Pastor: Even Denny Hecker needs love

The Rev. Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren's decision to marry imprisoned former auto magnate Denny Hecker and longtime girlfriend Christi Rowan has left him feeling a bit unloved.

Despite the criticism from within and without his congregation, the pastor said he would do it again. "I think it may end up reflecting well on our church," said Geisendorfer-Lindgren, who leads the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Maple Grove. "I think, upon reflection, people are going to say that it was OK. In general, I don't judge people who want to get married."

Hecker was a charter member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America megachurch of 8,000 members. Last year he asked Geisendorfer-Lindgren if he could attend Easter services there, given that he was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet and his presence was likely to draw a lot of attention.

Geisendorfer-Lindgren told him he was welcome and since then has remained in regular contact, visiting him behind bars about once a month. Inmates are allowed only "in-person" visits with their clergy and attorneys.

Hecker's pastor declined to discuss details of his meetings with Hecker but said getting married was "really important to him. He didn't like that it was always 'Denny Hecker's girlfriend.' That just kind of bothered him, and he wanted to be married."

Geisendorfer-Lindgren said he performed the Feb. 22 ceremony by speaker phone, with Rowan and two witnesses at Lord of Life Church and Hecker in the Sherburne County jail.

"Lawyers advised me that a marriage by phone was valid," he said.

The public reaction to the wedding included some harsh and "really, really mean," mostly anonymous, e-mails, and Geisendorfer-Lindgren felt he had to say something to his congregants. In a recent sermon and an e-mail letter to church members, he explained that the marriage had been in the works since last summer.

Timing became an issue when Hecker was jailed months before his sentencing on charges that he bilked commercial lenders of tens of millions of dollars. In February, the former auto baron was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and is serving that time in Duluth. Rowan was sentenced earlier this month to 14 months for bank fraud and other charges and is expected to be sent to a prison in Illinois.

"I made the decision to do that because it seemed to me to be the Christian thing to do," his letter said. "Please know that my intent was not to cause the church harm or embarrassment or any of you heartache."

Tim Jenneke, president of the congregational council at Lord of Life Church, said the initial reaction of the congregation was, "'He did what?' Denny and Christi are polarizing figures in this town. So it didn't sit well with some people.

"After hearing his response ... I think people understood. Does everybody agree with it? I'm sure not. But I think people understood where it was coming from."

The Rev. Craig Johnson, bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA, said Geisendorfer-Lindgren's "pastoral history has been at a high level. I'm sure that he checked out legal issues in this case and made a decision about the Heckers that was best for them and best for his congregation."

"Most often a pastor says yes to persons seeking marriage. Sometimes we're called to say no. From my standpoint, I trust our pastors in our parishes to give appropriate pastoral care."