| HOME | ABOUT US | STAFF | FOR OUR MEMBERS | NEWS & EVENTS | MINISTRY & OUTREACH | |
 |
 |
Pastor Rich Leseganich, a resident of Cranberry Township, Pa., began ministry at Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in December 2007 after having served two other congregations within the SWPA Synod in both team and solo ministry settings. Pastor Leseganich, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, earned his bachelor’s degree at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. He went on to earn his master’s degree in divinity at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pa., and was ordained in 2000. He completed a chaplain residency at The York Hospital in York, Pa., in Clinical Pastoral Education and served for a year as pastoral associate at Friedens Lutheran Church in Myerstown, Pa. From 2000 to 2005, Pastor Leseganich was associate pastor at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Butler, Pa. He then served as pastor of Christ’s Lutheran Church in Beaver Falls, Pa., before accepting the position at Hope. He is a member of the Association of Professional Chaplains and the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. Pastor Rich is committed to “relational ministry,” a term that describes how pastors build relationships with church members through such activities as pastoral visits, counseling, spiritual guidance, intergenerational ministry and administrative duties.
“I view my role within the church as helping members through a series of relationships – all of which center on how to become closer to Christ,” he said. “In building a personal relationship with God, we can then set goals, manage our lives and achieve what we truly want in life. It’s about helping people reflect spiritually upon their lives and then practically applying theological concepts within a framework to achieve them.”
Favorite Scripture Passage: (2 Corinthians 4:1) “Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.”
pastorrich@hopelutherancranberry.org