Harvey is ‘home grown’ pastor at UMC

As learning curves go, Derek Harvey’s was pretty low.

He is the new pastor at Owatonna United Methodist Church – where he grew up and attended not only weekly worship, but Sunday school and youth group as well.

“It’s not really a surprise to see him in the pulpit,” said Dennie Huisenga, a church member and former youth group leader. “He had this idea a long time ago.”

True, Harvey said.

In sixth grade, he became “really connected with Jesus and why he is important in my life. In seventh grade, I was elected co-president of the junior high youth group the first time I ever attended – so my friends saw something in me that I hadn’t necessarily seen myself.”

By eighth grade, the minister told Harvey, “you know, you’d make a great pastor someday.”

“That stuck with me,” Harvey said.

He remained active in both the youth group and church and was elected president of the senior high youth group as a junior.

After graduating from Owatonna High School in 2005, Harvey remained active in churches, serving in different capacities at three churches.

He moved to Kentucky in 2017 to finish his residency requirement for a degree from Asbury Theological Seminary.

When he returned to Owatonna in 2018, Harvey was active in youth ministry and on the tech team at NewLife Community Church; he worked fulltime at Federated Insurance from 2018 until March.

“I think I got comfortable being a volunteer and didn’t really realize how much my calling that I felt from eighth grade on was real – and still what God wanted from me,” Harvey said.

Working with the UMC, he was able to “fairly quickly” fulfill additional requirements to become a pastor. He was appointed pastor after the departure of the Rev. Lisa Vick, who accepted a job in Virginia, Minn.

“My wife and I prayed about it,” Harvey said. “It is a big change for our family, but she has been incredibly supportive and knows that for a good chunk of my life, this was what I had thought I would be doing.”

Emily Harvey teaches math at OHS; the couple have three sons, ages 12, 10 and 2½.

The OUMC congregation has changed since Harvey attended as a boy.

“Our membership has been dropping,” said church member Dave Kilwine, who also had Harvey in youth group. “We’re more of an older congregation.”

The attendance numbers figured into the district’s determination that the local church could only support a part-time minister, he said, “so we’re sharing Derek” with Morristown’s Peace United Methodist Church.

Harvey leads worship at 8:30 in Owatonna, then heads northwest for a 10:30 service.

Church district leaders “realized we needed to be rejuvenated, and to do that, we have to start off small,” said Karen Nirk, church administrator. “We couldn’t start off with a full-time pastor; we need to take it step-by-step and rebuild it.”

There has already been a change in attendance; between 50 and 60 people attend worship in person, with an additional 20 or so joining online.

“We’re so thankful that Derek came, because we’re seeing faces we haven’t seen for a while,” said Lori Huisenga. “Family brings family.”

Dennie Huisenga, who saw Harvey’s leadership capabilities back in youth group, said, smiling, “he just had to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up.”

Harvey would agree.

“I have tried some different jobs,” he said, “and while I was good at them, something about this just feels like I am where God wants me to be… and the pastoral role allows for me to use the gifts that God has given me to make a lasting impact here on earth and for God’s kingdom.”

Harvey hopes the churches he serves are “able to find the mission that Jesus gave us in the Great Commission – to go and make disciples,” not unlike the path he took through OUMC.

“You know when you buy a tomato at the store, and it’s … OK?” Dennie Huisenga asked. “But when you grow one yourself – it’s the best.”