St. Mark's Lutheran Church is at 2001 South Elmwood Avenue in the heart of Sioux Falls. Its mission is to nurture faith and life for loving service in Christ's name. The congregation is known for welcoming worship, a distinctive pyramid-shaped sanctuary with expansive clear-glass windows, education across the generations, and service extending from hunger assistance and quilts to mission trips and special projects. It is a Lutheran church open to all and identifies as a Reconciling in Christ congregation.
A 1954 Mission Takes Root in Southwest Sioux Falls
St. Mark's began as a mission congregation of Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church after a need and a dream led organizers to purchase land in 1952. At that time, southwest Sioux Falls was still expanding beyond corn fields, with paved roads, trees, and neighborhood homes not yet defining the area. Support from Augustana Lutheran Church and other Swedish-background churches of the Sioux Falls District helped the new congregation begin. Its organizational meeting was held November 29, 1954, and the Reverend Dallas Young became its first pastor.
Until the first unit was completed in 1958, worship took place in the chapel of Bethany Lutheran Home. The congregation joined the newly merged Lutheran Church in America in 1962. In 1975, it built the pyramid-shaped sanctuary and expanded office, Sunday School, and lower-level space. In 1988, St. Mark's joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A building addition was dedicated in September 2000, and six former pastors gathered for the congregation's 50th anniversary in 2004.
A Pyramid Sanctuary Designed to Be Seen
The pyramid-shaped sanctuary and its expansive, clear-glass windows are among St. Mark's most recognizable features. The windows express a desire both to see and be seen by the world outside, a fitting expression of the congregation's outward emphasis. The building was designed as fully accessible long before ADA requirements. The entrance has no stairs; services and meetings are held on the main floor, and an elevator serves the lower level. An ample parking lot and additional street parking are available.
Saturday and Sunday Liturgical Worship
Regular worship: Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. During summer hours, the Saturday service remains at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday worship is gathered at 10:00 a.m. Services are available in person and online. They are liturgical in nature and make use of both traditional and alternative settings and styles. The congregation primarily uses Evangelical Lutheran Worship and All Creation Sings. A service includes confession and forgiveness, scripture, creed, prayers, congregational hymns, a sermon, and a children's message. Communion is served at every worship service.
Each service is livestreamed, and recordings are archived through the church's Facebook account. Attendance does not require a particular form of dress: the church's simple guidance is "Come as you like!" Nursery facilities are available for children up to five years of age, but the nursery is not staffed, and an adult must remain with each child.
Learning Across the Generations
Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. from September through May for children in preschool through Grade 8. Its sessions combine singing, story time, hands-on activities, and crafts. Confirmation for Grades 6 through 11 continues formation in baptism, Communion, the Lord's Prayer, the creeds, the Ten Commandments, Bible history, Lutheran interpretation, and justice and peace in church and daily life. Middle and high school students meet on Wednesday evenings, and the Grades 6 through 12 youth group gathers several times each month throughout the year, often for service projects.
Bible study sessions last four to eight weeks, with topics drawn from a biblical book, upcoming lectionary readings, special subjects, or seasonal themes. A book group meets every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. to discuss a few chapters at a time; its selections range from religious and biblical books to mainstream titles. Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. from September through May, a watercolor class gives beginners instruction and encouragement. These groups connect learning with the congregation's multigenerational life.
Choir Rehearsal and a Weekly Quilting Table
The choir sings at Sunday worship from September through May. Choir Director Shari Smith leads rehearsal at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and newcomers are welcome to sing. The quilters meet every Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. Their sewn quilts provide a ministry of comfort and warmth and are distributed both locally and overseas.
Food to You and a Wider Network of Care
St. Mark's partners with other ELCA churches in Sioux Falls as Charis Ministry Partners to sponsor Food to You, a weekly mobile food pantry. The pantry supplements existing food assistance, expands access to food and household items, and seeks to decrease hunger and poverty. It also builds caring relationships with neighbors and approaches service as Christian respect and partnership with the whole community. Service reaches farther through The Banquet, Church on the Street, and Laundry with Love.
St. Lucia Festival and Other Shared Traditions
St. Mark's has hosted the St. Lucia Festival since 1976. The free event draws on the Swedish story of Lucia as a symbol of light amid winter darkness and celebrates community, family, children, and Christmas traditions with candles and food. Other recurring expressions of service include the Neighborhood Pie and Ice Cream Social, mission trips, special projects, and "God's Work. Our Hands" Sunday in September, when members and friends sign up for varied opportunities to serve.
Rooted in Welcome and Reconciliation
St. Mark's welcomes people whatever their past or present and explicitly says that no exclusions apply. It is affirming of LGBTQIA2S+ siblings, supports equity for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color, and commits to justice and racial equity so others can participate fully in the community of believers. Its Reconciling in Christ identity and II Corinthians 5:18 place reconciliation through Christ and the ministry of reconciliation at the center of its welcome.
The congregation describes itself as loving community, Christ-centered, action-oriented, and devoted. Its Lutheran faith centers on the relationship God's Holy Spirit creates. God's promise of steadfast love and mercy in Jesus opens people to bold trust in God and joyful, generous service. The church proclaims God's Word through worship, sacraments, prayer, and study while seeing God's image in all people.
Weddings and Shared Stewardship
Weddings reflect the same covenant-centered understanding of marriage. The policy describes marriage as the joining of two lives through covenant promises rooted in God's faithfulness, celebrated as a public witness of faith and love for God, each other, and all creation. Wedding planning includes premarital counseling, rehearsal, ceremony, and a Use of Building Form. The church also teaches that all creation belongs to God and that people are entrusted with resources as stewards. Online giving supports the ministry and service of the congregation as the body of Christ.