Pastor Bender was ordained in 1987 in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  He was installed as the Pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in 1991.  Under Pastor Bender, the congregation established Peace Lutheran Academy in 1995.  Pastor has been instrumental in educating the congregation about the importance of catechesis, and in creating materials that are used in the catechesis of congregation members, public school students, and Academy students, as well as in churches and schools all over the world.