Pastor Sue Koesterman is native to the Fargo/Moorhead area but lived in Fergus Falls MN from 1989 – 2006.  She earned a BA in Philosophy from MSUM in Moorhead and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St Paul MN. Pastor Sue served as pastor at Elim Lutheran Church in downtown Fargo for 10 years prior to taking her current call as Chief Executive Officer at Churches United for the Homeless in Moorhead. While serving in parish ministry she worked closely with others in the community to organize the FM Sheltering Churches Project. Pastor Sue continues to be active as a community organizer and advocate on behalf of those who are struggling with homelessness and poverty.  Churches United for the Homeless completed construction of the Bright Sky Apartments in February of 2018.  The Bright Sky Apartments provide 43 units of Permanent Supportive Housing in Moorhead, MN. In January of 2019 the FM Dorothy Day House of Hospitality and the Dorothy Day Food Pantries merged with Churches United for the Homeless.  The organization currently employs 76 team members across 6 sites, serving approximately 425 persons each day by providing safe shelter, stable housing, nutritious food and a path towards healing. 

I’m excited to serve as a champion in the area of Adaptability in leadership.  Throughout my career, and especially during the past two and a half years of the pandemic, I have found that the ability to be adaptable is a critical leadership characteristic.  I have long lived and worked according to the missing beatitude, “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape!”