Taken from the Installation Service Order of Worship dated March 14, 1971.

The Rev. David Zersen was born at Elmhurst, Illinois, on February 20, 1938, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Zersen. After leaving York high School, he attended Valparaiso University, graduating in 1960. He entered Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, and, having spent a vicarage with the Southern District President, graduated in 1963.

Pastor Zersen then filled a vacancy at Trinity Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Illinois, before leaving for Germany where he spent two years at the University of Gottingen. Upon his return, he was installed as pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church, Midlothian, Illinois, in October, 1965.

Pastor Zersen served on the Human Relations Commission in his community of Midlothian; was advisor to Koinonia, a group of single adults 21 and over in the Chicago area; was an officer of the Southern Regional Pastoral Conference; and serves as co-director of public relations for Camp Arcadia, Arcadia, Michigan. Pastor Zersen has continued his graduate studies at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and has authored numerous articles in church periodicals.

He is married to the former Julie Schmid of Brookfield, Ill., a teacher by profession, and they have one daughter, Kristin, born April 27, 1970.

The following was taken from a newspaper article dated Septmeber 15, 1982

Pastor to leave St. Mark's

After 11 years as pastor at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in St. Charles, the Rev. David Zersen has accepted a position as the pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Itasca.

Both congregations belong to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Zersen has had the longest tenure of any pastor in St. Mark's,history.

The congregation is currently celebrating it's 75th anniversary. The church was founded in 1907 in the home of an early St. Charles entrepreneur and owner of the largest cut glass factory west of New York.

During Zersen's tenure the congregation has doubled in number; the debt on the education-fellowship building, built in 1970, was retired; and the old church dating from 1907 was demolished and a new sanctuary was erected.

A new $135,000 Zimmer pipe organ is being constructed and will be installed early in 1983.

Zersen holds degrees from Valparais University and Concordia Theological Seminary. He did postgraduate work at Georg-August University in Gottingen, Germany, and at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He has a doctorate from Bethany Theological Seminary in Oak Brook.

In 1974, Zersen founded Valley Lutheran High School in the former Mount St. Mary Academy. He served as chairman of the board in the first three years of the school's history. He also served for two years as president of the St. Charles Ministerial Association.

Zersen serves as counselor to the circuit in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and is responsible for eight Lutheran congregations in the Fox Valley from St. Charles to Yorkville. He is chairman of the committee on continuing education for clergy and editor of its newsletter.

Zersen's wife, Julie, has served as a substitute teacher in the St. Charles and Geneva schools. The Zersens and their two children, Kristen and Rolf, have been residents of Geneva for the past three years. Prior to moving to Geneva they lived for eight years in the parsonage next to the church in St. Charles.

Zersen will have his farewell on Oct. 17. He will stay through Oct. 9 and 10 to participate in the congregations's 75th anniversary celebration and banquet.

Additional information about Pastor David Zersen can be found at these links:

Encyclopedia of the Orient (a recent photo): http://lexicorient.com/eo-dave.htm
Concordia University Press http://www.concordia.edu/page.cfm?page_ID=642

A sermon by Dr. Zersen: http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-9/070101-1-e.html
Older Bibliography: http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/material/biogr-zersen.pdf

Send a Message to him at: http://www.concordia.edu/html/directory/email.cfm?EmployeeID=211