Longtime Palatine pastor with a flair for dramatic

In 1976, the Rev. Robert H. Clausen arrived at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine with a rather unique background. He had trained in theater and television, and yet he had a desire to reach more worshippers.

"In many ways, they're not inconsistent," says his son, Christopher, now of Pelham, N.Y. "Through his ministry, he was able to fuse his two passions."

Pastor Clausen eventually served the Palatine-based congregation for 31 years, literally up until three weeks ago.

Now, his parishioners and many contacts across the Northwest suburbs are mourning his loss. He passed away Tuesday, at the age of 80.

"He was a pioneer in bringing drama and the arts into worship services, into a traditional Lutheran church," says the Rev. Bill Orris, worship and music director at Immanuel Lutheran.

Orris describes how Pastor Clausen helped create the "Rejoice Singers" to bring a contemporary sound to the worship. During the service, he would wear his normal clothes instead of vestments, and come down from the pulpit for his sermon.

While Bill Hybels was doing many of the same things when he formed Willow Creek Community Church from a youth group in Palatine, Orris points out that the Rev. Clausen had a tougher crowd: a mainline Protestant church steeped in tradition.

"In the beginning, he met with a lot of resistance," Orris says, "but more and more people began to come, including more young people."

Pastor Clausen incorporated dramatic presentations within the context of the worship service, with a cast of actors who had rehearsed their scripts.

"It was a very creative way to bring the word of Christ to the congregation," adds his son, now a Wall Street lawyer.

Pastor Clausen came from a traditional background, where both his father and grandfather were Lutheran ministers. Yet, after studying at the seminary, Pastor Clausen bucked tradition and went to work for Lutheran Television Productions in Hollywood.

He was an Army chaplain from 1953 to 1955 in Germany, where he met his wife, Elsbeth. Pastor Clausen spent the next year studying acting at the American Theater Wing in New York, before earning a fine arts degree at the University of Georgia.

The next few years would see him split his time between teaching and acting --both at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights and Concordia College in Seward, Neb. --and serving as a minister at Zoar Lutheran Church in Elmwood Park.

When he accepted the call to come to Palatine, Pastor Clausen's first concerns were with its physical campus. He was charged with building a new school and shoring up the congregation.

As the contemporary worship services began to take hold, however, Pastor Clausen found more time to write and produce religious-based drama productions, as well as produce video productions, particularly exploring the life of Martin Luther.

Pastor Clausen's legacy at Immanuel Lutheran Church lives on. Of its three worship services, two have contemporary elements, reversing the schedule his first years there, when three services were traditional, with the one contemporary.

The Rejoice Singers also continue to perform both at their home church and throughout the area, and they will celebrate their 30th anniversary next year.

Besides his son, Pastor Clausen is survived by his wife, Elsbeth, and daughters Kristen Schmidt of Irvine, Calif., and Kara, of Palatine, as well as four grandchildren.

Visitation will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. today followed by a 10:30 a.m. funeral service Saturday, both at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 200 N. Plum Grove Road in Palatine.