Our Staff

THE REV. Dr. DEAN SEAL

Pastor Dean began his call to ministry with Shepherd of the Hill Church in November 2014. The center of his theology is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He has a Master’s Degree in Theology and the Arts (MATA) ’04, a Master of Divinity (MDiv) ’05 from United Seminary in Minneapolis and Doctor of Ministry (DMin) ‘23 from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. He was ordained to a ministry in Interfaith Dialogue in 2008. Pastor Dean is founder of Spirit in the House, Inc., a non-profit organization that explores spiritual diversity through the arts, and spent two years producing Forgiveness 360, an interfaith exploration of forgiveness in several faiths. (Along the way he wrote and produced a TPT MN show, Exploring Forgiveness.)

Rev. Dr. Seal was an Adjunct Professor of Religion at Augsburg University in Minneapolis for 11 years.  Before that he was in Showbiz; he was an award-winning producer of the MN Fringe Festival for 4 years, managed the Bryant Lake Bowl Cabaret Theater for 2 years, performed in Mr. Elk and Mr. Seal on Comedy Central when it started, and wrote for A Prairie Home Companion, MTV, and elsewhere. He enjoys a vibrant family life with his wife Kirsten, a Family Therapist, and their son Jake, an artist and animator. 

Music Director, Ted Godbout

Ted joined Shepherd of the Hill in May, 2013. Ted is an accomplished jazz and classical pianist and composer who teaches at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN and at the Chaska School of Music. He holds B.A. degrees in Piano and Jazz Performance and Conducting from Saint John’s and a Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Jazz from the University of Oregon. You can catch Ted playing in clubs throughout the Twin Cities.

Ted plays for worship and directs our choir five out of every six Sundays.

Accompanist, Kacie Foster

When Ted’s not leading the music, you’ll find Kacie at the piano.