Pastor Clayton Faulkner

I began serving Wiota Lutheran Church as pastor on September 1, 2024. I am thrilled to share some more information about my life.

I was born and raised in Yoakum, TX, a small town in the south-central part of the state. My dad owned and operated his own dry cleaning and laundry business for over 40 years (until his passing in 2023) and my mom still lives in Yoakum. She comes from a farming family near Port Lavaca, TX that grew rice, cotton, soybean, and raised cattle.

I’ve been a musician since middle school, and it was music that drew me into the church to begin with. I started attending church in high school because of the opportunity to make music with friends. I studied music in college and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree. During college I felt a strong sense that God was calling me to serve in ministry. I went to seminary the initial time to pursue this calling and earned a Master of Arts in Worship degree. I served a variety of churches in Texas through worship and music ministry for over 20 years. In that time, I also completed a Doctor of Worship Studies degree.

While serving in a variety of ministries, by God’s plan, I found the Lutheran church. I began serving Lutheran churches in 2008 and it has felt like home ever since. I made many strong connections to the people in the Gulf Coast Synod of the ELCA and discerned a call to ministry of a different type. This time it was not the music that drew me in, but the sacraments. As Lutherans we have a particular way we experience God’s presence among us, through word and sacrament. God meets us at the table in bread and wine. God also meets us in the waters of baptism where we are named and claimed as God’s child. I felt called to share those blessings with others. This led me to seminary again, this time at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, where I studied from 2017-2021. My first pastoral call was to New Life Lutheran Church in Pearland, TX.

God’s timing is mysterious and often is ordered in ways we cannot fully understand. Although I was happily serving in Texas, a new possibility and calling to ministry captured my attention. Through several months of discernment, I was able to accept a new call as the Dean of the Chapel at Wartburg Seminary. As Dean of the Chapel, I serve at the seminary in Dubuque during the week, overseeing their daily chapel services and all of the details that go with planning and organizing them. I am very humbled to be part of the formation process of future pastors and deacons in the ELCA.

My role there is part time, and I was interested in finding a congregation to serve alongside simultaneously. As part of my discernment, I was introduced to Wiota Lutheran Church. After our first meeting I knew there was something special here. It is a joy to serve as pastor in Wiota.

My wife Kate works in education in Dubuque. We have two sons, Deacon and Masamo, who are both young adults. I look forward to getting to know you better and hear your story as well!