Colorado-raised, daughter of a pastor and a teacher, Susan Tjornehoj (pronounced churn-a-hoy) graduated from Luther College, began seminary at PLTS in Berkley and completed her M.Div. at Luther Seminary in St Paul. Pastor Tjornehoj was married and ordained on the same day, then was on her way to Alaska’s Bush to serve among God’s people in two Inupiaq villages just north of Nome on the Bering Sea Coast. She and her pastor-spouse continued their work together on the Northern Border of Minnesota until she was called to serve on bishops’ staffs in St. Paul, Minneapolis and the Northwestern Minnesota synods. Sue served a multi-lingual and multi-cultural congregation, Christ on Capitol Hill in the shadow of Minnesota’s capitol before continuing her congregational work at Christ Lutheran, a mid-Atlantic cathedral congregation in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore.
She brings with her a passion for the Gospel, a love of God’s people and a range of gifts/skills which come from serving in leadership in a variety of contexts and congregational settings, from large metropolitan and suburban congregations to multiple-point parishes, from transition/interim work to the joy of working with congregations in the Call Process and stewarding the development of mission starts. Serving with staffs and councils and the privilege of walking with families at times of birth, kids in confirmation or the depths of despair and grief, well, it is simply the rhythm of being a pastor for the past four decades.
She is married to Pr. David Wangaard who works with congregations through Global Refuge, formerly known as LIRS, has a newly married daughter Ingrid who is a 3rd grade teacher on the eastside of St Paul. She lives in Como Park. Bicycling, hiking, travel, writing, reading, doing research, meeting people and imagining the future are interests and passions. She can’t wait to begin the journey of mission and ministry with the Staff, Council and congregation of St Andrew!