Rev. Sarah Schilcher

Reverend Sarah Schilcher is pastor to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Butte, MT: a congregation affiliated with the ELCA.  She grew up in Wisconsin, earned her undergraduate degree in Cultural Music and Religion with a Faith and Leadership Concentration from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and earned her Masters of Divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA.  

Sarah married Dan, her high school sweetheart and they have 3 children together, Lydia, age 7, DJ (Daniel JR), age 6, and Jonathan, age 2.  Sarah enjoys spending time with her family outdoors and playing games and music together.  

Sarah first felt a call to prison ministry during a justice journey to the Bakken Oil Range in North Dakota during her undergrad.  Her group stopped for worship at Hope Lutheran Church in Mandan, ND, where she witnessed youth from the correctional facility given the opportunity to worship alongside the congregation.  Sarah opted to write her undergraduate thesis on Prison Ministry, researching and documenting the importance of faith in community, in reintegration and decreasing recidivism.  During seminary, Sarah created a J-term class for herself, going back to that congregation and working with the pastors there in their ministry setting.  During a group discussion with the kids at the facility, one girl told the group that she struggled with loving herself.  Sarah’s passion for prison ministry has continued to grow from these interactions, and she is excited to be a part of this life-changing ministry in Montana!