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Pastoral Staff

Senior Pastor
Michael Dorn
mdorn@trinitydt.org
713-229-2940
713-229-2990 Fax

Pastor Dorn is the fourth generation in his family to serve in the office of the pastoral ministry and was installed as senior pastor at Trinity on February 27, 2005. Prior to coming to Houston, he served a congregation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

In addition to serving his congregation, Pastor Dorn has served as a Circuit Counselor, delegate to two Synodical conventions, on various District committees, as chaplain for District and Synodical youth gatherings and as Secretary of Lutheran Church – Canada. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Regents for Concordia University Texas, Austin.

Pastor Dorn’s educational background includes industrial electronics, electrical engineering, production management and business administration. He has a Master of Divinity Degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. In 1999, he was accepted into the inaugural class of the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) and successfully completed this four-year leadership training program for pastors. By invitation, Pastor Dorn is currently in a two year Governance and Executive Training program with PLI.

Pastor Dorn is married. He and his wife Veloyce have two daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.

Pastor of Visitation
Donald Black
dblack@trinitydt.org
713-229-2917

Born and raised in Arcadia, IN, Pastor Black is a 1958 graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. He was ordained and installed as assistant pastor at Trinity in 1958, and became senior pastor in 1960, which he held until March 1998. Pastor Black has served on various local, district and synodical boards and committees. Currently he serves on the Woltman Foundation in Houston; the Century Club Committee for Chaplaincy Ministry of LINC-Houston; and as Counselor for Circuit 43 of the Texas District, LCMS. Pastor Black and his wife, Audrey, have three married daughters and two granddaughters.

Director of Care Ministries
dleeland@trinitydt.org
713-229-2916
713-229-2976 Fax

Pastor Leeland was born in Elmira, NY and grew up in the suburbs of Boston, Chicago and Houston. His family moved to Houston in the Summer of 1969 and he graduated from Westchester High School here in Houston. Pastor Leeland wasn’t born here, but he got here as soon as he could and has thoroughly enjoyed making Houston home.

Pastor Leeland is married to his wonderful wife, Melanie. They have two grown sons, Jonathan and Robert, and one grandson Braydon.

Pastor Leeland holds a B.A. in elementary Education from Concordia University, Chicago, a Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and has six quarters of Clinical Pastoral Education at the Basic and Advanced levels of training.

His focus for ministry at Trinity is supporting the ministries of visitation, caring and counseling, and assimilation and outreach.

Before joining Trinity’s Ministry team in 2001, Pastor Leeland served congregations in Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York and Texas. He also served as an active duty Navy chaplain with the Marines at Parris Island, on MOUNT BAKER (AE-34) for sea duty, overseas at San Miguel, the Philippines, and at the Naval Air Training Station, Corpus Christi. Pastor Leeland served in the Ready Reserves with the 4th Marines on Long Island and with a Hospital Unit in Buffalo, NY.

Director of Discipleship & Missions - Interim Principal
Aaron Lytle
alytle@trinitydt.org
713-229-2903
713-229-2972 Fax

Pastor Lytle joined Trinity Downtown the week before Christmas 2005 to reach out to the surrounding communities. His goal is to establish new programs or ministries that will include Community Care, Worker Training Program, One2Wonder, and more. He came to Trinity through the Texas District, where he has been a Missionary-At-Large. Pastor Lytle has served as a vicar and then associate pastor at Cross Point Community Church in Katy, TX.

Born in Hot Springs, SD, Pastor Lytle began his missionary calling as a youth minister at Ascension Lutheran, Tucson, AZ and as a DCE Volunteer Missionary Intern in Venezuela. Pastor Lytle and his wife Sara, a fourth grade teacher at Travis Elementary, have two daughters, Abrianna & Aaliyah, and a son, Zachariah. He graduated from Concordia University, Seward, NE with a B.A. in Studio Art, a B.S. in Education K-12, a Lutheran Teacher’s Diploma and DCE Certification, and was ordained with a Masters in Divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO.