Mark is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has served for the past 16 years in specialized pastoral care as a health care chaplain. He has had the privilege of hearing many people talk about their experiences in an acute care hospital as they have faced the impact of illness and injury on their lives. At the same time, as a hospice chaplain, he has also had the privilege of listening to the courage, love and uncertainty reflected in the stories of those living with the vivid awareness of their own dying. In both settings he has been involve in many conversations between patients, families and their health care provider as they face some of their most challenging health care options. He is married to Linnea, also an ordained pastor in the ELCA, and has three children.