.

Megadeth Bassist Wants to Be a Lutheran Pastor

Dave Ellefson studying for ministry online

January 20, 2012 2:35 PM ET
 Megadeth
Megadeth bassist David Ellefson performs during the Jagermeister Fall Music Tour at the Pearl concert theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Megadeth's best-selling album is Countdown to Destruction, but in the meantime at least one of the band's members is making the most of life on earth. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, bassist Dave Ellefson is an online student in the Specific Ministry Program at Concordia Seminary. 

"Most people want to be a rock star," said Jon Bjorgaard, pastor of the Lutheran church in Scottsdale, AZ, where Ellefson and his family are congregants. "David's a rock star who wants to become a pastor."

Ellefson grew up attending Lutheran services in his native Minnesota, but when he moved to L.A. and joined Megadeth, he was lured into the rock & roll lifestyle. At 25, he entered a 12-step recovery program and reconnected with his faith. 

When Bjorgaard asked the rocker to start a contemporary worship service, he began performing for the church. "For a Christmas service, I remixed some classics, not quite in a Megadeth fashion, but in a pretty heavy rock fashion," he said.

Next week Megadeth kicks off a tour with Motorhead in New Jersey. During downtime on the road, Ellefson will hit his homework. "Some peolel want to morph things together into one," he said, "but I have a hand in both worlds. I love praise and worship music, and I love heavy metal."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Music Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus
Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Song Stories

“My President”

Young Jeezy | 2008

Young Jeezy teams up with Nas on this track, in which he compare his own success with the idea of an African-American winning the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. "When I pulled up in my car, that s--- was unbelievable to people in my neighborhood because they were like, 'We grew up with him. How the hell did he accomplish this?'" he told Rolling Stone. "I feel like it was the same way with Obama. I grew up all this time, but I've never seen a black man this close to running this country."

More Song Stories entries »