Pastor

Pastor Brian Coffey

Pastor Brian began serving Epiphany Lutheran Church on January 1, 2022, after being ordained on December 29^th, 2021.  Although he is a “first call” pastor, he brings a variety of life experiences to ministry! 

As a young man, Pastor Brian enlisted in the Army Reserve at age 18, served as an Army ROTC cadet and was commissioned as an Infantry Lieutenant in the Illinois Army National Guard at age 20.  He attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and graduated with a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990.

For his first job after college, he served as the Coordinator of Youth, Education and Lay Ministries for five years at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Peoria followed by a 25-year career with Caterpillar, Inc. in Central Illinois, primarily in Supply Chain management. 

In 2007, he was named as one of Peoria’s “40 Leaders Under Forty” for his fundraising and advocacy for Type 1 diabetes (T1D) through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  Pastor Brian has raised three wonderful children into early adulthood – all with T1D – and he shares the joys and challenges with them of navigating life on their own.

Upon discerning a call to “Word and Sacrament Ministry” in 2013, he entered ELCA Candidacy at the age of 44 and completed his Master of Divinity degree through the distributed learning program at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota (‘14-‘21).  His Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) was done at UnityPoint Trinity Hospital in Rock Island, Illinois.  He separated from Caterpillar in August of 2020 to do his one-year Internship at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  In addition, he completed Cursillo in 2005 and the two-year Grace Institute for Spiritual Formation in 2015.  As a person who appreciates the Christian monastic tradition, he has been an Oblate of St. Benedict’s Ecumenical Abbey in Bartonville, Illinois since 2007.

Pastor Brian enjoys the diverse experiences of pastoral ministry – particularly ministering to families of all ages through life’s challenges and leading though-provoking worship each week.  He is relatable, approachable and, as one person said, they “like his vibe”. 

Please stop by the church office to visit; or call to set up an appointment.  You may also wish to participate in worship via Zoom to get a feel for our liturgical style of Lutheran worship.