Mark Sell

Pastor Sell was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and attended Lutheran schools throughout his entire education. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in 1988 and 1992, and wrote two masters theses under the direction of Rev. Dr. Kurt Marquart. He has taught in LCMS grade schools, high schools, Colleges and seminaries (Fort Wayne and St. Louis), while serving congregations in Fort Wayne, IN; St. George, UT; Mt. Clemens, MI; Wentzville, MO; and Edwardsville, IL and currently, Fenton, MO.

Pastor Sell has served the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at both the local and national level, making use of His administrative and business experience to help congregations in transition and publish Lutheran theology for all ages. He has authored articles and booklets on Luther’s Two Kingdom Theology, Hospice and Lutheran Care, NT Greek and was instrumental in writing and implementing policy for Hospice Chaplains for the Intermountain Healthcare System of the Rocky Mountain while serving as chaplain for Hospice and Oncology care in Southern Utah (Dixie Regional Medical Center).

His professional career outside of Pastoral ministry included everything from running a painting business to stay out of debt while studying to be a pastor, to being a manager for the Honey Baked Ham Co., and providing pastoral and churchly direction to the publication plans of Concordia Publishing House (CPH) as a former member of the board of directors. He served as the Senior Editor of professional, academic, and consumer books at CPH, which brought him and his family to St. Louis over 15 years ago. He has also served the LCMS to bring the gospel to AIDS widows and orphans and leading teams to serve on medical and human care mission trips to Kenya, Africa.

Pastor Sell began his pastoral ministry in Spring of 2013 at Our Savior Lutheran Church and School in Fenton. Pastor Sell views his ministry as “Seelsorge,” a soul healer. He says that teaching and preaching the comfort of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the medicine that brings peace and healing to sick souls. He believes that through the Word and the sacramental life, the Lord brings forgiveness to cure tortured souls who cry out for God’s mercy.

He credits his pastoral desire and commitment to Lutheran ministry to the compassionate and faithful love and care from his pastors and especially his Lutheran School teachers. He often says, “I’m a pastor because of my Lutheran school teachers.”

Having served Christ’s church locally and abroad, Pastor Sell still cherishes the unique and powerful role that our Lutheran schools play in shaping the lives of children. In our Lutheran schools, our children learn and grow in God’s mercy and become faithful members of local Lutheran churches wherever the Lord feeds them in their vocation for life. It his call in ministry to shepherd churches and schools where all lives flow from Christ’s altar into their communities to bring more souls back to the altar. Only before Christ’s Word and His gifts of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper can any person understand their place in life in a fallen world. The healing that Christ’s Word brings to people is the very strength to see young and old through crises in life or the commonality of the daily grind. In all of our vocations (calls to serve) God serves others, whether it be learning math, changing diapers, or holding the hand of a loved one who is dying of a terrible disease. In all of these, Christ’s victory over sin death and the devil prevails and the Christian lives in Christ and for Christ, now and into eternity.