Education

B.A. Gustavus Adolphus College; M.Div. Luther Seminary, St. Paul

Grady St. Dennis

Director of Church Relations

Church Relations

Rev. Grady St. Dennis serves as the Director of Church Relations at Gustavus Adolphus College.  Called to this position in early 2007, he leads the college's church relations efforts with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and its congregations, with particular attention to the Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations (GACAC). 

A 1992 graduate of Gustavus, St. Dennis completed his M.Div. at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Following ordination, her served (1999-2007) as Associate Pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, where he developed and implemented several programs, including evangelism and outreach ministry programs for young adults.

St. Dennis is an effective and enthusiastic leader who wholeheartedly believes in Gustavus' calling as a college of the church and the relational role the Office of Church Relations serves for living that calling on campus and in the life of the congregations. "As an ordained Lutheran pastor and graduate of Gustavus, I am keenly aware of the tremendous value of advancing the presence of the Church in the College and the presence of the College in the Church." He is always eager to build relationships and to share the resources of Gustavus with members of the Association of Congregations.

As Director of the Office of Church Relations, St. Dennis works to build, strengthen, and support Lutheran higher education in general and Gustavus in particular. He is an often-requested preacher and presenter for adult and youth forums in congregations.

St. Dennis represents the College at ELCA gatherings, synod assemblies, and other church-related gatherings. He serves on the Lutheran Youth Outreach and Companion Synod Boards of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA. He is co-chair of the Synod's Minnesota Valley Conference Partnership Committee, which works to deepen the connection of the conference with the Vryheid Circuit—the conference's companion counterpart in the Southeastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa.

An ordained minister of the ELCA, St. Dennis has served as associate pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis from 1999-2007. During his six years at the church, he developed and implemented several programs, including outreach ministry programs for young adults.

St. Dennis and his wife Angela live in Edina, MN with their two daughters, Anna and Isabel.

Contact Information

Church Relations
Gustavus Adolphus College
800 West College Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082

Phone: 507-933-7661
E-mail: stdennis@gustavus.edu