Nate Bucher, long-time second-grade school teacher at Becker Primary School, has accepted an associate pastor position with Becker Baptist Church and began his first day on the job Tuesday.

 

“It was all in God’s timing,” said Senior Pastor Rob Olsen. “We are thrilled to have Nate on staff here — he’s an exceptional addition.”

 

Bucher, 35, had been teaching in Becker for the last 12 years (minus two years he was on a mission trip) and is currently the girls tennis head coach at the high school level as well as an assistant coach with the boy’s team. He will now serve fulltime at the church in a position the church has never required. With the church’s growing population and needs needing to be met, the church and deacon boards decided a new hire was necessary.

 

Though he has given up his “official’ teaching job at the schools, he hopes his teaching of scripture helps mold people into strong Christ followers.

 

“I love preaching the Word of God and I love digging into the essence of scripture and processing it, then delivering it to eager listeners,” Bucher said. “I feel I am super called to this community of Becker right now and I plan on staying as long as God sees it that way.”

 

Bucher is in the process of attaining his Masters of Divinity degree at Western Seminary in Portland, OR. He has been taking many on-line courses and also attends the school’s campus in person every now and again.

 

“It’s a long process and I’ll continue to take classes for quite some time,” he said. “I hope to have my degree around 2021 or so.”

 

Several years ago as Nate and his wife, Kristi were congregants of Becker Baptist, the Buchers decided to uproot their lives and dedicate a couple years as missionaries in the country of Haiti. Much of Haiti was razed in 2010 by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake that devastated the island country. The Buchers decided to dedicate two years of thier lives to helping the unfortunate through Jesus in Haiti Ministries.

 

“That experience down there had a major influence on me and my life’s direction,” said Nate. “It opened my eyes to what ministry was like and it was at that time I decided I wanted to offer more.”

 

Nate credits Pastor Rob, Pastor Patrick Drury of BEFC and Pastor Gerry Bass of Oakwood as being very influential in his call to serve. He also has a friend from California who — like Bucher — grew up in a same-size church in a same-size community and has similar goals. Nate met the man, Cody Cannon, on their mission trip to Haiti and the two became instant friends and advisers to each other.

 

While barely getting his feet wet in his first full week on the job, Nate is looking forward to the days he’ll be helping Pastor Rob share some of the sermonizing, counseling and guiding of the church on Hancock Street. Bucher will eventually help with weddings, funerals and baptisms as the years go on.

 

“Nate is a known and trusted man in this community and I’m excited to be working alongside him,” said Pastor Rob. 

 

Nate’s main goal for the first year of his association is to “research and learn all I possibly can from Pastor Rob and the other staffers.”

“Hopefully I can serve the congregation and community well.”

 

Bucher says of all the people in the Bible he reads and studies on, he tends to identify closely with Timothy and Titus.

 

“They too, were young in their ministry when Paul advised them but they were also confident and understood what they were tasked to do,” said Nate. “Paul would remind them to stay strong in their faith and keep focussed on the Gospel. That’s my intent also.”

 

Nate’s favorite verse is from his favorite Book of the Bible.

 

 

Nate hails from Indiana and met his wife, Kristi, a native of Becker, in their very first class at Huntington University. After graduating, Nate and Kristi moved to Minnesota and got married in 2007. They are expecting their first child (a girl) in late October.

 

“We fielded nine applicants for the job and interviewed two. Nate rose to the top,” said Pastor Rob. “We are richer for having Nate join our staff.”