Visitation hours are 2–6 p.m. at BridgePointe Evangelical Covenant Church, located at 4100 Lexington Way in Eagan. For a map and directions to the church, please see Location Page. To learn more about BridgePointe Covenant, visit the BridgePointe Covenant website.
A funeral service will be conducted at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 10, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Eagan, located at 4030 Pilot Knob Road in Eagan. The Catholic church was selected because of its capacity to accommodate the large number of individuals expected to attend the service, says Lindsay Small, who serves as associate pastor of Excelsior Covenant Church and will officiate at the funeral service.
“Carleton was one of those very effective and faithful pastors who has made a significant difference in the lives of a lot of people,” said Evangelical Covenant Church President Glenn Palmberg when informed of Peterson’s passing.
“He was all around good. He was bright, thoughtful and well read, an individual with marvelous people skills. He also was an effective preacher and a person who obviously cared. He faced his own death in ways that amaze all of us who watched. He was a real witness to the depth of his faith and his hope in Christ. He leaves many, many friends.”
Those sentiments were echoed by David Kersten, executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry. “Carleton was truly a pastor’s pastor; deeply skilled in all of the pastoral arts, a mentor and coach, providing wise counsel throughout the Covenant and the wider Christian community. He was innovative, entrepreneurial, caring and committed.”
Born in Fairmount, Minnesota, on February 21, 1943, Peterson was baptized in the Evangelical Covenant Church in Trimont, Minnesota. He attended North Park College and received a Bachelor in Pre-Theological Studies degree from the University of Minnesota.
He graduated from North Park Theological Seminary in 1970 and earned his Master in Theology degree at Duke University Divinity School.
He served as pastor of the Bellingham Covenant Church in Bellingham, Washington, for 14 years before serving at the Eagan (now BridgePointe) Covenant church for more than a decade. He served on the board of North Park University, the former Board of Publications, the North Pacific Conference board, the North Pacific Ministerial Association, and numerous other church and civic boards and committees.
In addition to his wife, Judy, he is survived by six children: Heather Elise, Anne Marie, Matthew, Evelyne Ashley, Holly Elizabeth, and Sarah.
In his ministerial profile last updated in 1992, Peterson penned these words in describing his goals for ministry: “To finish well; character formed by the gospel; faith in Christ; servanthood willingly embraced; and die believing my life was a positive contribution to the human situation.”
To learn more of his life and passing, visit Peterson’s Caring Bridge website page. More information will be posted to this Covenant news report as it becomes available.
