the call. I completed seminary while working at my home church, and after being in ministry there for about ten years I was ready to be on my own in a single pastor environment. Christ the Servant was looking for a pastor, just across town. I looked up their website and was impressed by their active involvement in their community. I quickly fell in love with this group of devoted servants. They were already heavily into the process of hiring a new pastor, but the folks they talked to did not work out for one reason or another. This opened the opportunity for me to interview, and the rest, they say, is history.
We both felt an immediate familiarity and comfort with one another. I think I knew in the first 30 minutes this was the place for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My father left our family when I was ten. I left at 17 when I could no longer tolerate the disruptive environment created by mental health issues, drugs and alcohol. I grew up in a work atmosphere where you earn your way and work friends were family. This was the way I understood acceptance – work hard and do a great job, then employers and teammates will like you.
I was first introduced to Jesus by an old high school acquaintance. After being baptized at 19, the trajectory of my life changed dramatically, but I had difficulty understanding the unconditional love and acceptance of God the Father without a real-life example. I had no grandparents, uncles, or other trusted male role models.
Our Lutheran tradition has proud roots dating back to the Protestant Reformation of 1517. Early on I was terribly intimidated by “cradle Lutherans” who know much more about our tradition than me; I often wondered, do I really have a place here? But God reminds me of his grace, the hallmark of our faith. We can’t earn it, we don’t deserve it, it is a free gift from the God who loves us so much, and he called me. My relationship with God continues to evolve as I learn to believe in his promises and unconditional love. It is a lifetime of undoing what I learned in my formative years, but God is patient and kind. He continues to show me the way every day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I pastor a church in Allen, a northeast suburb of Dallas. We are a small church with a big heart for our community where we are known for our outreach programs. We partner with and support several local non-profits to provide food, resources, and services to the most vulnerable people who need it.
I cannot take credit for all the great work we do in our town, this love for community and taking God’s directive to love and feed the world was ingrained in our DNA long before my arrival. But after spending time without a home as a teenager, I have a soft spot for those who struggle in similar ways.
I am most proud of our congregation for how hard they work to keep our church up and running, how generously they care for our community and how welcoming they receive guests in our midst. I have many pastor friends challenged by the difficulties of the shrinking population of mainline protestants, and I am reminded daily of how grateful to God I am to be planted in this vibrant, healthy community at Christ the Servant.
As my relationship with God continues to evolve, this is reflected in what makes our church different from others. What sets us apart is that we passionately believe in and strive to exhibit the unequivocal love and acceptance of Jesus – no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve done. None of these things define us – God does. He says in his own words we are his beloved children, beautiful just the way we are.
What are your plans for the future?
Having just arrived at Christ the Servant two short years ago, I feel like I’ve just caught my breath! In addition to supporting the community, we have been busy with projects, capital improvements and internal adjustments. That said, we are always looking toward the future. First of all, ensuring we continue to meet the needs of our growing and changing community. Allen looks very different than it did 40 years ago when Christ the Servant was born, so we understand we must adjust to continue to make an impact locally.
Secondly, we will continue our focus on community as a warm, welcoming place for families with young kids whose parents may not have any church experience. Preaching the love and grace of Jesus where everyone is welcome, we are a great first church experience for folks from different backgrounds, and a great compromise for folks from different denominations.
And lastly, we’d like to make an impact with young adults. Statistics tell us many young adults have no interest in church these days, and we’d like to address this. Knowing the transformative love of Jesus, we want to spread his word as far and wide as we can. But many young adults will never set foot inside a church again or ever. We must figure out how to bring church to them, meeting them where they are and not expecting them to conform to the traditional ways we’ve always done church. This is a work in process. With God as our pilot, I am confident we will find the right path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christtheservant.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christtheservantallentx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristTheServantLutheranChurch
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@christtheservantlutheranch1054
Image Credits
Gary Johnson
Jessa Maria
