Executive Staff
Pastor John Scheusner
Senior Pastor
Pastor John Scheusner grew up Racine, WI. He holds a BA in theology from Oral Roberts University and an M. Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and completed additional graduate work at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He served full time in church music and worship for ten years prior to ordination.
Ordained into the North American Lutheran Church in 2011, Pastor John served at All Saints Lutheran Church in Arlington, TX for nine years. In 2021 he entered the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod through colloquy. He has served as Senior Pastor at Trinity since August 2021.
He is married to Katharine, a Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in hospital emergency care. They have four children: Caleb, Matthew, Katie, and Andrew.
Pastor John enjoys playing the piano, anything related to cars and driving, travel, and discovering local restaurants and coffee shops.
Ben Prohl
Associate Pastor of Outreach
Ben Prohl, originally from Ohio, 'got to Texas as fast as he could,' upon finishing seminary at Concordia, St. Louis in 2022. He was called to Trinity that same year in July of 2022 and married his wife Jenn in August 2022. Ben and Jenn both love to connect and walk with the college students and young adults as they go through the major life changes of college and careers. Ben and Jenn are expecting a child September 2025 and cannot wait to be parents and raise their daughter at their home in Flint, TX where they can sit out on their back porch and watch the cows and horses.
Karl Winkler
Director of Christian Education (DCE)
Karl Winkler is a proud native Texan who grew up in the central Texas area. He received his Bachelor's Degree as a Director of Christian Education in 2007 from Concordia Texas University. Karl has served at Trinity since 2007 as director of student ministry. He also met his wife, Alicia, in Tyler and they have been blessed with four beautiful children. Karl loves mentoring students and helping them connect their faith to their daily lives.
Laura Kuegele
Director of Children and Family Ministries (DCE)
Laura joined the staff at Trinity in September of 2017. Laura has served as a Director of Christian Education since 2002 and has served from children's ministry to youth/young adult. She has a passion for helping parents be Christ-like servant leaders in their home by leading their child in faith and to leverage distinctive opportunities to influence their child's life.
Penny Robbins
Early Childhood Ministry Director
Penny has been the director of Trinity’s Early Childhood Ministry since February 2020. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1987 and a master’s degree in early childhood education, in 2011. Penny has over 25 years of experience as an educator. Her career/ministry began at Christ the King Lutheran School in Memphis, TN and includes several years of teaching kindergarten to 3rd grade, six years of teaching preschool, and a year of coaching Prekindergarten teachers in the Texas School Ready program. Penny and her husband, Brian, have been blessed with three children who are all young adults. Penny’s passion is to instill the love of Jesus in children’s hearts and to inspire the love of learning in both children and adults.
Church Support Staff
Cindy Saddler
Office Manager
Cindy has been on staff at Trinity Lutheran Church since May 2002. As TLC's office manager, she finds joy in the many different people, from staff to church members, that she is able to interact with each day. She has been married to her husband, Scott, for 32 years. They are blessed with two grown children and two beautiful grandaughters.
Mike Titus
Operations Manager
Mike is originally from California, where he met and married Kim. Mike, Kim and their twin sons Matthew and Joel moved to Tyler in June of 2017. After becoming a member of Trinity Lutheran in February 2018, Mike joined the Properties Ministry and was elected chairman. This is a natural fit, as he spent more than 30 years in the construction field as a project manager, and estimator. It is his project management, and twenty years as the primary estimator for a landscape construction firm, along with seven years in multi-unit food service management that lends his experience and talents to his position at Trinity as the Operations Manager.
During free time Mike and Kim enjoy traveling throughout Texas and the southern states, getting to know their new home. He and Kim like antiquing in every small town they visit. Mike also enjoys fishing, hunting and target shooting.
Early Childhood Ministry Support Staff
Dwindy Hart
Assistant Director, Early Childhood Ministry
Dwindy has served on staff at Trinity's Early Childhood Ministry for 17 years. She and her husband, Michael, have been married 22 years and have been blessed with two wonderful children. She enjoys spending time with her family on their small farm. She also loves sewing, kayaking, reading, and hiking.
Rachel Branham
Curriculum Coordinator
Rachel has worked with the children and families of the Trinity's Early Childhood ministry for the past twenty years as a teacher, and then as the Curriculum Coordinator. She has loved working in the classrooms, and getting to be creative in her administrative role, but most importantly, she has loved sharing the word of God and the overwhelming love of Jesus Christ with the many children and families who are served through this ministry. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (Elementary Education) from The University of Texas at Tyler, and an Associate of Arts from Kilgore College. Though she taught at a private Christian school for two years, God led her to work in early childhood.
Rachel and her husband, Jason, are self-described geeks and love going to Comic Cons. They have two sweet kitties: Piet and MoMo.