As Parish Administrator since late-2014, John Lindemann is responsible for holding everything together on the non-sanctuary side of the church. No matter the need, John finds a way to keep this place from falling apart. Whether trying to stretch our budget by buying smart from vendors and making the most use of our facility beyond worship, managing relationships within our Back Bay neighborhood, choosing art-of-the-week for the bulletins, pitching in on a repair before the trustees get here, or witnessing to callers and visitors in search of solace or caring, John is in the thick of the day-to-day functioning of the church.
He considers his role here as the marriage of two major tracks in his life. The first is as a born-and-raised Lutheran, whose father was the church soloist and council president and mother a Lutheran School teacher for more than 25 years at his home church of Zion, Westwood, NJ (a background which once had him considering the path to seminary). The second was along the road of politics, as ex-congressional staff on Capitol Hill and, then, as a lobbyist at the state and federal levels. His role at FLC relies on those religious and secular experiences, with the addition of voice-over and commercial/corporate video acting thrown in for good measure. Other layers of complexity that add to his persona: father and stepfather to four girls and husband to another life-long Lutheran, Beth; a (lapsed) private pilot; a (sadly, also lapsed) golfer and life-long NY Giants fan.
Calling or visiting the church during the week? Most likely it’s John who will help you find what you need (or his voice on the answering machine). Laughing at some tongue-in-cheek bulletin announcement? Yep, he’s the one responsible (claiming “God has a sense of humor, too!”).
As a member and leader of the church as well as an employee, John goes above and beyond his administrative responsibilities to help FLC fulfill our mission of bringing the message and example of Jesus Christ to Boston and beyond.