Carrie Lewis La Plante

Senior Pastor

Staff, Staff/Council

Pastor Carrie Lewis La Plante grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and she is a Husker through and through. Most people are able to forgive her for this sin on this side of the state. Her passions in ministry are finding ways to pass the faith from one generation to the next and meeting the needs of people both within the congregation and beyond. She enjoys meeting new people and welcoming them to worship with us. She is married to Scott, who is a special education teacher in the Davenport Community School District, and they have two daughters, Abby and Madelyn.

Pastor Carrie received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in German and Bachelor of Science in mathematics with a minor in applied statistics from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana, in 1997. Her first career was as an actuary, working for Allstate Insurance Company in Northbrook, Illinois, from 1997 to 2000. She graduated in 2004 from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago with her Master of Divinity with a biblical emphasis and again in 2015 with her Doctor of Ministry in Preaching. Her D.Min. thesis is entitled “Preaching with the Whole Congregation: Inviting Children and Youth without Losing the Adults,” and she seeks to preach in ways that will connect with people of all ages in worship.

Prior to serving as Senior Pastor at Faith, Pastor Carrie served as Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Indianola, Iowa, from 2007 to 2016, and as Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Newton, Iowa, from 2005 to 2007. While in seminary, she served as High School Youth Associate at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois, and as an on-call chaplain at University of Chicago Hospitals. She has also been published in a book and several journals.

Beyond the congregation, Pastor Carrie serves as a member of the Alumni Board and the Foundation Board of Trustees for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, on the Finance Committee for Lutheran Lakeside Camp, Spirit Lake, Iowa, as a coach for the Southeastern Iowa Synod and as a member of the North Scott Clergy Group.

Beyond church activities, Pastor Carrie participates in the North Scott High School Music Boosters and Drama Boosters, serves as a swim official, enjoys spending time with her family at a variety of community and school events and traveling, and provides shuttle service for her daughters to their numerous activities.