Room to Grow, Room to Lead

Adam Hatle on watching Peace shape his life—and now his kids’

Hi, I’m Adam Hatle. I’ve been telling this story for years, and it finally seemed time to write it down—to share how Peace Lutheran has shaped my life and the way I think about serving the church today.

My family moved to Sioux Falls when I was about 6 months old and found Peace Lutheran. It was a thriving place for young families, and we fit right in. My mom taught Sunday school and my dad always helped as an usher. My parents showed me that church isn’t just about sitting in the pew—it’s about getting involved and connecting with people.

What I remember most is how natural it felt to be known at Peace. There were teachers, youth leaders, musicians, and pastors who just kept showing up year after year. Because of them, the church felt like more than a building—it felt like a place where young people were expected to belong.

I followed my older sister into Confirmation and youth group, and was involved in the children’s choirs. I went to the national youth gathering in St. Louis and still have memories from that experience. In high school, my interest in technology connected with church in a new way—a few of us set up the new youth room with donated equipment, and I found old audio gear in the fellowship hall and got it working again.

Peace also had a portable sound system we used for outdoor worship. A friend and I borrowed it for a couple of school events and realized we loved creating experiences with music. That eventually led us to buy our own equipment and start a business in high school. Even at college at SDSU, I still had events in Sioux Falls on weekends, so I never really left Peace behind.

I met my future wife in college, and she started coming to church with me. After college, we got married at Peace, moved back to Sioux Falls, and continued to call Peace our church home—and I found myself learning what it meant to belong here as an adult, a husband, and eventually a parent.

Music was one of the first places I found I had something to give back. I joined the Peace Brass and choir, and later started filling in with the praise band—I’ve been helping lead worship ever since. I’ve also served on the building committee, pastor call committees, and as President of the Church Council, which helped me see how much work happens behind the scenes to keep a congregation healthy.

As my kids have come up through the youth program, I’ve found myself focusing more on their experience. I’ve been a small group leader in confirmation, and when Wednesday nights shifted to include music and worship, I brought in sound and lighting equipment from my business to help create a more immersive space. Now we’re starting to involve the kids themselves as singers and technicians.

I went to New Orleans for the national youth gathering with my daughter, and I’m planning Minneapolis next year with my son. It’s rewarding to see my kids have the same kind of experience I had in high school. As I look back, I can see how Peace has shaped every season of my life—preschool, youth group, marriage, parenthood, leadership, and worship. The same church that gave me room to grow is now giving the next generation room to lead, serve, sing, run sound, and discover their own faith. A church becomes strongest when people of every age understand it belongs to all of us.