Dave DeSelm was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at Lutheran Hospital on Fairfield Avenue to Jim and Betty DeSelm on March 23, 1951. He grew up in south Fort Wayne, spending formative years in a house on Tillman Road. He attended John S. Irwin Elementary, Ben Geyer Junior High, and Elmhurst High School (‘69). He was an Eagle Scout, a multi-sport athlete, and bagged groceries at the Kmart.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in education from Ball State University in 1973, Dave began teaching sixth grade at Southwick Elementary on Wayne Trace. During those years, he also earned a master’s degree in education from Indiana University. He was lovingly referred to as “Mr D” by past students for the rest of his life. Many kept in touch for decades, sharing the impact he’d made on them.

On July 26, 1971, Dave met Christ at a Bible Study in a house on Calhoun Street, after he and his brother Joel were invited by their sister Amy, who had recently come to faith. A skeptic who showed up intending to “wreck” the gathering, he was instead ambushed by amazing grace.

Dave began attending First Missionary Church on Rudisill Blvd., where he met Gwen Warner in the winter of 1975. Dave and Gwen fell in love and were married at First Missionary on June 4, 1977. Gwen would be his partner in life and in ministry for the rest of his days.

After six years of teaching, Dave entered the ministry as an Associate Pastor at First Missionary Church in 1979. He earned a master’s degree in Christian Ministry from Huntington University and was ordained by the Missionary Church. In 1982, a group of church planters from First Missionary asked him to serve as pastor of a new church plant that would serve an underserved corner of south Fort Wayne. Dave accepted, and they built a church on the street he grew up on – Tillman Road.

Dave served as Senior Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Church for 34 years. That group of fifty disciples grew into a diverse and vibrant community of over 2,000 regular attenders. As the neighborhood changed and as the church grew, Dave led with courage and humility, ministering to thousands of people over four decades.

In 2017, Dave handed off the pastorate in a planned succession. In 2018, he and Gwen established Dave DeSelm Ministries, a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging, strengthening, and coaching pastors through their hardest seasons - a mission he continued faithfully even while navigating his own battle with cancer. In 2026, he was named Pastor Emeritus of Fellowship Missionary Church. He gave his last sermon there on March 1, three months before his passing.

On June 5, 2026, Dave breathed his last breath on this earth and his first in God’s presence. He was at his home in south Fort Wayne, surrounded by his family.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Gwen; his children, Jennifer (Tim) Wiggins, Jim (Karri) DeSelm, and Jeff (Samantha) DeSelm; his siblings, Joel (Judy) DeSelm, and Amy (Dick) Kinnaird; and seven grandchildren, Brandon, Tyler, Dylan, Kate, Megan, Madison, and Nolan. He loved bass fishing, volleyball, and was a lifelong fan of Indiana University and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Dave DeSelm was a servant of Jesus Christ who spent 75 years pouring himself out for south Fort Wayne. He will be buried in the family plot under the verse that he worked every day to embody.

“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.” Acts 13:36a

A public Memorial Service will be held on Friday, June 19th at 11am at Fellowship Missionary Church, 2536 E Tillman Rd, Fort Wayne. Family visitation will be at the same location from 3-8pm on Thursday, June 18th and an hour preceding the service on Friday.

Memorial Contributions in Dave’s honor may be made to the Missionary Church, Inc., designated to the Dave DeSelm Memorial Fund for Church Planter Coaching at mcusa.org/giving.