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Authier, who recently began serving as pastor for Faith Lutheran Church in Shelby Township, is only 36 years old, younger than many people who serve in his position. He enjoys peppering his sermons with clever illustrations and humorous anecdotes. On his desk sits a bobble-head of Martin Luther, a toy of a nun and a figurine of the Buddy Christ from the film “Dogma.”

“I approach ministry and life with a sense of humor and honesty,” said Authier. “I think a lot of things about me surprise people. One is my age; a lot of people expect pastors to be a bit older. The other is that I’ve lived the past few years as a single father. A lot of my friends look at me and say, ŒIf I didn’t know you, I wouldn’t believe you’re a pastor.’ Not because of any bad behavior, but just because I don’t fit the stereotype.”

Authier, the father of three children, is no stranger to the Michigan area. e grew up in Alpena and attended Michigan State University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. But during that time, Authier began to feel that he was meant for a different calling.

“I had grown up in the Lutheran church and was active there, and got back involved with it during my college years,” said Authier. “I really enjoyed it. It was a challenge and sort of fulfilled my description as a Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Authier attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary and participated in an internship in Long Island, N.Y., before taking on a pastor position at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheeling, W.V. There he served for three years before transferring to Cross Lutheran Church in Clinton Township, where he was one of two pastors on the staff.

“The decision to come to Faith was really because it was an opportunity to take a congregation and go into solo ministry for awhile, which I hadn’t been able to do at Cross,” he said. “I’ve known Faith for awhile and they really have a strong profile that I was excited to get involved with.”

Authier said one of his hopes is to increase Faith’s visibility within the community, as it is often overshadowed by larger churches of higher visibility within the area.

“We’re kind of tucked away back here at 23 and Shelby. Most of the traffic takes Mound or Van Dyke and it’s easy to pass us by,” he said. “I would like to see growth on a personal level and also in numbers. Numerical growth is always a blessing, but it’s not the main thing.”

Authier said he also hopes to see service within the church increase. Often, he said, churches see a decline in service from within the church when there is not stable leadership. As pastor, he said he hopes to see the congregation continue to become involved in offering ministries both within the church and to the community.

“There are a lot of gifted people at Faith who are waiting to get involved and very excited about that opportunity,” he said. “There’s a tendency with a pastor to just want to do it all themselves, but you are really robbing people of an opportunity to serve and to grow through that.”

At the end of the day, Authier said, his job is to help people grow and develop in their spiritual walks.

“The economy right now is in a downturn and people are afraid, and we have a message of love for them,” he said. “I think people are always searching. And God’s message is about love and forgiveness, and I’m just a vehicle that he tells that through.”