About

Rev. Dean Aponte-Safe is an ordained ELCA Lutheran pastor who is committed to rural communities and congregations. In a social and political discourse where rural communities, congregations, and people can be viewed with suspicion and distrust, Dean seeks to promote wholeness, belovedness, and belonging in small town and open spaces through LGBTQIA+ storytelling, spiritual resilience work, and rural political histories. Having served Lutheran and Episcopal congregations in Minnesota and Michigan, his work begins from the story of his life and the stories of the people he has served.

Dean holds a Bachelor of Arts from Waldorf University, a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology from the Chicago Theological Seminary, and is working on a forthcoming Doctor of Ministry through the Pacific School of Religion.