Welcome Maddy Tyler
St. Paul’s new Resident Pastor begins her 18-month residency in January.
The background basics.
I was born and raised in Chicago. I’ve always been a city person. In the family home, it was my mom and dad, my younger sibling, Charlie, and two cats.
I come from a family of musicians with a focus on folk music. My parents both work at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, one of the largest independent music schools in the country. My mom is in administration and my dad is on the fiddle faculty. I grew up at Old Town. I took classes, worked in the operations department, and was one of many site managers.
For undergraduate school, I went to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, double majoring in history and Nordic studies with a minor in museum studies. I planned to attend graduate school to be a museum exhibit designer.
During my time in college, I lived abroad in a small town in Norway for six months and later, after graduation, took a gap year and served with Young Adults in Global Mission with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). During that year, I lived in Cambodia. Being able to walk alongside people, build relationships, and learn more about Christianity in a prominently Buddhist community had a huge impact on my life and my call to ministry.
What is at the heart of who you are?
I’m very adaptable. When I enter a new place, I take the time to observe, learn, and get actively involved. I love to laugh with people and share stories of incredible moments in my life and in others’ lives that have brought joy to faith.
Music is such a huge part of who I am. The music community I grew up in helped raise me. I say I was raised by my parents and by a string band. My dad played music in a string band and his bandmates became my uncles and taught me from an early age what community means. Old-time folk music is about what it means to be part of a community and to live in communion with others. It’s about music that was passed on to us and now we’re passing it forward, often without writing it down.
Why did you want to become a pastor?
It was a journey of little moments. My aunt was the first person to say, “Maddy, I think you’d make a good minister.” I moved away from that thought for a while but it came back again and again. I was moved by how much the Lutheran church in Cambodia equipped youth to be leaders. I’ve been given the tools so many times throughout my life, and I started wondering how it would look if I were to equip others and walk alongside them as they wrestle with faith. That called me to enroll at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.
I’m currently working as a synod-authorized minister. The moment I knew I had affirmed my call was the first Sunday I gave communion. I was overcome with emotion when I broke the bread for the first time and distributed communion to the congregation.
What draws you to St. Paul?
The way the St. Paul Pastoral Residency Program came into my life felt like a God moment. While awaiting my first call, it was suggested I look into the residency program. When I looked at the St. Paul website, I got excited by the community outreach, Habitat for Humanity, service trips, youth ministry, and more. There are so many ways to get involved, and opportunities to ask questions, learn, and grow. St. Paul seemed like the right place to ask any question and be honest.
I can’t wait to learn from others and wonder where God will lead me next. The pastoral residency program is ingrained in the identity of St. Paul and that’s unique. This is a congregation that wants to walk with new ministers and pastors to be part of their formation and journey.
One year with Resident Pastor Mac Mullins
“My first year of ministry as a pastor has been nothing short of spectacular. I didn’t know what to expect when moving to the Quad Cities to start life at St. Paul but what I discovered was a community of people eager to love, generous with their hearts and time, and wanting to help me succeed as I grew in my role as one of their pastors.I’ve had so many new experiences with worship, teaching, and working with our community this past year that have given me unexpected new perspectives. The residency program is less about following a handbook on how to be the best pastor possible, and instead throws us newbies into a world of new imaginings and experiences that shape how we think and respond to life together and life with God.
The greatest gift so far is a new way of thinking: how is what I’m saying, what I’m writing, what I’m doing going to impact this congregation in a way that helps them live more dynamic lives of faith? My pastor colleagues and each of the staff members all bring their own generous interpretations to that question, and after a year it just begins to rub off on you!
The second year of residency looks much the same as the first, except now I know (mostly) what I’m doing! Every pastor needs at least one year under their belt to fully understand the uniqueness of a congregation. The one major difference is that, as my residency is only a two-year program, I will begin the process of looking for my second call come the beginning of the new year.”
— Pastor Mac Mullins
