Church Staff

Rev. Matt Hoffmann is the Lead Pastor of St. Andrews Lutheran Church and School in Park Ridge, Illinois. Pastor Matt is married to his lovely wife, Anne, and they are the proud parents of Killian and Elsa. Previous to serving at St. Andrews, Pastor Matt was an Associate Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Giddings, Texas, and Sole Pastor of Concordia Lutheran in Columbus, Ohio. Pastor Matt has a passion for serving and sharing the Gospel with people of India and is heavily involved with Mission India. He is also a Police Chaplain for the Park Ridge Police Department. He loves creating meaningful connections for people to know Jesus and one another better. He enjoys studying the Early Church Fathers, the Ancient Jewish writings in the Talmud, and the Old Testament. Pastor Matt studied Communication and Business at Pacific Lutheran University where he graduated in 1998. Pastor Matt earned his M.Div. at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 2003. He has been doing ongoing post-graduate training with the Pastoral Leadership Institute.

Please feel free to contact Pastor Matt with any needs or concerns.

Rev. Ethan Luft is the Associate Pastor of Youth and Family Life here at St. Andrews Lutheran Church and School. He and his wife, Wren, are Missouri natives – each from suburbs of Kansas City. They have recently celebrated the birth of their beautiful daughter Isla. Pastor Ethan has a passion for people. He loves building relationships and creating space for others to hear the hope that is ours in the death and resurrection of Jesus. In his personal time, Pastor Ethan can be found painting Bob Ross scenes with his wife, going on walks with his family, or playing his guitar to Isla. Pastor Ethan received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in General Business from Northwest Missouri State University in 2021. He is a 2025 graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO where he earned his Master of Divinity.

Please feel free to contact Pastor Ethan with any needs or concerns.

Greg Lendy is the Director of Music for the Contemporary Service at St Andrews and has been leading worship here since 2007. Prior to serving at St Andrews, Greg was the Choir Director and Contemporary Worship Leader at St.James Lutheran Church in Chicago. He is married to his wonderful wife Lisa and they have six amazing children and twelve beautiful grandchildren. Greg received his B.S. in Education from Northeastern Illinois University and taught in Arlington Heights for thirty years. He has over 40 years of experience leading worship and over 20 years of experience as a Youth Leader. Greg has a love for teaching bible studies, apologetics, and writing Christian music. He has written over 250 songs. Ten of those songs were on an album that reached number one on the iTunes chart and number one on the Billboard Top 100 Christian albums. He attributes any and all of his accomplishments to God alone and describes himself in the following way: Broken but made whole, sinner but made saint, once dead and now alive in Christ. Thankful for God’s abundant love, His undeserving mercy, and His amazing grace.

Ray is a long-term trusted leader and member of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, IL. He has been serving as a Christian Gift Planning Counselor since February 2010 and is currently working with three Chicagoland churches, including our own congregation. Ray is well-trained to assist you with expert, confidential advice to make sure that what’s important to you is accomplished. You will have the peace of mind that your intentions for family and ministry will be handled in a trustworthy way to protect your family and transfer the blessings. Ray works with the congregations in a special
partnership with the LCMS Foundation, who has over 64 years of experience in helping LCMS members create, protect and transfer the family blessings. He works to build trust and develop confidence and engage people in this stewardship and in the work of the Great Commission. Working behind Ray and our congregation stands the most comprehensive charitable expertise and resources in the LCMS.