A Meet Our Pastor Marin Cerchez and His Family
Reverend Dr. Marin Cerchez (pronounced like “marine”) came to St. John Lutheran Church from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, along with his wife, Tatiana, and their children, Anna, 10, and Daniel, 6. As a former atheist, medical doctor, and university professor, he has the following degrees:
Pastor Marin was born in 1977, and grew up in Chișinău, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova, which is bordered on the west by Romania, and the other three sides by the Ukraine. The country was controlled by the Soviet Communists in Russia, so owning a Bible or worshipping God was forbidden. The Soviet government suppressed and eliminated religious beliefs. Common tactics included confiscating church property, ridiculing religion, and harassing believers. If you were caught preaching the Gospel or teaching kids about the Bible, the minimum sentence was three years of prison. However, Pastor Marin’s grandparents would tell him about Jesus secretly.
When the break-up of the Soviet Union occurred in December 1991, Moldova declared its independence and gave the people religious freedom. Prior to this, in 1987, rebellion started with protests in the Baltic republics, followed by Moldova and other republics, in 1988. The Romanian language was reinstated in Moldova in 1989, with the Latin script replacing the Cyrillic script of the Russian language. Moldovan became the official language in 1994, but it is essentially the same as Romanian.
Bibles became available about 1992, enabling Pastor Marin to start reading and studying Scripture. The Holy Spirit started working in his heart and brought him to faith. Among other books, he also received a copy of Luther’s Large Catechism which he liked and used a lot. Unfortunately, the Lutheran Church in Moldova had been destroyed by the Soviets by that time. It was only in 2011 when Pastor Marin joined the LCMS.
About 95% of the population of Moldova claim to be Christian, with most of them identifying with the Eastern (Moldavan or Russian) Orthodox Church, but for many of them, this is a cultural view, not based on personal beliefs and practices. Many of these people grew up under Communism and continued a secular lifestyle. Religion did not play a role in their life. Even self-professed atheists would celebrate religious holidays and customs.
Pastor Marin graduated from a STEM type high school in 1994, and enrolled in the State Medical University that fall, at age 17. Medical school was a six-year program. During the first three years of coursework, he also attended business school at Moldova State University. Everything was run by the state under Communism, so he wanted to learn how a free enterprise system operated.
In 1996, during the second three years of medical school, which required more time in clinical training, Pastor Marin’s mother passed away, and he had to take care of his 12 year-old sister. He became increasingly interested in studying the history of religions, the Bible, and Christian apologetics. He graduated in 2000, spent a year doing his internship, and continued to practice medicine until the fall of 2003, while studying German, English, Latin, History, Archaeology, and Anthropology at High Anthropological School. He obtained his B. A. in Cultural Anthropology, also in 2003.
That year he married Tatiana, who is also talented in languages and arts and enrolled, with a full scholarship, in Central European University, an English-language university in Budapest, founded in 1991 and accredited in the U.S. and Hungary. There, Pastor Marin studied History and obtained his M. A. in Medieval Studies, in 2004.
Pastor and Tatiana returned to Moldova in 2004. He taught Master’s level courses on the History of Christianity and at Moldova State University and practiced medicine. He also was involved in campus ministry.
In 2005, the Cerchez family went to England, where Pastor Marin, as a Ph. D. student, studied History at the University of Oxford.
When funding ran out in 2006, they returned to Moldova. There, Pastor Marin continued to teach, develop curricula, and write texts, including a textbook on the history of Christianity.
Along with being a professor at Moldova State University, he also taught at Pedagogical State University. (Moldova, although only slightly larger than Maryland, was the center for higher education in the former USSR, with 18 public and 10 private universities or schools.)
Pastor Marin continued to pursue funding to further his education. Scholarships were available from the Open Society Foundation which allowed people from Eastern Europe to study in the United States, with no strings attached. But these scholarships were very competitive. When granted a scholarship, Pastor Marin saw God's hand in it, as he had at other times in his life. He received this award in 2008, but had to postpone it a year due to the poor health of his father, who passed away that year from cancer.
In 2009, the Cerchez’ daughter, Anna, was born in Moldova, and was 2 months old when they arrived in the United States, when Pastor Marin started his Ph.D. program at Catholic University in Washington D.C. Their son, Daniel, was born in America in 2013.
When his former supervising professor accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, in 2010, the Cerchez family followed her there so Pastor Marin could complete his dissertation and Ph. D., in 2014 with a major in History and minor in Comparative Literature.
Upon arrival in Madison, the family looked for a church, and walked into Calvary Lutheran Chapel where they remained active, and at the Lutheran Church of the Living Christ, where they became members.
While in Madison, Marin was an active member in his congregation and involved in an outreach to Russian-speaking immigrants in Madison and Milwaukee. When Pastor Marin felt called to serve the Lord and expressed this interest, his pastor initiated contact with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
Pastor Marin returned to Moldova for the 2014-2015 school year, where he and his sister’s husband opened a private language school, using the knowledge he gained in business school. After funding came through in 2015, he and his family returned to the United States and Pastor Marin began his studies at the seminary. He tested out of all Classical Languages requirements and given advanced standing due to his previous education, which eliminated the 4th year of seminary, after his vicarage.
Pastor Marin described three defining forces, or goals, along his path:
Pastor Marin is passionate about Christ and the Gospel. His priorities are evangelism and discipleship. And he credits Tatiana with inspiring him, and giving him the courage to reach out to even strangers. Their unique gifts and talents come together to serve as a dynamic force as messengers for Christ.
- M.D. - 2000
- B.A. in Cultural Anthropology - 2003
- M.A. in Medieval Studies - 2004
- Ph.D. in History and Comparative Literature - 2014
- Master of Divinity - 2018
Pastor Marin was born in 1977, and grew up in Chișinău, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova, which is bordered on the west by Romania, and the other three sides by the Ukraine. The country was controlled by the Soviet Communists in Russia, so owning a Bible or worshipping God was forbidden. The Soviet government suppressed and eliminated religious beliefs. Common tactics included confiscating church property, ridiculing religion, and harassing believers. If you were caught preaching the Gospel or teaching kids about the Bible, the minimum sentence was three years of prison. However, Pastor Marin’s grandparents would tell him about Jesus secretly.
When the break-up of the Soviet Union occurred in December 1991, Moldova declared its independence and gave the people religious freedom. Prior to this, in 1987, rebellion started with protests in the Baltic republics, followed by Moldova and other republics, in 1988. The Romanian language was reinstated in Moldova in 1989, with the Latin script replacing the Cyrillic script of the Russian language. Moldovan became the official language in 1994, but it is essentially the same as Romanian.
Bibles became available about 1992, enabling Pastor Marin to start reading and studying Scripture. The Holy Spirit started working in his heart and brought him to faith. Among other books, he also received a copy of Luther’s Large Catechism which he liked and used a lot. Unfortunately, the Lutheran Church in Moldova had been destroyed by the Soviets by that time. It was only in 2011 when Pastor Marin joined the LCMS.
About 95% of the population of Moldova claim to be Christian, with most of them identifying with the Eastern (Moldavan or Russian) Orthodox Church, but for many of them, this is a cultural view, not based on personal beliefs and practices. Many of these people grew up under Communism and continued a secular lifestyle. Religion did not play a role in their life. Even self-professed atheists would celebrate religious holidays and customs.
Pastor Marin graduated from a STEM type high school in 1994, and enrolled in the State Medical University that fall, at age 17. Medical school was a six-year program. During the first three years of coursework, he also attended business school at Moldova State University. Everything was run by the state under Communism, so he wanted to learn how a free enterprise system operated.
In 1996, during the second three years of medical school, which required more time in clinical training, Pastor Marin’s mother passed away, and he had to take care of his 12 year-old sister. He became increasingly interested in studying the history of religions, the Bible, and Christian apologetics. He graduated in 2000, spent a year doing his internship, and continued to practice medicine until the fall of 2003, while studying German, English, Latin, History, Archaeology, and Anthropology at High Anthropological School. He obtained his B. A. in Cultural Anthropology, also in 2003.
That year he married Tatiana, who is also talented in languages and arts and enrolled, with a full scholarship, in Central European University, an English-language university in Budapest, founded in 1991 and accredited in the U.S. and Hungary. There, Pastor Marin studied History and obtained his M. A. in Medieval Studies, in 2004.
Pastor and Tatiana returned to Moldova in 2004. He taught Master’s level courses on the History of Christianity and at Moldova State University and practiced medicine. He also was involved in campus ministry.
In 2005, the Cerchez family went to England, where Pastor Marin, as a Ph. D. student, studied History at the University of Oxford.
When funding ran out in 2006, they returned to Moldova. There, Pastor Marin continued to teach, develop curricula, and write texts, including a textbook on the history of Christianity.
Along with being a professor at Moldova State University, he also taught at Pedagogical State University. (Moldova, although only slightly larger than Maryland, was the center for higher education in the former USSR, with 18 public and 10 private universities or schools.)
Pastor Marin continued to pursue funding to further his education. Scholarships were available from the Open Society Foundation which allowed people from Eastern Europe to study in the United States, with no strings attached. But these scholarships were very competitive. When granted a scholarship, Pastor Marin saw God's hand in it, as he had at other times in his life. He received this award in 2008, but had to postpone it a year due to the poor health of his father, who passed away that year from cancer.
In 2009, the Cerchez’ daughter, Anna, was born in Moldova, and was 2 months old when they arrived in the United States, when Pastor Marin started his Ph.D. program at Catholic University in Washington D.C. Their son, Daniel, was born in America in 2013.
When his former supervising professor accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, in 2010, the Cerchez family followed her there so Pastor Marin could complete his dissertation and Ph. D., in 2014 with a major in History and minor in Comparative Literature.
Upon arrival in Madison, the family looked for a church, and walked into Calvary Lutheran Chapel where they remained active, and at the Lutheran Church of the Living Christ, where they became members.
While in Madison, Marin was an active member in his congregation and involved in an outreach to Russian-speaking immigrants in Madison and Milwaukee. When Pastor Marin felt called to serve the Lord and expressed this interest, his pastor initiated contact with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
Pastor Marin returned to Moldova for the 2014-2015 school year, where he and his sister’s husband opened a private language school, using the knowledge he gained in business school. After funding came through in 2015, he and his family returned to the United States and Pastor Marin began his studies at the seminary. He tested out of all Classical Languages requirements and given advanced standing due to his previous education, which eliminated the 4th year of seminary, after his vicarage.
Pastor Marin described three defining forces, or goals, along his path:
- Study and learn everything he could about Scripture, and the history of Christianity and other religions.
- Learn Christian apologetics. Per 1 Peter 3:15-16, always being prepared “to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” As our youth are bombarded with assaults on the Christian faith from the public classroom to the playground, college students fall prey to professors, friends, and trendy new movements, the question isn’t whether or not we should engage in apologetics, as Lutherans, but how? (Lutheran apologetics are Christ-centered, always in service to the Gospel.)
- Finally, Pastor Marin sees young people not as the future church, but as the church’s future. They need to be trained to stand strong in an age of doubt, cynicism, and tolerance. Although he enjoys working with all age groups, Pastor Marin sees reaching college-age, or young adults, as being of primary importance.
Pastor Marin is passionate about Christ and the Gospel. His priorities are evangelism and discipleship. And he credits Tatiana with inspiring him, and giving him the courage to reach out to even strangers. Their unique gifts and talents come together to serve as a dynamic force as messengers for Christ.