Pastor A. Mark Friz

Pastor Mark Friz is the Senior Pastor at St. Paul’s. A true whirlwind of activity, he is always looking for new ways to serve God and his church family.

Rev. Mark Friz is the Senior Pastor at St. Paul's Evangelical Free Church, in St. Louis, Missouri. He and his wife, Gayle, have four children: Jonathan (married to Cassi), Caleb (married to Ruth), Lydia and Paul. They have one grandchild: Gabriel Micah Friz.

Pastor Mark has been at St. Paul's since 1994. He and the pastoral staff at St. Paul's have a passion for healthy churches, and have focused their ministries on enhancing the health of the St. Paul's congregation and other church with whom they consult. In 1999, the St. Paul's congregation joined the Evangelical Free Church of America.

Before coming to St. Paul's, Pastor Mark served St. Stephan's United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois (1980-1985) and St. Luke's Evangelical Church in Wellington, Missouri (1985-1993). In 1987, he cofounded (with Rev. Ross McClellan) the King's Kids camping program in Missouri, and continues to direct camps as his schedule allows. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Live at Peace Ministries, a Christian counseling and conciliation service, located in St. Louis; and a police chaplain for the Creve Coeur Police Department.

He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. On June 9, 2001, Pastor Mark received his Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. The title of his dissertation was: A Strategy for the Sustained Revitalization of St. Paul's Evangelical Free Church in St. Louis.

A Bit of Trivia

• Pastor Mark is a fan of Star Trek.

• He enjoys white water rafting (much to the chagrin of his wife, Gayle Friz).