Meet The Pastor
Pastor Dean Wheeler
I have been the Senior Pastor of The Lakes since 1997. Growing up stuck in Lodi California I had never even driven in snow until I received my first call as Pastor in Sturgeon Bay in 1986.
As a child, I worshiped at a traditional Lutheran church where I received solid theological teaching and much love. When I was thirteen years old, I attended a Billy Graham Crusade at the Oakland Coliseum where I gave my life to Christ and received Him as Lord and Savior. The spiritual life of my childhood home was overseen by my Mom (my Dad having died when I was five) who was a full-fledged Holy Spirit filled and empowered believer. I have a great appreciation for these three streams of Christianity- Lutheran, Evangelical and the Pentecostal movement. Pastoring a non-denominational church which desires to expand the Kingdom of God is where my heart is.
I attended and graduated from a college in Tacoma, Washington, receiving a degree in Elementary Education. I did my seminary work in Berkley, California, attending Pacific Lutheran Theological.
I am married to (Pastor) Lisa Stafford and we have two adult children: Claire, and Zachariah. One thing I love to do is brag on my wife who loves to serve Jesus.
Also, I enjoy reading suspense-mysteries and sci-fi. Lisa and I enjoy hiking, especially distance trekking. Six years ago we accomplished a 500 mile thru-hike across Northern Spain and have a 1,000 mile plus thru-hike planned back in Europe in 2022. In the winter I enjoy snowshoeing as it makes Wisconsin winter bearable since you can take the kid out of California but not California out of the kid!