Pastor Leith Anderson, who's led Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie as senior pastor for nearly 35 years, announced Wednesday evening he'll be retiring at year's end.

Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is a member of the church, which he and his wife have attended for almost three decades. Anderson married the couple and has a close, pastoral relationship with them, he says.

Anderson notes, however, the timing of his retirement has nothing to do with Pawlenty's run for president. He does not plan to participate in his campaign, but will "retain a friendship and perhaps a pastoral role" with the former Minnesota governor: "I'm not going to have a political role or relationship."

In fact, Anderson said he decided about a year ago he'd retire at year's end. And yesterday he made it official, e-mailing this letter to church congregants and posting it on the church's website:

Anderson helped build the church of nearly 1,000 into one of the most prominent megachurches in the country. Besides Eden Prairie, Wooddale has a church campus in Edina and established another nine congregations around the Twin Cities and in Nisswa, Minn.

Anderson also extended his own ministry beyond the church with daily radio and television programs, writing more than a dozen books, teaching in numerous seminaries and conducting an extensive national and international speaking schedule.