Pastor Apel

Who is Pastor Dean Apel? I was born at the University of Chicago Hospital in 1965 to two Kansans' (one with roots in Topeka and the other in Howard/Sedan). Both my parents were extension workers (4H and Home Ec).  

I grew up in Manhattan in the environment of KSU Extension service, our home churches (St. Luke's and First Lutheran), scouts, etc.

The family also operated two farms, growing Christmas trees, landscaping trees, houseplants and sheep.

After graduating from Manhattan High School, I spent four year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, studying Greek, Latin, and Religion.  Then I was one year at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, two years at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, two years as a pastoral intern in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, and another year at LSTC.

During those first years in Kenya, I met a Swedish missionary, Anki Smetana, with whom I decided to explore a relationship in Sweden during the year 1993-1995 where I learned Swedish, worked in a day care, youth ministry, campus ministry and revival meeting preaching.  From 1995-1996, I served as an interim pastor in Palmer, Kansas. During that time Anki and I got married in Manhattan.  We returned to Kenya 1996-2005, where we trained deaconesses, evangelist and pastors for the ELC in Kenya.  From 2006-2009, I served as interim pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Wichita during which I also finished a PhD from LSTC and published as English translation of Imgemar Obergs Luther and Word Mission.  From 2009-2015, I served as pastor at Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lindsborg.   

We lived in Anki's home area in Sweden, 2015-2018.  During that time, I worked among unaccompanied minor refugees, in the Lutheran revival movement EFS and as a pastor in the Church of Sweden.  Although our two older children stayed in Sweden, the rest of us moved back to Lindsborg in stages during the fall of 2018.