July 12, 2021
The Rev. Dr. Amy C. Little, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Monroeville, Ohio), has accepted a call to serve as general secretary of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The general secretary functions as the chief operating officer of the NALC, managing its day-to-day administrative functions. “I am deeply humbled and honored to be chosen to serve in the call of general secretary of the NALC. It has been a joy to be a pastor in the NALC and now to follow in the amazing footsteps of Pastor Mark Chavez is something only the Holy Spirit could orchestrate. I am delighted to serve the church in this capacity and know I have much to learn. I am grateful to Bishop Selbo for trusting me to be a part of his staff and I pray God will help and guide me in this new call,” Pastor Little said. “The first eleven years of the NALC have been incredible and I give thanks to those who helped to form and shape it in its infancy and younger years. We owe a great debt to those faithful leaders: Bishop Spring, Bishop Bradosky, Pastor Chavez, and the remaining staff and leaders of the NALC. They gave us a great foundation. Now we are moving into the teen years of our blessed church and we have the joyful task of working through the growing pains and providing greater support to the increasing number of congregations, pastors, and ministries. I am excited to get started and look forward to serving Christ and his people in this position.”
NALC Bishop Dan Selbo selected Pastor Little to serve as general secretary after a search that included 17 nominees and an interview panel consisting of members from the NALC Executive Council. Pastor Little’s call was then confirmed by the NALC Executive Council on July 7, as per the NALC Constitution. Little will follow the Rev. Mark Chavez, who served as the General Secretary for nearly 10 years until he resigned in April to serve as the pastor of his home congregation.
“With the appointment and call of Pastor Amy Little to serve as general secretary of the North American Lutheran Church, my prayers and those of many others have been answered,” said Bishop Selbo. “Pastor Amy not only brings the gifts and skills needed to fulfill the role, but also brings a deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus and His Church that will be a blessing to our church body. I am thankful that God has raised up such a faithful follower of Jesus to serve in this important position and I am truly excited about where God will lead us in the years ahead. Pastor Amy has a heart for serving the Gospel and for sharing the good news of Jesus with all who are willing to hear. She has strong organizational and administrative gifts, pays attention to detail, and carries out her work with integrity and grace. I look forward to working with her and I trust and believe that God will use her gifts to strengthen our shared witness and to further enable us to respond to the calling and commission we have in our Lord Jesus.”
Little, who lives in Norwalk, Ohio, has served as a solo pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church for nearly two decades. She has also served as the submissions editor for Sola Publishing since 2012. Within the NALC, Little has served on various committees, including the NALC Candidacy Committee (2014–2020) and the NALC Disaster Response Team (2011–2013). Little has served as a Pastoral Care and Transition Team (PCAT) member for the Ohio Mission Region since 2015.
Little is a graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio (B.S.), where she studied zoology and art. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and her Doctor of Ministry degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her thesis was entitled, “Called, Gathered, Enlightened and Sanctified: Using Bowen Theory and Luther’s Catechisms to Resolve Conflict and Revitalize Congregations.” Little has been married to her husband, Jeff, for 27 years. They have two children: Noah (24) and Anna (19).
Little will be installed as general secretary at the upcoming 2021 NALC Mission Convocation during Lutheran Week in Corpus Christi, Texas, and will assume office effective September 1, 2021.
For more information, contact the Rev. Andrew S. Ames Fuller, Director of Communications for the North American Lutheran Church and an ordained deacon in the Anglican Church in North America.