Our Beliefs |  Our Mission  |  Our Communion Practice |  Church Staff

Our Beliefs

Mount Olive Lutheran holds to:
The Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments as the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice.

All the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God, to wit: the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Large Catechism of Luther, the Small Catechism of Luther, and the Formula of Concord.

 Our Mission

Mount Olive Lutheran Church, a congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, exists to provide opportunities for worshiping the Triune God, for growing in the Christian faith, for helping one another, for bringing others to know Christ, and for serving others in our vocations. (adopted May 2000)

Our Comminion Practice

Mount Olive communes, administers the Sacrament of the Altar, to the communicant members of Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Members of our sister congregations may also participate with us. It is best to notify the pastor before communing.

If a person is visiting and is not a communicant member, we request that you do not commune. If you are interested in communicant membership at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, please arrange a time to visit with the pastor.

back to top>> 

Church Staff

Name: Mark P. Grunst

Title: Pastor

Biography: Pastor Mark Paul Grunst was born May 9, 1955 in Fairmont, MN to Bud and Irma Grunst. On May 24, 1975 he married Sally Ziehm at Peace Lutheran Church in Arvada, CO. Together they have six children: Katy, Amber, Sarah, Noel, Chelsea, and Mitchell.

Pastor Grunst attended Concordia College in Saint Paul, MN from 1973-1977. He graduated from there with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementry Education. He then attended and received his Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1977-1981.

Pastor Grunst began his ministry as the Assistant/Associate Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Broomfield, CO from 1981-1989. From 1989-1991 he served the Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of El Reno, OK. Pastor Grunst settled in at Mount Olive Lutheran Church here in Billings, MT in December of 1991 and has been the Pastor and Vicarage Supervisor ever since. In addition to his roles at Mount Olive, Pastor Grunst has been a member of the Concordia Theological Seminary Board of Regents in Fort Wayne, IN since 1995. Since 2001 he has served as the Chairman of the Board of Regents.

back to top>>

Church Staff

Name: Michael Miller

Title: Vicar

Biography: 

Michael Miller was born on September 23, 1982 in San Francisco, Calif. to Richard Miller and Linda Lancaster.  He is an only child, and was received as God’s child in Holy Baptism on October 17^th.  However, because of religious disagreement between his parents, Michael did not grow up in the Church.  Richard was an architect and engineer for Chevron and retired in 1999.  Linda has been a self-employed medical transcriptionist working out of the home since 1985.  Michael grew up across the Bay in Oakland, where he attended public school and graduated from Berkeley High School in 2000.

Out of high school, Mike wanted to pursue a career in computer networking, but in junior college, he changed his interests to theatrical lighting.    In 2003,         Mike and his parents moved to Bellingham, Wash.  There, Mike continued his studies in theater at Western Washington University.  Mike’s parents separated in 2004 and he lived with his mother.  In the midst of the chaos of divorce proceedings, Mike began attending Al-Anon Family Group meetings (a Twelve Step group for family and friends of alcoholics).  This was because alcoholism had plagued his father for many years.

While going through the Twelve Step process, Mike gained an awareness of God’s aid for healing broken lives and relationships.  However, because of the ambiguity and individualistic theology in Twelve Step, Mike sought for a deeper knowledge of a God who was so ready to forgive.  In early 2006, he asked a friend at Western about her faith.  She was a Missouri Synod Lutheran and invited Mike to her church for Lenten services.  That church was Trinity Lutheran Church in Bellingham.  Immediately Mike began to hear of God who gave His only Son for the sins of the world—even Mike’s.

After returning to his Baptism, Mike had growing distaste for the hedonist atmosphere of theater.  Upon the disinterest in theater and at the prompting of several friends, Mike met with his pastor about entering the pastoral ministry.  He applied to both seminaries, but had to wait two years before beginning.  In the interim, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts and helped his father through alcohol recovery.  God be praised that both Richard and Linda now attend Trinity regularly!

Three months before leaving for Fort Wayne, Mike met his wife, Rebecca, at Trinity.  They struck up a conversation over their common interests of photography and computers.  They began dating soon after, and continued their relationship over distance through Mike’s first year, talking every night on webcam.  Mike proposed to Becca in Frankenmuth, Mich. when she came to visit at Thanksgiving.  Mike and Becca were married August 8, 2009.  Being together the second year of seminary was a huge relief, even as they grew through new challenges.  Becca is a trained Paralegal, but for now she aspires to be a housewife.  Becca and Mike just celebrated one year of marriage, and look forward to having children when God grants them. Mike and Becca are excited about this year in Billings with Mount Olive.  In this vicarage year, Mike is looking forward to learning and serving as his pastoral formation continues.

back to top>>

 Church Staff

Name: LaRae Talafuse

Title: Secretary

back to top>>

Church Staff

Name: Donna Johns

Title: Business Manager

back to top>>

See "School" for information about our "Classical Education" staff and also about our "Preschool Staff"..

 
back to top>>