By Chyelle Dvorak, Class of 2020

Elliott Malm, Class of 2005, did not know exactly what ministry would look like when he arrived at Crown College. He simply knew he wanted to know God’s Word.

As a high school student, Malm began sensing a call toward ministry. That hunger led him to Crown, where he studied history, served on the Student Activities Board, and encountered professors and students who took their faith seriously.

His calling did not come through one dramatic moment. Instead, it grew slowly.

“I kept sensing that I needed to continue to dive into God’s Word and to share the truth about God with others,” Malm said. That quiet sense of calling eventually led him to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, where he earned his Master of Divinity in 2010. He then entered full-time ministry.

Today, Malm serves as the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Dodge Center, Minnesota. His congregation averages a little more than 50 people on a Sunday, and the church dates back to the late 1800s.

For Malm, ministry reaches far beyond the Sunday morning service. He visits people who are sick and elderly. He walks with families through difficult seasons. He preaches, teaches, and prays with his congregation.

And in a small town, people know him. “It took some getting used to, but I realized that serving in a small town means you are a public person,” Malm said. “I’ve also been able to develop deep relationships with my congregation.”

A Calling That Took Time

Malm graduated from Crown with a degree in history, where he also developed an interest in international relations. During his time at Crown, he traveled to Vietnam and Thailand. He considered different career paths. Then he took a gap year in Ireland. The year gave him time to reconsider seminary. Instead of walking away from ministry, he found greater clarity.

“I finally realized in that gap year that I was being called into ministry,” he said. Malm began seminary in 2006. Looking back, he sees his time at Crown as an important part of that journey.

“There were real, genuine Christians who wanted a life of following Christ,” he said. “Interacting with other believers at an early age had a powerful, positive impact on me.”

What Crown Gave Him

“Crown helped really model a life of prayer,” Malm said. Professors he had, including Dr. Hustad and Dr. Myers, helped set the tone from the very start of class. That lesson continues to shape his ministry.

Malm sees prayer not as an accessory to the Christian life but as a necessity. Christians cannot rely on their own strength, especially when they face difficult cultural and spiritual questions. “We need Jesus Christ, who is powerful to break strongholds,” he said.

What Ministry Has Taught Him

Seminary can teach theology. It can prepare someone to preach. It can provide years of academic training. But Malm recalled, “There’s really no academic work that can fully prepare you for the vocation.”

He compares ministry to marriage. Preparation matters, but eventually it’s the relationship itself where you learn how to live out everything you’ve learned. For Malm, that means “dying to yourself and living to Christ.”

In ministry, Malm expected to serve people, but he did not expect his congregation to serve him back. “In the midst of the challenges of serving people, which is clearly kind of the role, you also mysteriously find yourself being served by them,” Malm said. The deeper conversations where Malm learned from those he served, stayed with him.

Seeing ministry this way has deepened his understanding of the body of Christ. The pastor serves the congregation, while the congregation also serves the pastor. Christians need one another.

A Word for Students Who Struggle

Malm also remembers what it feels like to wrestle with questions of calling and faith. His advice for students who struggle sounds simple.

Return to grace.

Christian students can sometimes feel pressure to have everything figured out. Malm warns against that mindset. “I think being a follower of Christ is acknowledging your own weakness,” he said. “And that place of humility is sort of the pathway for the spiritual life.”

He points students toward the promise of Ephesians 2: Salvation comes by grace through faith. Following Christ does not mean reaching a point where you no longer struggle. It means continuing to trust Him in the middle of the struggle.

“If doubts and uncertainties arise … we can just trust in Him,” Malm said. “He’s there. He’s for us.”

Speaking Up for Life

Malm’s calling has also taken him beyond the walls of his congregation. In recent years, he has felt increasingly compelled to speak about the sanctity of human life and the Christian responsibility to defend it. That conviction led him to organize pro-life gatherings that bring Christians together for education, advocacy, and prayer.

Malm’s next event, The Way of Life Convocation, will take place September 11-12, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown St. Paul. The convocation will feature pro-life speakers Terry Beatley, Founder and President of the Hosea Initiative, and Rebecca Delahunt, Director of Minnesota Family Council.

Malm wants Christians to approach difficult moral questions with both conviction and compassion.

A Life of Following

Malm’s journey from Crown to the pulpit did not follow a simple, straight line. He studied history. He explored international relations. He spent a year in Ireland. He went to seminary. He entered parish ministry. And over time, his sense of calling continued to sharpen.

Through it all, one theme remained constant: Follow Christ. “I need Christ in my own life,” Malm said. “I’ve also been called to share Christ with others.” For Malm, that calling looks different depending on the season. Sometimes it’s preaching to 60 people on a Sunday morning. Other times, it’s sitting beside someone who is sick, or planning the next pro-life conference.

The calling has never required Malm to know everything ahead of time. Only to keep trusting in and following Christ.