Mark’s a consultant and writer who thought he’d grow up to be an art teacher but his story took a turn as he felt a calling into full-time ministry with adolescence and their families during college. Mark has served as a pastor within a variety of churches in Oklahoma and Michigan for over 15 years. He’s a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and studied at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Mark started the Riddle Group June 5th, 2005 to invest more time in supporting church leaders. The first 4 years he worked almost exclusively with Senior Pastors and their volunteer youth teams. This time helped him understand the unique circumstances that come with leading a church as a Senior Pastor, and it also gave him an opportunity to better understand what it means to be a faithful high capacity volunteer. Mark developed a process that helps build collaboration between Senior staff, new staff, and key volunteers as they work toward a common mission. The past 2 years churches and other organizations have found this process and mindset increasingly helpful in other areas of the church and business.
Mark’s ability to help church leaders develop this collaborative IQ has led communities to better embody the unique mission has given them. These church leaders who have learned to lead with this collaborative IQ are seeing great results.
Mark is the author of Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors: A Church Leader’s Guide to Staffing and Leading Youth Pastors and The (un)Official Church Staff Manual: Youth Pastor Edition . He’s contributed to books and articles for numerous periodicals like Relevant, Immerse Journal, and Youth Worker Journal.
Mark has also served as a church planter, and as an Adjunct Professor for Biblical Seminary in which he developed and taught the Youth Ministry Certificate program.
Mark lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and 3 kids.