Senior Director and Operations Director

Background and Testimony

Morgenstern familyMark: I was raised in a Christian family in Fresno, California. My Jewish grandparents became Christians shortly after immigrating to the U.S. during the Holocaust. My family was extremely active in serving in the church. When I was 16 serving as a counselor at a church camp, God used a filmstrip about missionary pilots in Africa to call me into missions. The path from there to here has had turns and surprises, but each step of the way has contributed to how I minister today. I graduated from Fresno State with an Electrical Engineering degree and studied Intercultural Studies at Western Seminary. Our vocational ministry as a family began when we left for Moscow in 1992.

Julie: I was raised in a Christian family in Fresno, California. Because of my parents’ great involvement in our church, I, too, was very active in it. I was six years old when I trusted in Jesus as my Savior and 13 years old when I committed my life to Him. Teaching had always been my passion, and I began to actively use this gift in the church. My focus was on teaching in the public school system until God redirected my path through my marriage to Mark.

Meet the Morgensterns

As we approach the ministries God has entrusted to us, one of our foundational beliefs is that God has called us collectively as a family into ministry. That means that each of us has been uniquely designed by God to make a special contribution to our family’s calling.  As our children grow older, the nature of this shifts, but it is still a huge part of who we are and how we approach ministry and our world:

Mark (55): Being very analytical and strategic, I love figuring out how all the pieces fit together. My passion is for seeing people grow in their fruitfulness in ministry. Leading a highly collaborative team is a perfect fit for me.

Julie (56): I enthusiastically interact with people. I love influencing and moving forward groups of people to complete a task. Helping people find their perfect place in ministry is very fulfilling for me.

Daniel (27): I graduated in 2018 from North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. I spent time serving as a youth pastor and an intelligence specialist in the Minnesota Army National Guard. Since December 2021, God has been guiding me on a journey towards using my gifts, skills and passions to serve in international ministry.  I love to write and get into deep philosophical conversations. I have the ability to connect with and care for people.

Andrew (25):  In 2020, I graduated from the University of St. Thomas and in 2021 completed a master’s degree at Georgia Tech.  I currently serve as a First Lieutenant in the Air Force in Alaska.  I’m a determined servant, very responsible, and blessed with a can-do attitude.  I’m able to both understand technology and lead groups of people.  Over the years I’ve enjoyed using my abilities in all kinds of ministry environments.

Timothy (22): I am outgoing and opportunistic. I’m highly creative and see possibilities no one else sees and tenaciously charge after them. I enjoy hosting Bible studies, playing guitar and leading worship in camp settings.  In 2021 I graduated from Concordia University in St. Paul after studying criminal justice and public relations. I currently work as a full-time police officer and part-time speech coach in Rochester, MN.  I am an extremely driven and competitive person in sports, games and life.

Samuel (20): I am a very social person and love to gather people together. I’m a magnet for kids wherever I go. Therefore, I am currently studying at Minnesota State University Moorhead to become an Elementary school teacher . I’m fiercely competitive in Ultimate Frisbee at the recreational, club, and college level.  At college, I work as an RA and am very active in leadership of the Chai Alpha campus ministry.  I’m particularly observant and have a great memory for faces.

Ministry Experience

Mark: High school missions music team leader; church youth director; Director, ReachGlobal Equip; strategic planning consultant, Church Assistance Ministry; Leader of TheNextStep missionary trainers network through Missio Nexus; Reach Director, South Suburban EFC; Senior Director, Grow to Serve; Director, CIT Next; Planning Team Leader, MC2 (Midwest Conference on Missionary Care.)

Julie: College worship team leader; Jr. and Sr. High School teacher (Bible, Science, Math); children’s ministry coordinator, Ukraine; Senior Coordinator for Reach Global Pre-field Training; Connect Director, Lead Director and Family Ministries Director, South Suburban EFC; Operations Director for Grow2Serve.

Both: Morals and ethics educational consultants, and community Bible class coordinators, Russia and Ukraine; church planters, Ukraine and Crimea; missionary trainers, ReachGlobal Equip; missionary training consultants, Grow2Serve.

Timeline

Mark and Julie, young married couple1989: Mark and Julie married

1989: Mark and Julie complete undergraduate work at California State University

1989-90: Seminary work at Western Seminary

1990-92: Moody Aviation, Elizabethton, TN

1992-93: Campus Crusade, Moscow, Russia

1994-2006: ReachGlobal, Ukraine

2006-2015: ReachGlobal Equip (training team)

2013-2018: part-time staff members, South Suburban EFC (both)

2015-2021 – Director of CIT Next (Mark)

2015-present – Senior Director of Grow2Serve (Mark)

2015-present – Missionary trainer and Operations Director with Grow2Serve (Julie)

Areas of Teaching, Training, and Consulting Expertise

Mark in a meeting

  • Teams and teamwork
  • Constructive approaches to conflict
  • Assessment and ministry placement (profile creation and behavioral interviewing)
  • Personnel coaching and management
  • Long-range, mid-range and short-range planning
  • Missions planning and implementation in the local church
  • Training for short-term missions teams
  • Training for cross-cultural ministry
  • People development planning for organizations (disciple-making, professional development, ministry training, etc.)
  • Innovative, collaborative, distance-learning models
  • Intentional living
  • Coaching
  • Healthy and fruitful ministry partnerships
  • Instructional design for ministry training
  • Online, video-conference, and blended training design and implementation

We seek to bring glory to God by networking missionary trainers together to collaboratively provide fruit-multiplying ministry training. We accomplish this by providing an accessible and effective distance learning platform as well as consultation for training design and implementation.

Julie Morgenstern teachingGrow2Serve is dedicated to helping believers grow in their knowledge, beliefs, and skills in order to faithfully serve our Lord. We do this by helping them learn and teach better, by providing a wide variety of learning opportunities, and by connecting them to other learners and teachers. We aim to serve missionaries, pastors, and churches in accessible, timely, and affordable ways. Let’s learn better now!

We are blessed with the opportunity to serve missionaries and leaders from many mission organizations as well as international Christian leaders from around the globe. Using an innovative combination of specialized learning approaches for adult learning, technology, learning community creation, and a high level of personalized attention to learners, Grow2Serve packages learning experiences in many and various ways designed specifically for each context and audience.

(Visit the About page to learn more about Grow2Serve.)

International Impact of Grow2Serve

  • Providing training and equipping for missionaries in over 40 countries on five continents
  • Serving various missions agencies and international Christian leaders worldwide
  • Traveling to various corners of the world providing face-to-face learning events and consultations
  • Bringing together otherwise “un-gatherable” groups into learning communities through collaborative online courses in which “iron sharpens iron”
  • Enabling dozens of missions organizations to provide impactful training at the right time and in the right place

Contact

Mark Morgenstern
mark@grow2serve.com
(952) 847-3885

Julie Morgenstern
julie@grow2serve.org
(952) 847-3886

To donate to the ministry of the Morgenstern’s visit this page: https://secure.etransfer.com/Grow2Serve/Morgenstern.cfm