John J. Bombaro is Senior Pastor of St. James Lutheran Church, Lafayette, IN. He also holds the rank of Commander in the Navy Reserves, serving as a LCMS Chaplain. His undergraduate training took place at Rutgers University and Columbia International University, with studies continuing at the University of Edinburgh (MTh), King’s College London (PhD), Concordia Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Westfield House, Cambridge (DTM). He has been a faculty member at Dickinson College, Messiah College, University of San Diego, Luther Academy (Rīga) and Charles University (Prague). Dr. Bombaro planted St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Kaua’i, and Blessed Sacrament Lutheran Church, Hayden, Idaho. From 2007 to 2018, he was Senior Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, San Diego. The Bombaro family were missionaries in Europe from 2020 to 2024. He and his wife, Melinda, have four children and love Penn State football and national parks.