Pastor Jared Hartman was born, and baptized into Christ’s Church at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1976. His formative years were spent learning the music of the Church and the world, Camping, Hiking, working in the restaurant industry and performing in musical theatre. In 1997, he received his undergraduate degree from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York. Since then, Pastor Hartman has worked as a chef in several states in the U.S., plus has taught cooking school in Mexico, and served as the chef of an exclusive jungle tarpon fishing lodge in Costa Rica. He also served a four-year enlistment in the active-duty component of the U.S. Army as a Signal Support Systems Specialist, where he graduated from his Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, completed Advanced Individual Training at the U.S. Army Signal School in Fort Benning, Georgia, and completed the balance of his enlistment at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, and Fort Riley, Kansas.
He attended Concordia Theological Seminary, in Fort Wayne Indiana. He served a summer vicarage at a Lutheran Camp in Canada, and served his full-year vicarage at Hope Lutheran Church, Shorewood, Illinois. He graduated and was called to serve God’s flock at Grace Lutheran Church, St. Petersburg, Florida and School as Associate Pastor of Youth & Outreach in May of 2013. In May of 2018, Rev. Hartman was installed as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wisner, Nebraska.
In addition to his duties as pastor, he was a member the Wisner VFW, the Beemer American, Legion often speaking for national holiday observances. He served as chaplain for the Koinonia Project at Our Savior in Norfolk. He was the treasurer of the Wisner Ministerial Association, served a four year term as both Junior and Senior Pastoral Counselor of the Nebraska North District of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. He recorded several episodes of the Main Street Living Television show, catered events for several local organizations, competed in the Cowtown Classic Car Show Barbecue Contest and he hosted a van annually at the school trunk-or-treat. He performed in the West Point Community Theatre Holiday Spectacular and hosted an annual Christmas Sing-A-Long for the residents of the Wisner Care Center.
Pastor Hartman has been singing since he could talk and started piano lessons at age 8. He spent his formative years accompanying his middle school choir, playing in jazz band, and then spent high school living in the music and theatre building on his high school campus in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where he took solo voice lessons, sang in choir, and performed in many musical theatre productions and played rehearsal piano when he wasn’t on the stage. In Culinary School, he taught himself how to play the organ for graduations and played for cocktail parties and the occasional wedding. After school was finished, he kept his hands in music with church choir and playing for fun at home. When the organist at his military chapel in South Korea quit, he quickly found himself serving with additional duties on Sunday morning on the organ bench.
After the Army he filled in on the organ at various churches, did one-man shows to raise money for a local pregnancy center, played handbells, sang in choir, and then went to seminary where he sang in Kantorei, Schola Cantorum, and Chapel Choir, and filled in on occasion at his field work church on the piano. Pastor Hartman played for musicals at the Lutheran Day School he served at such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Peter Pan,” “Annie,” and “Into the Woods.” He released his first studio album, “Joyful and Triumphant” in 2020, and looks forward to recording more as time permits.
Pastor Hartman is married to Kelly Hartman (née Sons) of Indianapolis. They were joined in Holy Matrimony in June of 2011. They are blessed with one daughter, Abigail, born & baptized in 2013. Abigail is in 8th grade at Willoughby Middle School. Kelly has had a full time job taking care of pastor since he was diagnosed with cancer in April 2024. The Hartman Family also enjoys their dog, Chica. They reside at Trinity House, the Trinity Lutheran Church parsonage in Willoughby.
Pastor Hartman’s favorite Bible verse is, “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.” Ezekiel 36:1, (ESV)