Our Team

Kai has been the Senior Pastor of Incarnation Lutheran in Shoreview, Minnesota, since 2019. Previously, he served as lead pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio, after joining the staff in 1993. Beyond his pastoral work, Kai is on the Renovaré Ministry Team and teaches at the Renovaré Institute for Spiritual Formation. In 2009, Kai completed his Doctor of Ministry degree through Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Kai’s book Renew Your Life: Discovering the Wellspring of God’s Energy was published in the fall of 2015. Kai and his wife Patty are parents of four adult children — Anders, Annika, Leif, and Siri.

Joy has been a part of the pastoral team at Incarnation Lutheran in Shoreview, Minnesota, since 2024. Previously, she served as lead pastor at Christ on Capitol Hill, Saint Paul, for 10 years. Prior to that, she served as an interim pastor at two congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod, director of admissions at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), campus pastor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and associate pastor at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Beyond her pastoral work, Joy has been a teacher in Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and her writings have been published in several resources including Gather magazine and Bold Cafe. In 2012, Joy completed her Ecumenical Doctor of Ministry in Practical Theology-Spirituality degree through the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois. Joy and her husband Ben are parents of three children — Dinkenesh, Abenet and Serena. She enjoys sharing time with them, music, gardening, weaving & other creative projects… and fika.

Lydia has served as the Director of Children and Family Ministry at Incarnation since 2024. Prior to this role, she held various positions in congregational and camping ministries across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and Minnesota. In 2016, Lydia earned a Master of Arts in Congregational and Community Care from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Outside of work, Lydia enjoys spending time with her family at the lake, around the campfire, birdwatching, and caring for their chickens.

Nate has served Incarnation Lutheran in Shoreview, Minnesota, since 2013 (first as PT youth worship leader, then in his current role). For the previous 20 years, he served elsewhere as a worship, music & band director. In 2023, Nate completed his Master’s Degree in Christian Ministry from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Beyond his work as a Christian public leader, Nate loves to snowboard, play, watch & ref soccer, hike and bike, travel, and stream shows. Nate and his parenting partner are proud parents of 2 teenagers — Vivian and Carl.

Heather began as the Director of Operations at Incarnation in May 2025. She had previously served as Faith Formation Coordinator and Middle School Formation Leader at Incarnation for two years prior to taking on this new position. In 2001, Heather graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Minnesota Law School, after receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international relations from Concordia College-Moorhead in 1998. For over twelve years, Heather practiced law, becoming a partner at a large law firm in Minneapolis, focusing on complex litigation cases, including employment, healthcare, products liability, and business litigation. Outside of work, she and her husband Kyle are the parents of two daughters, Elise and Elena. Together, they enjoy traveling and cheering on any Minnesota sports team — especially the Minnesota Gophers and Vikings!

Marina is originally from Hamburg, Germany, and moved to Minnesota after earning a master’s degree in American literature and language. She has worked in journalism, marketing communications, and PR before coming to Incarnation. Marina is married, and she and her husband have two adult daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, baking bread, reading and going for walks. Having grown up near the ocean in northern Germany, Marina loves spending time along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

When you call the church, Julie is the friendly voice you hear on the phone and the joyful greeter when you visit church during the week. For 25 years she has been in the office doing everything from coordinating countless volunteers for worship to managing the print room to connecting you with other staff members to welcoming the community for meetings and activities. She is also the gentle presence who guides families through the funeral planning process. Julie loves the people of Incarnation, spending time with family and friends, good slow-cooker recipes, caffeine-free Diet Coke, and Hallmark Christmas movies.

Christine accepted the Accountant position at Incarnation in October 2025. She has also held the Finance position at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Circle Pines since 2019, and has managed the finances of her husband’s electrical contracting business for over 20 years. She received her Bachelor of Accounting from the University of Minnesota – Duluth, and served in various accounting and financial reporting roles at Allianz Life from 1995 to 2008. Christine also volunteered as Treasurer for several local community non-profit organizations. She and her husband, Doug, have two young adult sons and a teenage daughter. As a family, they enjoy camping and hiking trips in the mountains and lake activities at the cabin in Detroit Lakes, MN. Christine also loves live music, especially at outdoor venues.

Emily Turner is the Media Arts Director at Incarnation Lutheran Church and has held this position since 2020.

Since 2008 Rick has been maintaining the beautiful building and grounds of Incarnation. Always committed to keeping the church running smoothly, he manages the custodial staff, oversees building projects, and can sometimes be found sharing his fix-it knowledge with our Preschool classes. Raised in the suburb of Robbinsdale (in the same Lutheran congregation as Denise Floe) and currently residing in Circle Pines, he and his wife enjoy spending time with their two grown children and four grandchildren. In the summer you may spot Rick cruising around in his super cool ‘59 white/aqua Oldsmobile, and in the winter he keeps busy with pool and billiard leagues and slot car racing. Twice a year he runs a toy show, preferably featuring cars!

I’m a part of the Facilities team here at Incarnation. I started here back in 2007. I’m the guy behind the scenes fixing most anything that’s broken or maybe setting up an event for anywhere from 3-300 people, or maybe cleaning a room. In the summer, you might see me outside mowing grass, in the winter removing snow. I take pride in my work and treat the church as if it were mine. We have been members here for 30 years. I have a good working relationship with Rick, and we can handle almost any project that comes along. In my spare time, we try to get to our lake home that we built with help from friends and family, which is near Brainerd. Me and my wife Kathy live in our home in Lino Lakes, where we have lived since 1991. We have two daughters, one lives at home and the other is out on her own. I am grateful to be part of the great team here at Incarnation!