Rev. Tatum was born and raised in South Los Angeles, California, and is a graduate of Biola University, La Mirada, California and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS), Berkeley, California. Pastor LB’s entry into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) began at Ascension Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, where he served as Minister of Youth and Families (2005-2009).

 

Pastor LB went on to complete his internship and theological education while serving Messiah Lutheran Church, South Los Angeles (2009-2015). From there, he was called to serve as a pastor at the historical Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.

 

Founded in 1666, Pastor LB presided as Frederick Lutheran celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2016, making it the oldest, continuously worshipping Lutheran congregation in the Western Hemisphere. LB was later called to serve the New Hope Lutheran Church, Jamaica, New York in July 2019 and most recently Saint Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York.

 

Pastor Tatum’s secular occupation and training involved working in the field of faith-rooted community organizing where he labored and partnered in support of statewide policy advocacy, civic engagement, and social justice initiatives for urban neighborhood revitalization.

 

LB enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He loves spending quality time with his wife Arlene and adult children - Shafari, Jordan and Sydney.

 

His personal mission statement is, “To be Christ centered and community connected by offering my God given gifts, talent and ability to serve, honor and grow in God through worship and outreach to all.”

 

And his final thought on his Candidate Commentary is, “I have come to realize that the soil of our hearts has to be made soft and pliable to receive the seed of the word for growth to take place. Even if you have the most effective and innovative outreach strategies in the world, if the ground of our hearts is hard, nothing can take root and grow.”