The Rev. Marty L. Tyler recently completed his first year of
ministry at Morgan Hill’s Christ Our King Lutheran Church, one of
South County’s newer congregations.
The Rev. Marty L. Tyler recently completed his first year of ministry at Morgan Hill’s Christ Our King Lutheran Church, one of South County’s newer congregations.
Pastor Tyler was born and raised in Vancouver, Wa. His family attended Lutheran churches while he was growing up, and he graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School in Portland, Ore., with his future wife, Debora. He attended Washington State University in Pullman for his freshman year, then received an associate in liberal arts degree from Concordia College in Portland. He began working in the lumber industry but soon began to feel a call to serve Christ, perhaps through ministry or teaching in a Christian school.
As time went on and his family increased in size, Tyler left his job to work at an auto dealership, hoping the more flexible hours would allow him to complete his education and explore his sense of vocation. Although he progressed to general manager with his firm, the call to ministry became too strong to ignore.
Finally, in 1999, Tyler applied to Concordia Seminary, a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod theological institution in St. Louis and was accepted into a special program for mature, second-career students which allowed him to bypass the usual requirement of a bachelor’s degree. He calls his journey to the ministry a “Jonah story,” referring to the Old Testament prophet who unsuccessfully attempted to avoid doing God’s will until finally forced to recognize his mission.
During the course of his five years of seminary Tyler was assigned to work with three different local congregations, each offering various opportunities to experience hands-on pastoral duties (like preaching, counseling, conducting funerals, leading Bible studies), which prepared him for parish ministry.
Pastor Tyler arrived in 2004 during the Taste of Morgan Hill and was installed that October as the first full-time pastor of a young church affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a denomination of some 2.5 million members that is noted for its strong commitment to the Bible and faithful adherence to the traditional doctrines of Christianity and the Lutheran understanding of “salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as revealed by God in scripture alone.”
Christ Our King meets in the Morgan Hill Grange Hall, 40 East Fourth St., on Sundays. Divine Worship is at 9am, and Sunday School for children and adults is at 10:15am. Pastor Tyler says worship “is not about entertainment.” Services are liturgical (following a set order) with traditional hymns; the congregation is “seeking to learn more about the mystery of God and the way of true salvation,” and welcomes others to join them in this process on the journey.
Locals are also invited to attend the biweekly Friendship Friday Nights, held the first and third Fridays of each month. These relaxed evenings feature free activities such as movies, games and refreshments.
Pastor Tyler offers a warm welcome to anyone who would like to experience “solid Bible teaching and whole-family nurture.” For more information, call (408) 782-0451 or visit www.christourkinglutheran.org.
