Staff
Pastor Michael Knox
The Reverend Michael Knox has been pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church since 1996. Before accepting the Call to Our Redeemer, he was the Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Campbell, Nebraska, from 1987 through 1996 and Zion Lutheran Church in Upland, Nebraska, from 1987 through 1994. While serving at Our Redeemer, he has also served Christ Lutheran in Waterloo (1998-2016) and Peace Lutheran in Shell Rock (2007-present).
Pastor Knox and his wife Tammy have been blessed by God with four children: Jennifer, Jason, Jessica, and Jamie, as well as one daughter-in-law, Michaela. They have two grandchildren. Both Tammy and Pastor were raised in Lutheran homes by parents who taught and modeled the Christian life centered on the weekly rhythm of gathering with fellow believers around the Word of God. His parents valued the benefit of a Lutheran education, so they enabled him to attend parochial school at St. Paul Lutheran School in Brookfield, Illinois, and Walther Lutheran High School in Melrose Park, Illinois. Pastor Knox graduated from Concordia College – River Forest, Illinois, before attending Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He was ordained into the Office of the Public Ministry on November 29, 1987.
Though born in California, Pastor Knox is a Midwesterner at heart. Grandparents on both sides of the family hailed from Minnesota. His parents, in-laws, and siblings all continue to reside in the heartland of America: Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.
As an avid sports enthusiast, Pastor Knox wears his allegiance to Chicago professional teams on his sleeve. His time in Nebraska left him indelibly marked as a Cornhusker fan, but he shares that allegiance with the Panthers, Fighting Illini, Cyclones, and Hawkeyes, in that order. During his time in Cedar Falls, he has coached several sports in the Cedar Falls public school system including basketball, track, cross country, softball, volleyball, and tennis. He is currently the Head Coach of the Cedar Falls Women’s Tennis Team.
Pastor Knox also serves the Church at Large. He is a member of the Iowa East District Board of Directors and is a Synodical Reconciler in the Dispute Resolution Process.
Pastor Brian Saunders
Brian S. Saunders has served as pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church since June 2016. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Languages from St. John’s College in Winfield, Kansas (1986); a Master of Divinity in Exegetical Studies from Concordia Theological Seminar in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; and a Ph. D. in Pastoral/Historical Theology from Trinity Theological Seminary in Newburg, Indiana, in association with Christ Church College in Canterbury, England (2012). He was elected President of the Iowa District East (Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod) in 2009 and continues to serve in that capacity. Prior to that election, Pastor Saunders served congregations in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Muscatine, Iowa.
Pastor Saunders was born in Sioux City on July 8, 1958, and is married to Karen. Pastor and Mrs. Saunders have four children and 11 grandchildren. Pastor Saunders enjoys golf, listening to “oldies” music, studying theology and sharing time with family.
SHERYL DEKUTOSKI & Roxanne List
Organists and Music Directors