Pastor steve hagler

Pastor Steve Hagler is a Lutheran Christian only by the grace of God. Steve is a baptized disciple of his risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. He has been called by God into ministry later in life as a second career, after his retirement. He is a Montana farm boy. He likes being outdoors to enjoy God’s creation. He is a student, a teacher, and now a preacher. Steve has served on church council, Lutheran Student Movement Board, and LCMC Board of Trustees. His favorite part of the worship service is the absolution where God pronounces the entire forgiveness of all Steve’s sins. Jesus has always been a crucial part of Steve’s life, even when Steve didn’t realize it. Many times, he has wondered, but Jesus has always come to the rescue. Steve has a passion for Bible studies and would attend one every day if that were practical.  He believes learning and understanding God’s Word takes hearing it from the minds and mouths of other Christians. His desire is to serve God until the day God calls him home. He is married to his wife Geri and has two sons and two granddaughters, two stepsons, and one stepdaughter.

 The HTLC Church Council meets on the

2nd Tuesday of each month @ 6:30 pm.

Council Members:

President:  Dan Olson

Vice President:  George Simon

Treasurer:  Dan Olson

Secretary:  Nancy Purcell

Member @ Large:  Charlie May

Member @ Large:  Ilene Benham

Member @ Large:  Diane Fried

Member @ Large:  LaLita Tadena

  Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is part of the Northwest District of the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC).
​Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) is an association of congregations and individuals who are:​ 

• ​͏͏free in Christ;
• accountable to one another;
• rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions;
• working together to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.

LCMC is an association of congregations. We have a great respect for the reality that the church is where the people of God gather together around Word and Sacrament. The local congregation is where the church becomes a concrete reality for God's people.  At the same time we are joyously aware that each congregation is a part of the greater body of Christ. The actions of each congregation within our association reflect on our association as a whole. And the actions of our association reflect on the whole body of Christ. For this reason we have committed ourselves to a common set of ministry standards.  

It all started in June of 1958 when Pastor Ronald Kragthorpe arrived and invited local families to join with him to form a new Lutheran church. Two months later, in August of that same year, forty-one people attended a meeting at McDonald Elementary that were interested in forming Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. On September 7, 1958, the first worship service was held at McDonald Elementary School, with 114 children and adults in attendance. Three months later, on December 7, 1958, the Membership Charter opened with fifty-one total signatures. Only thirteen months later, on February 7, 1960, the first service was held in the new church (present church building--preschool wing), with a dedication held in April of that same year.

During the next 34 years, Holy Trinity gathered for worship, Bible study, fellowship and continued daily serving God by serving their neighbors and community. They decided to add on to the existing church building, and in February of 1994, the first worship service was held in the new Sanctuary of the remodeled church.

Through the years, the children of God who call Holy Trinity their "home" church and church "family" have changed. The faces have changed. Some have moved, others have left, still others remain and grow. The lines on their faces tell more of a story than we can report here in a brief history. For they have been baptized here...confirmed...married...raised their children up in the love of Jesus...they have even had to bury their loved ones. As a family, they have laughed, loved, cried, consoled, suffered, and rejoiced...always serving their One true God and His Living Word. When challenged by changes in the institutional church, they stuck with the Word of God alone and did not alter their belief and practice. Those present did not weaken to the temptation to conform to society, but rather depended daily on the on-going transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit. That faithful decision has been a significant mark on their history and their foreheads--marked by the Cross of Christ forever.

Through all of history, Holy Trinity has belonged to God. It was, is, and forever shall be His church. Those who call it "home" are not members of an institution but rather disciples of their Lord. As God's family, there are only members here and no visitors...Welcome to life in His Word!