Trinity Lutheran Church
Our Staff
Trinity Lutheran Church & Trinity-St. John Lutheran School is blessed with a staff dedicated to our Lord's commission of "making disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). This page gives a brief introduction to our staff who serve the Lord at Trinity Lutheran Church and Trinity-St. John Lutheran School.
Rev. David Benning pastorb@tsjlutheran.org
I was born in a suburb outside of Chicago, IL the youngest of three brothers. In the late 1980’s my father took a call to teach at a Lutheran School in Springfield, IL. This is where I grew up going to the grade school where my dad taught and Lutheran High for high school. From there, I went on to Blackburn College where I met my wife before going off to study at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Our family loves to camp and we take our 3 kids and sometimes the goldfish camping in our travel trailer exploring all that God has created.
Jesus claimed me as a baby when I was baptized at just 1 month old. He continued to shape me as child of God through the commitment of my parents and the blessings of Lutheran education. But it wasn’t until I went off to study abroad in Wales during college that God would call me to be a pastor. While I was in Wales He put me into daily conversations with people about the faith He has given me. This has led me to continue those conversations with anyone who will listen so that I might have the opportunity to share Jesus with them.
In 2010 I graduated from Concordia Seminary and took my first call to Immanuel in Brookfield, WI. Eventually the Lord called me in 2014 to serve at St. John’s Lutheran Church in New Berlin, IL. While it was a blessing to come back so close to home the opportunity God gave me to pastor His people in a changing community was what brought us to Central Illinois. With our children growing older the Lord once again saw fit to change our lives by bring us to Trinity Nashville where we pray we be able to continue His work in this new Family of Faith. As we encourage others to have conversations with the people in their life that lead to conversations about Jesus. Always being prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have. But doing so with gentleness and respect. (Paraphrase 1Peter 3:15 NIV)
Tania Maschhoff
Executive Secretary
Melanie Cooper
Trinity-St. John Lutheran School
Principal