Our Beliefs |  Our Mission  |  Our Communion Practice |  Church Staff

Our Beliefs

Mount Olive Lutheran holds to:
The Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments as the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice.

All the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God, to wit: the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Large Catechism of Luther, the Small Catechism of Luther, and the Formula of Concord.

 Our Mission

Mount Olive Lutheran Church, a congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, exists to provide opportunities for worshiping the Triune God, for growing in the Christian faith, for helping one another, for bringing others to know Christ, and for serving others in our vocations. (adopted May 2000)

Our Comminion Practice

Mount Olive communes, administers the Sacrament of the Altar, to the communicant members of Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Members of our sister congregations may also participate with us. It is best to notify the pastor before communing.

If a person is visiting and is not a communicant member, we request that you do not commune. If you are interested in communicant membership at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, please arrange a time to visit with the pastor.

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Church Staff

Name: Mark P. Grunst

Title: Pastor

Biography: Pastor Mark Paul Grunst was born May 9, 1955 in Fairmont, MN to Bud and Irma Grunst. On May 24, 1975 he married Sally Ziehm at Peace Lutheran Church in Arvada, CO. Together they have six children: Katy, Amber, Sarah, Noel, Chelsea, and Mitchell.

Pastor Grunst attended Concordia College in Saint Paul, MN from 1973-1977. He graduated from there with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementry Education. He then attended and received his Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1977-1981.

Pastor Grunst began his ministry as the Assistant/Associate Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Broomfield, CO from 1981-1989. From 1989-1991 he served the Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of El Reno, OK. Pastor Grunst settled in at Mount Olive Lutheran Church here in Billings, MT in December of 1991 and has been the Pastor and Vicarage Supervisor ever since. In addition to his roles at Mount Olive, Pastor Grunst has been a member of the Concordia Theological Seminary Board of Regents in Fort Wayne, IN since 1995. Since 2001 he has served as the Chairman of the Board of Regents.

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Church Staff

Name: Michael Holmen

Title: Vicar

Biography:

Mike Holmen was born August 23, 1980 in Albert Lea, MN.  His parents are Gary and Judy Homen.  Mike was baptized Augs 31, 1980 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.  He was confirmed May 21 1995 at the same church.

Mike graduated high school in 1999 and went to Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN.  There he began to learn more about the world, Lutheran theology, and many of the friends he still has today.  One of those friends whom he met at Bethany was a former vicar here at Mount Olive - David Preus.

Mike graduated from Bethany in 2003 with a bachelor degree in liberal arts and a minor in history.  When he graduatd, Mike did not know what to do next.  He thought about going to graduate school, but was unsure about exactly where to go or what to study.  Instead, Mike decided to go to South Korea to teach English for a year.

While he was in Korea, Mike taught English classes to students varying in age from kindergarten to High School.  The experience was very rewarding in many respects, but particularly concerning his future. In Korea Mike decided that he would like to study to become a pastor by reading many Lutheran books and discovering that there is an urgent need for pastors who confess clearly that we need Christ alone for our salvation.

After his year in Korea, Mike returned to Minnesota to study Greek and Hebrew in preparation for entering the seminary.  In 2006, Mike was accepted and enrolled at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. He has enjoyed his yeas at the seminary, and looks forward to always learning more.

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 Church Staff

Name: LaRae Talafuse

Title: Secretary

Biography: Information not available yet

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Church Staff

Name: Donna Johns

Title: Business Manager

Biography: Information not available yet

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Church Staff 

Name: Darla Zier

Title: Preschool Director

Biography: Information not available yet

 
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