Dressed in shorts and a multi-colored, almost psychedelic shirt, Tor Berg described himself, at one point, as laid back and relaxed.

Asked about hobbies or activities, he mentioned golf and fly fishing.

“I do like a good beer,” Berg added, later stating a cold Mac and Jack’s “goes down good every time.”

“We get so focused on doing the right thing,” Berg continued, “instead of on relationships… To me, sitting down and having a beer with someone is just good fellowship.”

Some might be surprised by the unpretentious and apparent easy-going attitude of the newest pastor of the oldest Lutheran congregation in Washington.

Sitting in its present location on Northeast 183rd Street just on the outskirts of downtown Bothell for more than a century, First Lutheran Church is surprisingly not the oldest church in the city. By a few months, that honor goes to Bothell United Methodist Church near Bothell High School.

Nevertheless, Berg and his congregation will mark 125 years as a church with a six-month celebration next year. Berg stated the sense of history that surrounds the church is part of what attracted him to his new Bothell pulpit.

“There’s not too many congregations that have that weight of history,” Berg added.

The current First Lutheran structure itself went up in the mid-1960s. Berg wasn’t sure of the exact date, saying it’s one of the many things he still needs to learn about his new flock and its spiritual home. He also wants to study where to take the church next.

“That’s the fun part of a new marriage,” he said, “figuring out what we are going to do.”

Born and raised in Redmond, Berg only arrived at the Bothell church June 27. He spent the last 12 years as pastor of a church in Pullman, but added he decided it was time to move on.

“I really felt my ministry there was coming to an end,” he said.

The Bothell congregation had spent three years with an interim pastor, but Berg got the job permanently after a couple of interviews and meetings with church members. He now makes his home in Woodinville with his in-laws, wife Susan and two children, Micah and Hannah.

In addition to the history of First Lutheran, Berg also said he just likes the way the congregation conducts itself, both within the walls of the church and in the community at large. In fact, Berg talked a lot about the church’s connections to the community and how he hopes that only will grow.

“Their focus is on outreach,” he said, adding that church members have a “real feel” for social ministry. First Lutheran is involved with food donations and hosting various community groups such as Al-Anon. There is a congregation within the congregation, with First Lutheran acting as home to a Chinese Lutheran church.

In a closely related vein, Berg said he is especially impressed and surprised by a ministry the church runs for members, or families of members, who are in the military. Service-member pictures are displayed in the church lobby, but Berg said more importantly those service members are sent regular care packages, as well as prayers.

“It’s important,” he added. “Those kids need all the help they can get.”

As for how the congregation conducts its regular ministry, Berg again said he’s impressed. He said worship services are well-organized, with attention paid to the details. He seems to enjoy how First Lutheran approaches music, saying it’s all done with “integrity.”

“It doesn’t feel like it’s thrown together,” Berg said.

Returning again to First Lutheran’s history, Berg said it was founded in 1886 by a group of Norwegians and Danes. Being Norwegian himself, he added that’s another small reason he sought the pastorship of the church. He said back when the church was new, several other denominations had homes nearby.

“It was like church corner here,” he said.