A mission takes root
The Rev. A. J. Brommer of Pacific Beach began serving Lutherans in the San Dieguito area, assisted by Vicar Carl Last. Many in the first group were descendants of Olivenhain’s early settlers.
Our story
Rooted in faith.
Growing in grace.
For more than eighty years, generations of people have called St. Mark home. Our buildings and surroundings have changed, but the heart of the congregation remains: sharing the love of Jesus in Encinitas.
A story of God’s faithfulness
It began with a small gathering in 1945.
Forty-six worshipers and four Sunday School children gathered for St. Mark’s first service. From that beginning, the congregation grew through faithful pastors, lay leaders, teachers, musicians, families, and neighbors who served together across the decades.
Milestones
Our journey through the years
The first worship service
On February 18, forty-six people gathered at the local American Legion Hall, while four children attended Sunday School. Services soon moved to a local mortuary chapel that became the congregation’s home for fourteen years.
St. Mark is organized
The Encinitas mission was formally organized as St. Mark Lutheran Church on December 11, 1946, with the Rev. Ralph C. Claus serving as its first resident pastor.
A permanent church home
The congregation purchased the Santa Fe Drive site in 1958, completed an education building in 1959, and dedicated its distinctive new sanctuary on December 3, 1961.
Moving forward in faith
St. Mark sold the Santa Fe Drive property to Scripps Memorial Hospital and purchased the former Temple Solel campus on El Camino Real. The congregation carried its ministry—and treasured memories—into a new home.
Welcome Home
St. Mark continues to worship, grow, and serve in Encinitas, joyfully welcoming the community to experience the love of Jesus.
The 1961 sanctuary
An Encinitas landmark.
Designed by architect Walter Hagadone, the dramatic concrete-shell sanctuary was dedicated in 1961. Its angular roofline and walls of colorful stained glass made it a memorable example of mid-century sacred architecture.
When the property was sold for the expansion of Scripps Memorial Hospital, the building was dismantled in 2006. The congregation moved forward together, bringing its ministry to the present El Camino Real campus.
Read the SOHO historical articleFrom the archives
Remembering a beloved church home
Pastors through the years
Shepherding St. Mark
This roster brings together the names and dates preserved in St. Mark’s historical documents, along with the congregation’s more recent pastoral record.
Rev. A. J. Brommer
Organizing pastor
Vicar Carl Last
Vicar assisting the new mission
Rev. Ralph C. Claus
First resident pastor
Rev. Carl Hesse
Rev. Frederic E. Brick
Rev. A. T. J. Irmer
Rev. Lloyd D. Powers
Rev. Kenneth Molnar & Rev. Warren Naegele
Transitional pastoral service
Rev. Ralph Buchhorn
Rev. Allen Rudow & Rev. Leslie C. Beale
Vacancy pastoral service; exact individual dates are not listed in the surviving record
Rev. Eric L. Trickey
Rev. Gary Trickey
Vacancy pastor
Rev. Joel Beyer
Rev. Augie Iadicicco
Vacancy pastor
This roster combines St. Mark’s surviving historical documents with the congregation’s more recent records. If additional archival information becomes available, names and dates can be updated.