Meet the Staff

Pastor John Larson has been Pastor of Ascension since the fall of 2005.  Prior to his work at Ascension he served as Associate Pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Arvada from 1992 until 2005.  He served as Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Amherst, Colorado and Venango, Nebraska from the time of his ordination in 1983 until going to Peace in Arvada.

Pastor married his dear wife Marilyn in 1979 and they have been blessed with their three children; Dan, Dave and Eden.  Pastor and Marilyn have found that having their children led them to an even greater joy – becoming grandparents!  Their three children have blessed them with eleven grandchildren!!

Pastor enjoys participating in or watching a variety of sports.  He feels blessed to be a part of the great work that God has been doing at Ascension Lutheran Church!!

Mike Zehnder came to Ascension in May 2017, having previously served as a Minister of Music at congregations in Illinois, California and Arizona.  He is also an ordained LCMS pastor, having served churches in California, Colorado and Arizona.  For a number of years he was the Vice-President of Fellowship Ministries (Tempe, AZ) in charge of worship resources and national conferences and he was also National Worship Consultant at the Center for US Missions, located at Concordia University, Irvine, California.

He is the proud father of five children, two girls and three boys and one also has her Master’s Degree in Music and was named a top oboist in the state of Arizona.

Mike enjoys working with people and the various musical groups at Ascension: choirs, praise teams, handbells, children’s music, instrumentalists.  One of the things he especially enjoys at Ascension is the variety and challenge of providing both traditional and contemporary music each week.

One thing he misses: he has been on 17 foreign mission trips teaching, preaching and providing music.  He says it keeps him grounded in realizing the tremendous blessings we have in America, while also providing him unique opportunities to plant seeds of the Gospel across the globe.

Stephanie is a graduate of Concordia University, Irvine, CA with a Director of Christian Education certification and a music specialization. She's had the opportunity to serve as a DCE in children, youth, and family ministries and also as a music teacher at multiple congregations and schools over the last 21 years in Hawaii, Colorado, Florida, and Texas. Her family consists of her husband, Andy, who is an LCMS pastor, and their two daughters.

Dawn, her husband, Tom, and her mother, Jan, have been part of the Ascension community for more than 20 years.  She has served as church secretary since 2021.  One of her favorite things is hearing our excellent church musicians practice their music in the sanctuary during the week!

Jenna Lawrenz is the part-time young adult coordinator at Ascension. She works with the college students and young adults, doing Bible studies, get-togethers, and college packages. She also helps with youth Bible studies and VBS.

Jenna grew up in the Denver area, attending Peace Lutheran Church throughout her childhood. Her father has served at Peace as a DCE and now a pastor for over 25 years. Her mother has served in the church in various positions as well. Jenna attended Bethlehem Lutheran School and Denver Lutheran High School. She then attended Concordia University in Seward, NE to become a Lutheran school teacher. She has a long history in the Lutheran church!

Jenna's first call was to Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Pueblo, CO where she taught fourth grade for four years and was very active in the church, as well. While in Pueblo, Jenna was blessed to meet her husband, Michael. Michael and Jenna have been blessed with four children: two little boys and twin girls! They have been active members at Ascension for many years. They love this church and look forward to all that God is doing in this place!