Prior to St. Andrew, Pastor Bonner served as Associate Pastor for Community Engagement, Diversity and Justice, and Small Group ministries for Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Midtown Atlanta, GA. He served as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Atlanta, GA, Assistant to the Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, as Director of Evangelical Mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and also served in the capacity of Manager for Multicultural Resources for Augsburg Fortress Publishers in Minneapolis, MN. His first call to professional ordained ministry was to United Church of Christ as the Assistant to the President for Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity.
Pastor Bonner has written two books, No Bigotry Allowed: Losing the Spirit of Fear, Towards the Conversation about Race, and The Seat.
He holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Chandler School of Religion Emory University, Atlanta GA. A Master’s Certificate in Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School. A certificate in Executive Presence from the Warton School of Business. He is also holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Chicago Theological Seminary and from the University of Illinois-Chicago a Bachelors of Arts Degree. He is also a Fellow from the National Religious Leadership Program Graduate Theological Union, San Francisco, CA and Hartford Seminary, Hartford, Connecticut
He is married to the Rev. Dr. Rosetta Ross and is the father of two sons Ronald S. Bonner II and Daniel H. Bonner, Sr., and the grandfather of five.
You can catch Pastor Bonner at rbonner@saintandrewchurch.com
Pastor Matt Steinhauer is a second career pastor, having spent 20 years in insurance sales and management before going on staff at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Hendersonville, TN, as Director of Christian Education and Family Life from 2004 through 2010
In 2007, Pastor Matt started the Candidacy Process for ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. He served as half-time Vicar of Faith Lutheran in Lebanon, TN, from January 2008, through December 2010, when he was called as pastor to that congregation and ordained in January of 2011. He served there until his retirement in February, 2022.
From February 2020 through January 2022, Pastor Matt served in a part-time capacity as Assistant to the Bishop, Director of Advocacy for the ELCA Southeastern Synod.
Pastor Matt received a Certification in Youth and Family Ministry from Wartburg Seminary in 2004, in addition to his TEEM Certification. In addition to youth and family ministry he has significant experience in Long Term Disaster Recovery, and has been trained as a Spiritual Director. He and his spouse, Leann, have three adult children, and five grandchildren, and live in Hendersonville, TN. His passions and interests include sailing, playing the guitar, singing, and songwriting. He has composed a Bluegrass setting to the liturgy for Holy Communion.
You can catch Pastor Matt at matt@saintandrewchurch.com
Growing up in Ohio, After graduating high school, Sandy Attended The Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio receiving a BFA with a focus in Graphic Design. She worked as a Graphic Designer for 5 years before starting my family. She has a wonderful husband of 33 years and 5 fabulous adult children. Once her children were all of school age, Sandy went back to school and received a Masters Degree from Belmont University in Arts and Teaching. She feels strongly that we are always learning and absolutely loves teaching and working with youth and children.
In 2013, Sandy completed Youth and Family Certification school at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa and was hired as Director for youth and Family Ministry at Saint Andrew Lutheran Church. In 2020, she felt the need to go back into teaching during a time of teaching shortages. Through family transitions, she has recently been called back into Youth and Family ministry and is thrilled to be serving again at Saint Andrew.
Being an outdoor and nature lover, in Sandy's free time she enjoys volunteering with her scout troop, spending time teaching young people leadership skills while on adventures such as camping, backcountry backpacking, hiking and advancing through the BSA program. She also keeps up with her creative side and passion for the arts through drawing, watercolor painting and wood carving.
Sarah House is our Director of Church Operations. She attended Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green, KY with a focus on early education. Originally from New Hampshire, she has lived in the Nashville area most of her life.
Joining the St. Andrew staff in April 2023, Sarah comes to us with experience in a “church and school” setting. She worked for 7 years in the classroom before being called to work in the church office. She worked in an administrative role in the church office for 8 years.
Sarah lives in the Franklin area with her family. She loves the beach, road trips, watching movies & football, and spending time with her family.
You can catch Sarah at office@saintandrewchurch.com
Dr. Brian Russell received his undergraduate degree in music education from MTSU and his Masters and Doctorate in conducting from Eastman School of Music. Dr. Russell is highly acclaimed clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout the southeast and midwest.
Brian is well known to St. Andrew having previously served as our music director and he looks forward to once again serving with Dr. Darryl Miller, our choristers, instrumentalists. “I am excited to return to Saint Andrew, a church I love and know well,” says Dr. Russell. Together we will continue to build something beautiful, collaborative, and pleasing to God.”
We are excited to have Brian share his musical talent and expertise, love of music as an integral part of worship, and his beautiful voice with our congregation.
Whitney Williams is a native of Michigan and has lived in Tennessee since 1998. Whitney first joined St. Andrew in 2010 and left in 2017. She re-joined the church in February, 2023 and was hired as the Nursery Attendant. The Nursery Attendent oversees the care and safety of children left in the nursery during worship services and other special services or event that requires child care. Whitney enjoys being outdoors, spending time with her family and friends, and her dog Charlie.
Ansley Preston was born and raised in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and graduated from Summit High School. Music has always been her leading passion, so after high school, she moved to New York to study Musical Theatre at Long Island University. Thereafter, she transferred to Pepperdine University to pursue a degree in Public Relations. She feels that God has led her back home to Middle Tennessee to spend time with family, and finish her studies at Belmont University. Ansley looks forward to continuing to get to know each of you and your little ones!
A native of Huntington, WV and lifelong Lutheran, Katherine Becker Mansouri has been an active member of St. Andrew since she and her husband Bijan, and their three children – David, Sarah, and Michael – moved to Brentwood in 1992. She grew up in a family of musicians, taking violin and piano lessons, singing in the church and school choir, playing in the youth orchestra, attending Camp Luther in the summers, and being
active in Girl Scouts where she earned her God and Country Award.
Over the years Katherine has volunteered and served on staff as St. Andrew’s Children’s Choir Director and has led and directed Children’s Christmas programs, musicals, VBS music, and the Sunday School Opening Singing Time. She also led the Children’s Choir in singing for the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
Conference at St. Andrew. In addition, she sang in the adult choir, plays violin for services, and serves on the Music and Worship Committee. Katherine has served as a chaperone for Lutheran Happening of the South; ELCA Jesus, Justice, Jazz Lutheran Youth Gathering in 2009; Navajo Reservation Youth Works; and Camp Lutherock.
Katherine is founder and director of Brentwood Strings, teaching private and group violin lessons. She taught on the Suzuki String faculty at the University of Memphis as well as Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. She served on the board of the local Choristers Guild chapter and has participated in adult and children’s choir workshops and festivals. She is a member of Music Teachers National Association
(MTNA), Nashville Area Music Teachers Association (NAMTA), Tennessee Music Teachers Association (TMTA), Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), and Choristers Guild.
Katherine holds a Bachelor of Music degree from West Virginia University and a Master of Music degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Along with her love of teaching, singing, and playing the violin, she enjoys spending time with family, walking, reading, hiking, biking, and traveling.
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Saint Andrew Lutheran Church