Pastors & Staff

Pastor Lose became the ninth senior pastor of Mount Olivet in July, 2017. Previously, he served as president of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, taught on the faculty of Luther Seminary, and served several congregations in New Jersey. He is the author of the “Making Sense” series of books and resources from Augsburg Fortress. Pastor Lose is grateful for his wife, Karin, and children, Jack and Katie. He looks forward to building on Mount Olivet’s distinguished history and present strengths so that it can be a leading light in the greater church, community, and world as we share the good news of Christ in creative and compelling ways.

Pastor Kalland has served as an associate pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church since 1992. Pastor Kalland is the Pastoral Adviser to the Congregational Care Team and is happy to be known as the “Monsignor” of the Mount Olivet Motorheads group. He has been happily married to his wife, Dawn, for over 30 years, (they met at Cathedral of the Pines), and is blessed with two exceptional daughters, two son-in-laws, and a wonderful granddaughter. Pastor Kalland remains active in the recovery community. In his free time, he enjoys cleaning automobiles, humor, shooting sports, playing outside, and his work as a volunteer Chaplain for the Edina Police Department.

The daughter of an Irish Catholic father and a Swedish Lutheran mother, Pastor Hammersten was raised at Mount Olivet and has served in many roles here throughout the years, being called as a pastor in June of 2008. A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and Luther Seminary, Pastor Hammersten has worked as a Spanish Interpreter and a restaurant manager and owner. She currently works with the Mount Olivet Church Women (MOCW), Hi-er League (College Aged Ministry) and the Mount Olivet Thursday Friends and Mount Olivet Friends groups (Special Needs Ministry). She and her husband Tom have three sons:  Jack, Ben and Eli. When not at church, you’re likely to find her anywhere outdoors in God’s creation.

Pastor Dixon came to Mount Olivet in August of 2018 from New Jersey, where he earned his PhD in history from Princeton Theological Seminary and his wife Mollie worked as an RN in labor and delivery. Since their marriage in 2009, the Dixons have lived in Minnesota, Alaska, New Jersey, and Germany. Also part of the Dixon family: three (very) energetic sons–James, August, and Casper. Pastor Dixon serves as the Pastoral Adviser for Youth, for the West Campus with Pastor Freeman, for Hi-er League with Pastor Hammersten, and for Young Adults with Pastor Cieslik. When not pastoring, he enjoys watching movies, cooking, and reading. He and his wife also like taking their boys to wide open fields to watch them run.

Pastor Freeman joined Mount Olivet in September 2019. Pastor Freeman brings 12 years of pastoral experience to Mount Olivet. She is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and Luther Seminary. Pastor Freeman is the Pastoral Advisor to the West Campus with Pastor Dixon, and shares responsibilities for our disability ministries programs with Pastor Hammersten. She eagerly shares that she loves God and loves people. As a Pastor, she enjoys connecting with people of all generations, walking with people on their journey of life, and helping them understand how deeply they are loved. She is married to Sedge and is a mother to two beloved children: a son, Stellan, and a daughter, Liv. Pastor Freeman was a three-sport college athlete at Gustavus and continues to love sports. She reports that her favorite things to do include spending time with family and enjoying a good cup of coffee.

Pastor Cieslik brings 12 years of pastoral experience to Mount Olivet, having served at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Twin Cities since 2010 in the roles of Associate Pastor (2010-2015), Executive Pastor (2015-2017), and Co-Lead Pastor (2017-2022). He is a graduate of St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary. Pastor Cieslik will oversee our digital outreach initiatives, will take primary responsibility for our Young Adult ministry, and will focus on expanding our community engagement. Pastor Cieslik began working at Mount Olivet in April 2022.

Pastor Cieslik is a strong preacher, a creative thinker, and brings deep and varied leadership experience to Mount Olivet. He is particularly passionate about engaging people of all ages with the Gospel by both traditional and new means. He is married to Beth (Bevis) Cieslik, a life-long member of Mount Olivet and former Cathedral of the Pines staff member. They are parents to two beloved children: daughter Greta, and son Bjorn. Pastor Cieslik knows Mount Olivet well, having served as a Confirmation Mentor and as a participant in the Young Marrieds group along with Beth.

Pastor Jeni Grangaard has served as a pastor in the ELCA since 2010. A graduate of Augsburg College (2002) and Luther Seminary (2009), she was awarded Luther Seminary’s Graduate Preaching Fellowship and spent the year of travel and study that award afforded in East Africa, Jerusalem, Israel, and Palestine. She served Glyndon Lutheran Church in Glyndon, MN, for five years before returning to Jerusalem to serve as the Country Coordinator for the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program from 2015-2019. Most recently, Pastor Grangaard has served as Seminary Pastor at Luther Seminary. She is married to Colin, also a Lutheran pastor, and has two elementary-aged children.

Pastor Jenna Olson Popp graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016 and Luther Seminary in 2023. A recipient of Luther Seminary’s Graduate Preaching Fellowship, she spent her time of study and travel exploring ministry in non-traditional worship settings across the United States. Prior to Seminary, Candidate Olson Popp served as Director of Development of the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a focus on facilitating a $6M Capital Campaign (2016-2019) and served as Director of Community Missions at Southwood Lutheran Church, Lincoln, NE, from 2020-2021. She is married to Cameron.