Pastor Joseph M. Freeman

Pastor Joe Freeman, 77, of Carmel, passed away on Friday, July 25, 2025 at Story Cottage at Carey Grove in Carmel. He was born on November 12, 1947 in Columbus, Ohio.

Pastor Joe received his Bachelor of Arts from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and his Master of Divinity Studies from Yale University. He was initially assigned as an associate pastor at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Lima, Ohio, and then Bethany Lutheran Church in Englewood, Colorado. In 1981, he relocated to Fishers, Indiana and founded Christ the Savior Lutheran Church. He grew the parish from starting in the basement of the Lions Club to over 1200 baptized members by knocking on doors one by one and inviting families to his church. This demonstrated his passion for sharing Christ and desire to mentor others. Pastor Joe never met a stranger and was a big advocate of bringing different denominations of the Christian faith together. He left the church he founded in late 2011 and began working at Heartland Church in Fishers, Indiana where he finished his career.

He is survived by his daughters, Rachel (Dan) Austin and Hannah Freeman; grandchildren, Kiara Elizabeth Jackson and Cameron Joseph Leonard; and sister, Paula Diane (Tom) Miller.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Dolores Garretson.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 12:00 pm on Friday, August 1, 2025 at Heartland Church, 14900 East 126th Street in Fishers. Visitation will be from 11:00 am to the time of service. Private burial will be at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Indianapolis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Heartland Church for Mentoring Community Youth, 14900 East 126th St, Fishers, IN 46037 and please leave a comment with your favorite memory of Pastor Joe.

Condolences: www.randallroberts.com