about us
our identity
Rooted in more than 120 years of faith in Santa Barbara, we are a community shaped by the good news of Jesus Christ, committed to radical grace for all people, and called to serve our neighbors both locally and globally.
our staff
Pastor Mark Marius
Pastor Mark Marius was ordained as a Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in February 2001. Native to Los Angeles County, California, and a proud Cal Lutheran University graduate, he earned his Masters of Divinity at the former Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Pastor Mark also served as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force (USAF) for 24 years, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Valuing the unique settings of both parish ministry and military chaplaincy, he has used the valuable skills gained from each context and the wealth of vast experiences to broaden his perspective about the enormity of God’s grace and the diversity of our neighbors.
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Pastor Mark has served Lutheran congregations in Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey, and California, and as a USAF Chaplain in England, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Hungary.
He is married to Heidi Morton and is the second favorite human for his dog Dasher. Their three children are survivors of growing up as a Pastor’s kid and are presently busy finding their way in the world.
He has been able to experience both the joy and suffering that comes from being a lifelong Dodgers fan. He also benefits from the cheap therapy that running and cycling provide and enjoys exploring the variety of cultures that dwell on our globe.
Living out the call to compassionately love and serve humanity as a minister of Word and Sacrament is a challenge that requires a lot of grace and a good sense of humor. God obviously has both in calling Pastor Mark into this vocation.
Vicar Tanja Helmert
Pastoral Intern
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I am Tanja, the vicar at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, where I am completing my year of pastoral formation under the mentorship of Pastor Mark. In the Lutheran tradition, a vicar is a pastor in training, and this year is a crucial part of my journey toward ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament.
I was born and raised in Southwest Germany near the borders of France and Switzerland. I began studying theology at the University of Heidelberg in 2017 before being accepted as an exchange student to Yale Divinity School in 2021. What began as a year abroad became a permanent move when I decided to pursue Yale’s full Master of Divinity program, which I completed in 2024. During my time at Yale, I officially joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, pursued a long-held passion for the intersection of religion and medicine by becoming an EMT, married my husband Patrick, and adopted Scholar, our beloved cat.
My husband Patrick and I moved to Santa Barbara in 2024 when he was accepted into the PhD Program in Religious Studies at UCSB. For the past year, I have been working with New Beginnings Counseling Center, serving people experiencing homelessness in Santa Barbara County, and I am excited to now join the staff at Trinity Lutheran. I am particularly interested in the visionary aspects of church, and asking questions about the role of the church in society, community engagement, and social justice.
You can find me at the church office most weekdays, on Sundays at the worship service, or always at vicar@telcsb.org.
Mi-Young Kim
Music Director
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I serve as the Music Director at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, where I am honored to lead the musical life of the congregation through worship, choral direction, and musical collaboration. I find great joy in creating sacred music that supports the spiritual life of the church and in working with the talented musicians and choir members who make our worship vibrant and meaningful.
My passion for collaborative music making has led me to perform with a wide range of musicians throughout California, and I have been fortunate to receive recognition for my work as both a pianist and educator.
I am currently a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) candidate in Collaborative Piano at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I study under Professor Robert Koenig. I also hold a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Hartford.
My interests include running, swimming, hiking, yoga, and spending quiet time in nature. I feel truly blessed to serve this loving community at Trinity, where faith and music come together in such meaningful ways.
If you would like to contact me please email me at music@telcsb.org.
Sharon Head
Parish Nurse
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Parish Nurse Ministry – I spend most of my time listening to personal health stories and counseling individuals and family members on treatments, referrals, and options for supportive care. I also leads the Care Ministry Team. The mission of the Care Team is to offer Christian fellowship and compassionate support to persons living with illness, persons living alone, persons who are homebound, and persons who are grieving.
My interests include family, travel, photography, swimming, and golf.
Education: Graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College. I have worked at UCLA, St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara IPA, Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of Santa Barbara, St. Francis Hospital, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and St. Francis Foundation Parish Nursing Program.
I can truly say throughout my career at Trinity Lutheran I have been blessed to work with so many compassionate and caring individuals who make my work so rewarding.
If you would like to contact me please email me at careministry@telcsb.org.
our beliefs
We are rooted in the Lutheran tradition. Here is what we believe:
God
We believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the triune God who creates, redeems, and sustains all things. God is not a distant force or abstract concept but a personal God who is actively present in the world. Each person is created in God’s image, and God’s love and grace are available to all people without exception.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, fully human and fully divine, the Word of God incarnate through whom everything was made. He lived among us, was crucified, and was raised from the dead on the third day. His life, death, and resurrection are not merely historical events but the center of all history, the moment where God’s grace breaks into the world for the sake of every human being.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the living presence of God active in the world today, calling people to faith, sustaining the church, and working through Word and Sacrament to create and renew life. Faith itself is the Spirit’s gift, not something we manufacture on our own. As Martin Luther wrote, faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.
Scripture
We hold the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, as the inspired Word of God and the sole source of revelation, the standard by which all teaching and doctrine of the church is measured. We read it seriously and study it carefully, understanding it as containing Law and Gospel, and we do not read it as a strictly literal document but as the living word through which God continues to speak.
Grace and Salvation
We believe that all people fall short and are unable to save themselves, and yet are fully claimed by God’s love. Salvation is entirely God’s gift, received through faith and not earned through works or effort. This is the heart of Lutheran theology, grace alone, faith alone, and the reason grace is not just a word we use but the foundation of everything we believe and do.
The Sacraments
We celebrate two sacraments, Holy Communion and Baptism, as means of grace where God acts and meets us. The bread and wine of communion are the true body and blood of Christ, given for the forgiveness of sins. We practice an open communion table and welcome all people to receive, because we believe there is no one for whom Jesus Christ did not die. Baptism unites us with Christ’s death and resurrection and marks us as God’s own forever.
Our Creeds
We confess the historic faith of the Christian church as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. These ancient statements connect us to believers across centuries and around the world, and remind us that Trinity Lutheran is part of something far larger than itself.
A Church Connected to Something Larger
Trinity is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest Lutheran denomination in North America, rooted in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation and connected to the global communion of Lutheran churches through the Lutheran World Federation. We are not an independent congregation trying to reinvent Christianity but part of something ancient, tested, and alive, and we are accountable to a broader body of believers.
Welcome and Justice
We believe the grace of God is for every human being without exception. Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, formally committed to the full welcome and affirmation of LGBTQ+ people into the life of this community. We are also committed to justice, care for creation, and advocacy for the vulnerable, because faith that does not act in the world is not the faith we find in Scripture. As the ELCA affirms, the gospel does not stay inside the church, it sends us out.
Faith and Questions
We believe doubt and faith can coexist. We are not afraid of difficult conversations about Scripture, theology, science, ethics, or the complexity of human life. God’s welcome extends to all people, including those who come with questions or doubts, and we think a faith that cannot withstand honest questions is not much of a faith at all.
our history
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church has been part of the Santa Barbara community for more than 120 years. In August 1901, Lena Martinsen, Mary Jacobson, and a small group of women formed the Norwegian Lutheran Ladies Aid Society to provide Lutheran fellowship for the women of Santa Barbara. Their vision and determination led to the formation of the first Lutheran congregation in Santa Barbara, officially organized in 1902.
By 1905 the congregation had raised enough funds to purchase a lot on the corner of Bath and Padre Streets, and the community continued to grow steadily through the decades that followed. In 1963, outgrowing its original home, the congregation purchased property at the corner of Foothill and La Cumbre Road, at the foot of the Santa Barbara mountains. On September 20, 1970, a new church, chapel, and education buildings were dedicated there, the same home where Trinity worships to this day.
For more than a century, Trinity has walked a path of faith rooted in Scripture, sustained by worship, music, fellowship, and outreach, and committed to proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ both in Santa Barbara and far beyond its borders.
Curious to learn more? Watch a short film about Trinity’s history, produced in 1997: