First Lutheran Church 349 North 7th Street Tooele UT 84074
435-882-1172 Bror0122@hotmail.com http://www.FirstLutheranTooele.com
Mission Statement:
Sharing the Gospel
Synod Type: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Current Membership Numbers: 85 Confirmed, 110 Baptized
Date of official Charter: January 15, 1953
Names of Charter Members: Information not available
Pastors Served: Information not available
History:
First Lutheran Church has been a part of the Tooele community since the 1950s when Tooele’s economy relied on mining, smelting, and the Army Depot. The community was smaller then. Today the economy of Tooele is changing, the mines and the smelter are gone, the Army Depot has been reduced. But Tooele is growing, new industries are coming in, and more and more people are commuting into Salt Lake City to work. First Lutheran is happy to be growing along with Tooele.
The Old Smelter that used to operate just outside of town donated the property First Lutheran sits on back in the 50s. At the same time, they donated much of the surrounding land to the city as a park. Thus started a long and friendly relationship between First Lutheran and the City of Tooele. Recently, First Lutheran and the City of Tooele have partnered to offer more parking to both park goers and those who would like to attend church on Sunday. This has quadrupled the much needed parking our growing congregation needed.
Our congregation has indeed been growing in number, but more important to us is our growth in the faith with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is for this reason that we meet on Sunday morning to hear the word of God and have our sins forgiven as we partake in the Lord’s Supper. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper provides the focus of our worship. As this is the case we worship using the historical liturgy. The form of worship handed down to us through the centuries that has its roots in the synagogue worship Jesus grew up with in Nazareth. We love this form of worship as it pulls families together across generations. It provides an order and routine that children, parents, and grandparents can enjoy together. The music is reverent and focuses on Christ our Savior. As It is filled with the word of God the Holy Spirit uses it to instruct all generations in the faith. Often you see members singing the songs of the faith from heart without looking at the bulletins or hymnals. These songs lifted from Scripture stay with them for life. They give them something to hold onto in the rough times. The interactive participation between the pastor and the congregation, responding back and forth with God’s word, can be a little strange for some at first, but as you get used to the routine it creates a comfortable peace that surpasses all understanding and keeps your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. It also provides a medium of worship that all God’s children can grow to love, whoever they are. It is simple enough that those suffering from Down’s syndrome, autism, and other disabilities can enjoy it. The blind and hard of hearing can join in the familiar routines. Yet it has a sublime complexity that could occupy the sharpest of minds for centuries. It is a treasure from the churches heritage across cultures and generations that welcomes all to participate in its beauty, and so we also welcome all from every walk of life to join with us. 
About Pastor Erickson
Pastor Bror Erickson received his call to First Lutheran Tooele Utah from Concordia Theological Seminary Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 2004, and has been enjoying parish life in Tooele ever since.
He is married to Laura, who provides him with loving support. He also has a son, John, living in California, who brings much pride and joy into his life.
Pastor Erickson, whose first name, Bror, means brother in Swedish, a family name with a long history, grew up in a pastor’s home. As such, he moved quite a bit growing up, and has learned to enjoy travel. His dad served calls in: Tally, North Dakota; Ft. McMurray, Alberta; Jwaneng, Botswana; Staples, Minnesota; Lancaster, California; and Phoenix, Arizona.
Upon leaving home shortly before his 18th birthday, Pastor Erickson worked on a ranch in Winifred Montana, before enlisting in the Air Force. The Air Force trained him as an electrician and stationed him after Tech school in Shepherd Air Force Base Texas, in Aviano, Italy, and Washington, D.C. During his enlistment Pastor Erickson earned an Associate’s Degree in Electrical Mechanical Technologies. This he followed up with a Bachelors Degree in Religious Studies with a Biblical Languages (Greek and Hebrew) Emphasis from Concordia University Irvine, California. From there he went to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to pursue a Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary.
Aside from spending his spare time with Laura, he enjoys translating theological pieces from Swedish and German, and is co-translator of “To Live With Christ” by Bo Giertz. He also enjoys sharing his sermons and thoughts from his daily readings of the Greek New Testament, and other books on his blog, Utah Lutheran.
Other hobbies include camping and hiking with his son John, and hunting upland game birds. He also likes to make wine, especially from native ingredients such as Choke Cherries and Elder Berries, and brew beer (to keep with his Lutheran heritage). None of this does he enjoy more than teaching the Christian faith to whoever cares to listen.
From Pastor Erickson’s Blog
Friday, June 19, 2009
Women and the Pastoral Office. 
1 Tim. 2:11-15 (ESV)
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. [12] I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. [13] For Adam was formed first, then Eve; [14] and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. [15] Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
The often ignore infallible scripture. Women are not to teach, at least not in a public way, or one where they would be exercising authority over a man. This prohibits them from being pastors. It is a pastors job to teach. Quite possibly the most important criteria listed for pastors in the pastoral epistle is the ability to teach. Women are not to teach, therefore they cannot be pastors. I find it shocking how many different “evangelical” churches touting biblical inerrancy when it comes to things like creation feel completely free to ignore this all together. Of course it is nothing new, the reformed tradition which spawned the Arminian, and later the evangelical movement is famous for ignoring what scripture actually says, while at the same time touting its inerrancy and infallibility.
Then you always hear the argument that they preach so well. By what criteria? I don’t care if they can keep my attention. I don’t care if they can mouth the gospel. They undermine the Gospel by their very presence in the pulpit. Effectively they say God’s word is not God’s word, or we are free to pick and choose what we want to believe or not to believe. It is also telling that the acquiescence to feminist movements in the church has coincided with the exodus of men from the pews.
When Paul talks about man being created first then the woman, he is hinting at more than an arbitrary argument for the supremacy of man over women. He is really getting at the root of the way men and women are wired. You see it in the curse of Adam and Eve. That the woman’s desire will be for her husband, and he shall rule over her. Men chafe at being led by women (something the U.S military ought to consider a little more.) Women are much more willing to follow a man, than a man is to follow a woman. Oh, men will put up with it. Men will in some circumstances go along with it. But it isn’t something that men naturally do. It seems also that men are much less willing to go along with this in spiritual matters. (Temple prostitution being the exception. Men are quite willing to exploit women in the name of religion, which goes to show how sinful we are.)
The fact that Paul says they are to learn quietly and submissively though hints at the form of the sermon in the early days. Very rarely was it anything like what we have today. It was more of a question and answer format. Sometimes I wonder if we wouldn’t do well to bring that back. The sermon was conducted in almost the same way that Bible Studies are done today, but without hand outs. They were then all extemporaneous to some extent. Possibly, it was that the sermon opened with a monologue, but then there were questions which would follow. Women were to remain quiet, and not take over the class with questions, trying to usurp the teachers place. Men were allowed to ask and comment. Well if we did do that, church would maybe be a bit more exciting.
The fact that women are saved through childbearing is not a statement that women are to be barefoot and pregnant and earn their salvation. Paul is hinting back at the curse of the serpent, which consequently becomes the first utterance of the Gospel. The woman is saved through the bearing of children, because it was her seed that bruised the head of the serpent. Mary had to give birth to God in order that God could take on human flesh and save all of mankind.
Posted by Bror Erickson at 7:00 AM
Utah Lutheran History 