Staff and Elders

If you would like to talk with one of our staff or elders, call the Church Office at 763-682-1470. If you would like to contact one of our staff or elders via e-mail, names in red can be clicked on and a new e-mail message box will pop-up for you to use in sending your message.

BILL MILLER, LEAD PASTOR

Bill’s personal calling from the Lord is to raise up disciple making leaders who love God with all of their heart. His desire is to see well-functioning local churches which reach out evangelistically in Jesus’ name to make disciples. Bill has served churches in New Mexico, Chicago, and Minnesota. He has served as Senior Pastor, Church Planter, and Executive Pastor. He also provides a ministry to pastors around the country through leadership coaching and sermon software. Bill has a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary; a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. Bill & Melodie have been married since 1981 and have three wonderful children.

Max Frazier, Preaching Pastor

Teaching God's Word is what motivates Pastor Max. He will tell you there is no greater thrill than to see lives transformed as Scripture becomes alive and believers begin to comprehend God's plan from Genesis to Revelation. After being a pastor for 26 years, Pastor Max and his wife, Marlys, came to MN. Now he has the joy of being the preaching pastor at Buffalo Covenant. Max received both his BA and MA in Old Testament from Wheaton College, has ministered overseas, and has served as an adjunct professor at several schools. He enjoys writing and leading tours to Israel. He has a deep love for both the people and the land of Israel and, if God gave him a choice, he would no doubt take an apartment in downtown Jerusalem over a lake cabin in MN. When he finds time to kick back, you may find him watching old detective TV reruns, reading a book - usually something with an historical or current events flavor, digging in his flowers, or making memories with his three married children and seven delightful grandchildren. He also cheers for the Cubs and the Iowa State Cyclones!

Val Pederson, Youth Pastor

Val began working at Buffalo Covenant as the Pastor of Youth Ministry in 1983 after graduating from Northwestern College. She married Mark Pederson a psychologist at the Family Counseling Center in 1985, and three years later she resigned and stayed home for 10 years to raise their children, Charissa, Anastasia, and Luke. In 1995 she agreed to come back and serve as interim Youth Pastor and after one year was convinced to once again assume the role full time. Val is passionate about the work she does. “I love working with youth because they are the leaders of today. They have the ability to impact their schools, their homes, their friends and communities. They are passionate about life and they truly want to live lives of meaning and an understanding of who God is and what difference He makes in their lives and the lives around them. They don't desire status quo, they want change. So Buffalo Covenant seeks to give them the opportunity to be the leaders that will love people and help them become all the Lord desires them to be.” Her hobbies outside of church include time with Mark, time with the kids, photography, stain glass, painting, snowskiing, broomball, long walks, good books, and studying Greek.

Mary Blosser, Children’s Pastor

Mary Blosser is passionate about kids! She believes that one of the first responsibilities of the church is to provide for the spiritual formation of its children, building a spiritual foundation that will form the basis of a life of faith and service to the Lord. Pastor Mary has a background in education and has been a teacher and curriculum developer. She has had lots of variety in her Christian ministry as a pastor’s wife for 30 years. Since her husband’s retirement in 2006, she has served as Children’s Pastor at BCC, directing the ministry to children from birth through grade 5. Mary and her husband, Oliver, live in Buffalo. They have three wonderful children and two “above average” grandchildren.

Doug Whittlef, Care Pastor

A country boy with roots on the farm and a great love of the outdoors, Pastor Doug came into ministry later in his life. He’ll gladly share the story of his life before he found his true calling in ministry. Doug married Sherry, his high school sweetheart shortly after graduation. Their first of three children was born a few years later. Doug worked for Minneapolis Honeywell, as Quality Assurance Director for Parker Hannifin Corporation, and then for 29 years at Federal Cartridge Corporation in Anoka. After having been deeply involved in lay ministry, Doug’s call to vocational ministry was affirmed by pastors, friends and his wife. Doug began his college education at the age of 50 while still working full time at Federal Cartridge and working as an associate pastor. Doug graduated from Crown College and went on to work on his graduate degree at Bethel Seminary. His studies were curtailed when his oldest grand daughter was diagnosed with cancer and went to be with Jesus at age 7. It was at that point that he became aware of others that were hurting and his gift for counseling. Since that time, his ministry focus has been on helping others walk through the difficult times in their lives. His “real-life” experiences before ministry help him to empathize with this hurting world. Doug has served at churches in Rogers, Minnesota and Adrian and Onsted, Michigan before moving back to Minnesota and being called to Buffalo Covenant. Doug loves to hunt and fish, take long walks and spend quiet time with the Lord but his two greatest passions are reflecting God’s love to the hurting and spending time with his wife and six wonderful grandkids.

Carl Taylor, Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Carl L. Taylor is a native of Wyoming and lives in Wayzata, MN. He did his theological studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena CA.from which he received both the M.Div. and the M.Th. degrees. He did further studies at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, and post graduate studies at Nottingham University in England. Rev. Taylor served churches in Omaha, NB, Moline, IL and Seattle WA before coming to Buffalo Covenant. He served here for 20 years before his retirement in the fall of 2003. He has been active in leadership in both the Conference and National levels of the Evangelical Covenant Church, as well as in the local ministerial association. He is now our Pastor Emeritus and re-retired in the fall of 2011. He and his wife Marlys direct the Prayer and Healing Ministry. He is the author of several articles and is currently completing a book, the working title of which is "The Apostle Paul: Man of Prayer." In his spare time Pastor Carl enjoys reading, bicycling, hiking and traveling.

Barb Anderson, Assistant to Executive Pastor

Barb officially functions as Assistant to the Lead Pastor, but unofficially she is the emotional support for the rest of the staff. Her goals are to “keep things running smoothly, and to be a blessing to the staff as we work and serve together.” Over the years she has also served as a Stephens Minister, Small Group Leader, Sunday School Teacher, Elder, and Deacon. In her spare time she loves to be doing life with her husband, yard work, gardening, reading, and continuing that ongoing quest for that perfect cup of coffee.

Dana Lyver, Receptionist and Administrative Assistant

Dana is our church receptionist. She is our "first touch" person - the first to cheerfully greet those who call and the first smiling face for those who are coming into the church during the week. Dana is passionate about people - making them feel welcomed and experiencing Christ's love in action in whatever ways the situation may need. She is married to Joe Lyver, and they share their home with two cats, Dilly and Snoopy. In her spare time she enjoys photography, nature, downhill skiing, deepening friendships and motorcycling with her husband.

Pat Wessman, Church Administrator

Pat has been our church administrator for over ten years. Her ministry vision is to "help the church run effectively and efficiently while involving as many people from our church body as possible." She is married to Dean Wessman and has three adult children. Pat has a B.S. in education and spent 13 years teaching/working with mentally challenged children and adults. Her number one spare time activity is playing with her grandchildren. She also enjoys reading, fishing, and watching the Twins!

Guy Bergstrom, Youth Associate

Having grown up in Buffalo and in particular at BCC Guy is considered a “lifer” among us. He spent 20 years volunteering in Youth Ministry before coming on staff as Youth Associate. His vision is to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in his own life, and to teach and equip students to do the same. Guy’s desire is to see youth come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to develop a love for and an understanding of God’s word. Guy loves most sports and outdoor activities including water and snow skiing, hunting, and fishing. He admits to being competitive and can never turn down a healthy challenge. Other interests include travel and being with family.

Christine Passig, Contemporary Worship Director

As the Comtemporary Worship Director, Christine works with the Worship Team on various administrative and creative tasks.