Pastor Hierald has a passion for stories hidden out of sight, which drives him to work collaboratively and creatively to bring those stories to light. Hierald is currently the Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s–San Pablo Lutheran Church, a bilingual ELCA congregation in the heart of South Minneapolis, MN. He is also a teaching fellow at the Leadership Center for Social Justice at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

Prior to moving to Minneapolis, he served at Ithaca College as the Executive Director for Student Equity & Belonging and the founding Director of Religious & Spiritual Life. At Ithaca College, he nurtured a vision of interfaith collaboration and inclusive community.

Hierald received his Masters of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He also received a Certificate of Study in Theology and Decolonization from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, Brazil where he studied under liberation theologians: Dra. Ivone Gebara, Dr. Jung Mo Sung, and Dr. Néstor Míguez. Hierald’s name reflects his Salvadoran heritage. When you see his name in print, don’t let the “H” throw you off: just remember that the “H” is silent, like in “Hola!” Three words that describe Pastor Hierald? Intuitive, insightful innovator.