Marti Burger

Marti Burger first sensed God’s call when she was in eighth grade. Her family had just moved to Minnesota, and a new colleague of her father’s invited the family to his church, First Covenant Church in St. Paul. While Marti had attended church her whole life, frequent moves led to an ease in making acquaintances but challenging building deep friendships. When she found the Covenant church, she felt she had finally found a family.

Two individuals in particular profoundly impacted her sense of identity and call: her youth pastor, Fran Anderson, and Carolyn Johnson. Both welcomed her with open arms, inviting her to the youth group and making sure she belonged. That intentional care changed everything for her.

Growing up, she had always assumed she would be a teacher since she loved working with kids. But as she watched Fran, she saw something more. Fran walked alongside her youth, created space for leaders to share life with them, and helped them grow into who God created them to be. Through mission trips and service projects, before those were common, Marti began to experience a living, active faith. Because she had a woman youth pastor before that was widely accepted, she simply assumed women in ministry were usual.

When it came time to choose a college, Marti planned to attend Bethel College because of its strong Christian foundation and excellent teaching program. At that time, teaching jobs were hard to find, but her desire to work with young people never changed. Deep down, she also wanted to be like Fran, a woman who truly saw people and helped them grow in their faith as followers of Christ.

At one point, Marti asked Fran if she thought she would make a good youth pastor. Fran told her she would—but also shared that in her experience, a woman had to choose between marriage and ministry. By that time, Marti had fallen deeply in love with Steve, whom I met in high school, so she chose a different path, deciding to become a teacher and the best volunteer the church had seen.

Marti and Steve were married, and Marti began teaching. Together, the couple served faithfully at First Covenant Church in St. Paul for years, with Marti teaching everywhere from the nursery and preschool to adult ministry and youth group. Those years of volunteering were formative, offering Marti space to grow, lead, and learn in ways she didn’t then realize were preparing her for something more.

About eight years into that life, everything shifted. God made a very clear and unmistakable call, not just to Marti, but to Steve as well. It was time. Time to prepare. Time to step more fully into ministry. Steve and Marti began seminary together, Steve as a full-time student and Marti taking classes one at a time so she could continue teaching and raising their young family. As the first semester progressed, Marti quickly realized that it was not possible to teach full-time, be fully present as a mother, and continue seminary studies simultaneously. After much prayer and discernment, she chose to step away from seminary and continue teaching, while Steve completed his theological education.

When the time came to pursue their first ministry call, Steve and Marti accepted a shared ministry position. In preparation for serving together, Marti enrolled in the Covenant Orientation (CO) program, which included five seminary courses. Completing the CO program enabled her to be commissioned for ministry within the Evangelical Covenant Church, allowing both Steve and Marti to faithfully serve in their shared calling.

Marti and Steve began their shared pastoral ministry at Zion Covenant Church in Jamestown, New York, sharing one position so they could both be pastors and fully present parents. At the time, their son Paul was six months old and daughter Melissa was nine. From the very beginning, they felt strongly that their primary call was to family, and then to the church. They wanted their children to grow up with a deep love for the church, not resentment toward it. So they made the intentional decision to split a single position, allowing them to both parent and serve in ministry well. 

They lived into that model for five years when Don Johnson, the pastor at Marti’s home church, reached out and said, “I think it’s time for us to serve together.” The Burgers were called to Salem Covenant Church to serve in children, youth, and adult ministry. Initially, they were offered two full-time positions but chose instead to take two three-quarter-time roles, again prioritizing family.

A few months into their time there, Don invited the couple into his office and challenged them to think differently. He offered two full-time positions with one key condition: they each needed to build their own teams. Up to that point, she and Steve had always worked side by side, complementing one another—Steve as the theologian, and Marti as the teacher, designing and shaping lessons for all ages. Don wisely pointed out that while they were effective together, their impact would be limited if they did everything jointly. But if they developed leaders and built teams, the Kingdom impact could expand far beyond their individual efforts.

They accepted the challenge. Steve began overseeing junior high, adult, and senior adult ministries, while Marti led children’s ministry and senior high ministry. Don also gave them the freedom to be present for their kids’ activities, which aligned deeply with their conviction: if their family didn’t reflect Christ, how could they expect others to follow what they were teaching?

Those years were incredibly fruitful. They even had the unique privilege of both serving as youth pastors to their daughter Melissa—Steve during her junior high years and Marti during senior high. They were intentional about balancing ministry and family life, alternating weekends for retreats and activities so one parent was always home. During the summers, they created weekly programming for every age group, from preschool through high school, each with its own dedicated day. It was during their ministry at Salem that Marti resumed her theological education by attending Monday in Ministry classes. She had a deep desire to continue growing in her knowledge and understanding of God's Word, believing that lifelong learning was essential to faithful ministry. These classes provided an opportunity to deepen her biblical understanding while continuing to serve in ministry, shaping both her personal faith and her leadership.

After six years at Salem, Marti and Steve were contacted by our denomination’s Christian Education Department and encouraged to apply for a role. Initially, they declined because there was only one position available, and they were committed to serving together. The department asked them to write a paper outlining their philosophy of ministry so the office could better understand their model. That paper led to an invitation to interview, and in 1999, they were both called to serve at the denominational level. 

Marti became the Director of Youth Ministry, serving in that role from 1999 to 2015, and Steve served as the Director of Children’s Ministry. During this season of denominational ministry, Marti continued her seminary education at North Park Theological Seminary, faithfully pursuing her degree while serving the Evangelical Covenant Church. In 2006, she graduated from seminary, fulfilling a long-held goal that reflected her commitment to lifelong learning, theological depth, and faithful leadership.

That same year marked another significant milestone: Marti and her daughter, Melissa, were ordained together in the Evangelical Covenant Church during the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of women in ministry. It was a deeply meaningful occasion that celebrated not only God's faithfulness across generations but also the growing legacy of women faithfully answering God's call to ministry.

In 2015, Marti was invited into a new role overseeing all major denominational events, including Midwinter, Triennial, CHIC, Feast, Annual Meeting, Youth Worker Connection, and Children’s Connection, a role she served until 2020 when she joined the Serve Clergy team, working with pastors through the Financial Leadership initiative as part of a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant. Her title during that time, Director of Vocational Innovation and Support, remains one of her favorites.

Most recently (2022–2026), Marti has served as the Director of Vocational and Spiritual Development, continuing to walk alongside pastors and leaders as they grow in their calling.

Looking back, every season of ministry has been shaped by a deep commitment to partnership, family, and equipping others, and Marti is grateful for the many ways God has allowed that calling to unfold. She is grateful too for the many mentors God provided. Fran Anderson first modeled ministry for her and helped awaken her calling. Evelyn Johnson invited her to serve on the first planning team for CHIC, opening doors for leadership and vision. Carol Lawson has been one of her longest and most faithful friends and encouragers. Heather Monymeyer, her spiritual director, has helped her listen for God’s voice and deepen her spiritual life. Debbie Blue has encouraged her to live fully into who God created her to be. Doreen Olson believed in her deeply, never micromanaging but trusting Marti to lead while also asking hard and important spiritual questions. Rebecca Gonzalez became Marti’s supervisor in a unique season and consistently challenged me to keep learning, growing, and believing God had more ahead.

First and foremost, Marti’s greatest supporter and advocate has always been her husband, Steve. He consistently believed in her and championed her calling. When people questioned whether she could lead because she was a woman, she would simply say, “Talk to Steve,” because he knew her gifts, believed in her calling, and stood beside her every step of the way.

Marti sees clearly that ministry has never been a solo journey. God has surrounded her with encouragers, mentors, family, and friends who have supported her, challenged her, and helped her become who she is today.

Hear more of Marti's story through this oral history interview.