To email Pastor Gretchen, click here.

As a pastor, chaplain and spiritual director, Gretchen cares about supporting others as they experience the living God in all of life and are healed and freed by those encounters to live fully for and with others. 

Gretchen grew up in Moville, IA, as the daughter of an immigrant mother and a Lutheran pastor. She is a graduate of Luther College (BA), with an MBA and MPA from Syracuse University, an MDiv from Wartburg Theological Seminary, and a certificate in Ignatian Spiritual Direction from Creighton University. 

After serving the ELCA’s Churchwide Office (Chicago), Gretchen served with the Enterprise Foundation, financing affordable housing development across NY and TX. She led the ecumenical food pantry board of Micah 6 of Austin, TX and served on the founding team of Open Door Exchange, a Long Island furniture bank. She also treasures the time as chaplain with North Shore University Hospital (Long Island), Children’s Hospital of Omaha, Creighton University Campus Ministry (Omaha), and Sacred Heart Medical Center (Spokane).

Gretchen and her husband Sacha are parents to two adult “children”,
Eleanor (Indiana) and Eli (Ohio), who are their greatest teachers. 
Gretchen savors any chance to share a long conversation with family or friend, sing, play piano, hike near mountain streams, dig in the dirt,
or watch Zag basketball –
all with dark chocolate close at hand.
She is humbled to serve alongside the people of St. Mark’s this year.