April 2026
Reverend Bob Geaschel was recently elected to the LCMS Northern Illinois District Board of Directors. He steps in to the position left vacant when Reverend Benjamin Hayter, who previously served Zion, Chebanse, took a call to another District.
NIDnews.org was able to learn more about Rev. Geaschel and Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Burr Ridge, where he
has served since 1996, first as assistant pastor, and now as senior pastor.
Pastor Geaschel has an interesting history, in that he did not grow up as a Lutheran. In fact, he grew up in a Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois and later was in a pre-seminary program with the Roman Catholic Church. Marty Marks, who currently serves as pastor at Immanuel, DeKalb and was then a fellow Northern Illinois University ROTC student, invited Bob to Lutheran Student Fellowship at Immanuel, DeKalb. Pastor Geaschel was then confirmed by Rev. E. George Krause and continued on to seminary to complete training to become an LCMS pastor.
He shared, “… I love the LCMS. I was not born into it. I chose to be a part. I am so very thankful for our confessional heritage and personally strive to walk with my fellow brother pastors in unity and collaboration. I subscribe, without reservation, to God’s Word and our Confessions.”
When asked why he was interested in being considered for the open position on the NID Board of Directors, he said, “I wanted to support the Mission and Ministry of the NID. I was also interested in learning more about how a District operates at this level, and serving together is what Synod is all about.”
He sees the role of serving on the Board of Directors as being responsible to the congregations of the NID in making sure the District is properly managed and confessionally focused. He also spoke of support and encouragement to the entire District staff, but especially to the District President.
Pastor Geaschel has been involved in other church-related entities and in the community throughout his ministry. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for Hearts for Honduras (a mission started by San Pablo Lutheran in Aurora, Illinois) and has participated in several mission trips to Honduras. He has served as an advisor to LCC K9 Ministry to the Armed Forces and personally served in the Armed Forces for 23 years (19 of those years as a Chaplain under the endorsement of the LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces, Missions). He currently serves as Chaplain to the Willow Springs Police Department and Pleasantview Fire Protection District. Additionally, he teaches suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention with churches and organizations and has several other certifications.
Pastor Geaschel regularly participates in District and regional events. Trinity’s congregation has been a part of the Lay Leadership Summit and the District’s annual Shine! servant event.
We asked Pastor Geaschel to share a bit more about Trinity, Burr Ridge. “Trinity, Burr Ridge is located on the southwest suburbs of Chicago. I-55 and I-294 are the closest intersecting roadways. This farm and labor community has changed into a residential community for business owners and professions. Our church has about 900 baptized members with three worship services on a weekend. Our school operates the only local learn-at-play outdoor preschool and serves about 80 students.”
He also said, “We are definitely seeing an increase in adult membership and baptisms. Our challenges are with our
school, as fewer Lutheran families are moving into the area, We are working hard to connect to communities around us. One of our strategies includes offering a first responder tuition discount, and we are happy to serve many police, military, and firefighting families.”
When asked to share any other interesting facts about Trinity, Burr Ridge, he gave the following details:
- The church is situated on five acres in Burr Ridge, Illinois, and the school is across the street, situated on five acres in Willow Springs, Illinois.
- The first burial recorded for their church cemetery is 1863.
- Grace Lutheran Church in Willow Springs was served by Trinity, Burr Ridge from 1940 – 1962, when Grace called their own pastor.
In June, Pastor Geaschel and his wife, Michele, will have been married for 30 years. (She attended Lutheran Student Fellowship with him at Northern Illinois University and they were confirmed together by Rev. Krause.) She has worked as a public school teacher, but is currently the school secretary at Trinity, Burr Ridge. They have one adult son who is married.
We welcome Reverend Geaschel to his new role as a member of the LCMS Northern Illinois District Board of Directors. We thank him for the time to let us know a bit more about himself and the ministry he serves. We also pray for God’s continued blessings on his ministry and for the people and mission of Trinity, Burr Ridge.
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