Pastor Mark Preus
Pastor Mark Preus was ordained on August 8, 2010 here at Faith Lutheran in Wylie. He is a graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. Pr. Preus is a lover of good Lutheran theology because it is so practical and comforting for Christian consciences.
The fifth son of twelve children of the Rev. Rolf and Dorothy Preus, Mark was born in St. Cloud, MN. He grew up in East Grand Forks, MN and Racine, WI, where his father served as pastor. Pr. Preus says that every evening at 6 o’clock his mom had dinner on the table and the family sat together and listened to their father and mother talk. They sang hymns and heard God’s Word read to them and talked over questions that had been brought up at school. It was from this healthy study of God’s Word that Mark learned the joy of Christian doctrine – that it wasn’t a stale text-book repeat-after-me repetition, but the source of life itself. Two of Mark’s brothers are pastors as well, while four more are currently attending Seminary.
Pr. Preus spent a year in Germany in High School and then attended Bethany Lutheran College for two years, where he met his future wife, Rebecca Streufert. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2004 with a B.A. in Latin, and after completing his Master of Divinity in 2008, went on to obtain an M.A. in Classics at the University of Kansas in 2010.
He loves his family, which includes his lovely wife Becky and their five children, Hannah, Paul, John, Anastasia and Christian. His favorite things are good Lutheran theology, Lutheran hymns, singing, playing the harmonic (although he’s not very good), listening to his congregation sing Lutheran hymns, writing Lutheran hymns, defending Lutheran hymns (he really likes Lutheran hymns, if you can’t tell), and teaching Lutheran hymns to his wife and children. Pr. Preus writes about hymnody on his blog: http://revivelutheranhymns.blogspot.com/.
He would go cross-country skiing if he could, but the climate isn’t exactly conducive for it. He loves to teach his children poetry and talk with them. He has recently begun brewing beer like a good Lutheran pastor, but he got last place in the latest competition, so he has a lot to learn. He also thoroughly enjoys going on walks and dates with his wife, where he talks her ear off about Lutheran hymns.