As the St. John family eagerly awaits the installation of Rev. Troy Countryman as our senior pastor on December 11, here is some background about Pastor Troy, his wife Andrea, and their three children Piper, Oliver and Drew.

Pastor Troy was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lutheran parochial education was an important part of his childhood, as he was blessed to attend Holy Cross Lutheran School and Concordia Lutheran High School.  After graduating with a BS in Industrial Management from Purdue University in 2000, he worked four years at Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company in Indianapolis.

During his time at Eli Lilly, Pastor Troy met his wife, Andrea. Andrea is a native of Anderson, Indiana, and a graduate of Indiana University.  In addition to vocations as a wife and mother, Andrea is currently working toward a nursing degree.

Pastor Troy and Andrea were married at Carmel Lutheran Church in 2003.  Thanks to the encouragement of Andrea as well as his pastors, Pastor Troy began seminary education at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 2004.  Upon seminary graduation in 2008, he was called to St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Mattoon, Illinois, where he served as Associate Pastor and then Senior Pastor until accepting the call to serve at St. John Lutheran Church and School, Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Pastor Troy and Andrea have been blessed with three children:  Piper, Oliver, and Drew.  Piper is in 5^th grade and enjoys singing, drama, and reading Harry Potter books. Oliver is a 2^nd grader and enjoys playing Minecraft, jumping on trampolines, and staying in new hotels.  Drew is five years old, and she enjoys dancing and she “doesn’t know what else.” 

Some of their favorite family pastimes include hiking, living room dance parties, and travel.

The Countryman Family would like us to know that for them, "life in the Church is quite simple: it's about relationships. The primary relationship is with our Triune God, and every other relationship is centered in Christ Jesus. That being said, we will miss our church family from Mattoon, but we already are blessed to be joining a loving family at St. John, Indy. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store as we continue to live, love and serve in His kingdom."

Pastor Troy's favorite passage from Scripture is 2 Corinthians 1:20- "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Jesus]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory."

We are grateful for their willingness to join us in worship and life at St. John Lutheran!