Mourners pay tribute to Pastor Paul Youngdahl

Thousands mourners are expected at memorial services today for the Rev. Paul Youngdahl, senior pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, who died this week.
Services will be held at noon and 3 p.m. at Mount Olivet's Minneapolis campus located at 5025 Knox Avenue S. Services are also being streamed live from the church's website at www.mtolivet.org.
Youngdahl was an associate pastor for nearly six years before he became the senior pastor of Mount Olivet in 1974. Under his leadership, Mount Olivet maintained its position as the country's largest Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation with more than 13,000 baptized members.
Youngdahl was the longest serving senior pastor at Mount Olivet Church. His father, Reuben Youngdahl (1911-1968), served as the senior pastor of Mount Olivet for 30 years. Paul Youngdahl died unexpectedly on Monday from an existing thoracic aneurysm at North Memorial Hospital.
Those paying tribute to Youngdahl at the Friday services include: Stephen Youngdahl, Paul Youngdahl's brother, a retired pastor from a church in Austin, Texas; Paul Youngdahl's daughter, Kristi; the Rev. Craig Johnson, bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Ken Kotzer, associate pastor at Mount Olivet.
A private committal service is being held for the family.