Doctor of Ministry
Luther Seminary

Master of Divinity
Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary

Bachelor of Arts

University of Minnesota

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Faculty Biography

Dr. Mark Yackel-Juleen is a 1989 graduate of Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN and was ordained in October of that year.  In 1992, he and his spouse Margaret founded Shalom Hill Farm, a rural ministry education and retreat center in southwestern Minnesota where he served as executive director until 2017.  In 2004, he received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN—his research focused on factors that impact satisfaction and effectiveness for pastors serving in small town and rural settings.  Mark came to Wartburg in 2015 as Director for Small Town and Rural Ministry with the Center for Theology and Land.  He has served the church in various capacities over the years—missionary to Hong Kong, synodical rural ministry coordinator, internship supervisor for 15 interns, adjunct instructor to several seminaries—but his deepest roots are in small town and rural congregations which he served for 17 years.  Mark has a passion for travel, especially international travel, and has been involved in rural development projects in Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa working with the ELCSA.  Mark and Margaret (also an ELCA pastor serving a small town and rural parish) have been married for 36 years and live in Elkader, Iowa. They have three children, one of whom is an ELCA pastor serving in rural southeastern Minnesota.