Lehman Memorial UMC welcomes new senior pastor

Lehman Memorial United Methodist Church welcomes a new senior pastor as Andy Krpata arrives on July 1. While change for the church is almost certain, what that change will look like remains to be determined.

“We really have to do a lot of talking to see what God wants from us,” he said before his arrival.

While the destination may be unclear, he believes he knows the path.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What do we think God is saying to us?’, then put together a process,” he said. “Initially - a church needs to have a healthy internal system in order to move where they need to go. Things like high-functioning committees and quality leadership are all important first steps. And they may already be there, but I won’t know until I get there.”

Krpata was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 2007 but has been pastoring since 1998. He has served five churches in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina, varying in size from 10 to 350 in attendance. He earned a bachelors degree in music education from Susquehanna University and his his Master of Divinity from Evangelical School of Theology (now Evangelical Theological Seminary) in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. Andy plays trombone and tuba and spent four years in the United States Marine Corps band before beginning his Divinity degree.

I have always been a musician and thought that’s what I was going to do until I got in touch with something I wasn’t paying attention to,” he said, adding that upon earning his bachelors degree, jobs were limited. “I met with a (Marine) recruiter was on campus and thought, ‘might as well.’ I excelled in the Marines both musically and in leadership skills.”

Lessons learned in the Marines continue to apply to his work.

“I wasn’t just providing good music, I could also see someone who couldn’t get it together and realize I have something to offer. I didn’t have to be isolated and just worry about myself,” he said. “I apply that to what I do now - I want to help people become the best people God wants them to be. God has created them to be something wonderful. So I hope to help them find out how they can grow into the fullness of who they are.”

Krpata and his wife, Melinda, have raised (and still are raising) four boys: Andrew (21), twins Timothy and Aaron (18), and Caleb (13). Melinda has a degree in music education as well and has recently completed her Master of Arts in Worship Studies: Leadership from Liberty University. She is currently the instrumental music director and chapel coordinator at Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy (Philmont), where Caleb will enter 8th grade. Andrew is a Philmont grad who works for CarSense in Hatfield, and lives in Lansdale. Aaron recently graduated from Philmont and is headed to Messiah University pursuing a career as a physical therapist. Timothy works at Auto Express in Doylestown while completing coursework from Upper Bucks Technical School with an emphasis in auto mechanics. Three cats round out the family.

He arrives at Lehman with a clear understanding of his strengths and skills.

“I am the consummate generalist and that’s important to know,” he said. “Part of my skill set is being able to see the big picture for a church and defining what needs to be done - repair or replace or create.”

He said he has experience working with congregations with internal challenges.

“I am often put in congregations that have conflict issues and have to work on relational issues in order to accomplish what needs to be done,” he said. “People are passionate about what they do, but have trouble finding a center where they can work together. I enjoy seeing people bury a hatchet or find a new way to see something. What is God doing in relationnships to make sure we are moving forward as a church?”

More specifically, he said “my personal gift is in leadership & administration.” He said he hopes that his skills will lead Lehman to become a stronger church.

“Faith is the ability to believe something that is hard to see,” he said. “If you can maintain that without some sort of ‘pie in the sky’ approach, but believe there is a better place ahead, there will be a resurgence of what’s in the DNA of any church. We want to glorify God. That’s what Jeus told us to do.”

July 7 was Krpata’s first Sunday at Lehman and you can listen to his first sermon here. And you can also follow Lehman's active Facebook page.