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First Presbyterian
Church of Asheville
Claimed by the Triune God, we worship only God
and are called by the
Holy Spirit
to share the boundary breaking love of Christ
in our life together, in the heart of Asheville,
and in the whole world. |
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Excerpts from Mark’s Personal Information Form
“I look forward to serving a church that values and celebrates the "variety of
gifts" that make up the body of Christ. Having grown up a Catholic in upstate
New York, lived and worked in a foreign country, and served as a Presbyterian
pastor in the deep South and in the West, I enjoy working with divergent
cultures and different points of view."
"During my
sabbatical in 2008, I did extensive reading in the Benedictine tradition along
with daily spiritual disciplines. One translation of Benedict's rule says:
"Every day carries the potential to bring the existence of heaven;
have the courage to expect good from it." To me, this is the heart of what
faith cultivation in a congregation is all about-recognizing and expecting
God's presence in our life together."
"My leadership
style is based on trust in and respect for the gifts of others. I am, at
heart, a team builder, and firmly believe that every member of a team (or
committee, staff, or congregation) has something important and unique to
contribute. Leadership is not solely the ability to get out in front, but also
the willingness to listen deeply to others and to follow where
God is calling us to go. I played basketball in high school and college, and
the habits and practice of those years are deeply embedded in me. I know how
to work together with a team and to recognize my role in relationship to the
larger goal of the group.
As a pastor and
head of staff for fifteen years I have learned from both successes and
missteps. It is my responsibility to provide not only vision and guidance, but
also to foster and encourage those same talents in the church. Cultivating and
engaging the many talents and gifts of staff and congregation members is both
a great joy and vital work as a pastor.
I also bring the
qualities of open-mindedness, flexibility, and humor to my ministry work. I
enjoy exploring new ideas and creative ways of working with
others. In between those who desire a return to the "way things used to be"
and those who want to quickly "jump ahead" to the promise of new programs and
projects, there can be found a wonderful space of creative energy and
imagination for God's Spirit to work."
"One key issue is
how the church encounters our 21st-century American culture. The church in
North America finds itself in a very different place than it used to be. Fifty
years ago, the church enjoyed a privileged place in our culture. Church life
was booming. Most Americans attended worship and people respected the church,
which was very much at the center of public life. However, that world no
longer exists.
Adding to this
displacement of the church, the world around us also is different. Change
takes places rapidly, discontinuously, and haphazardly. It is chaotic and
unpredictable. We have been hit with globalization,
pluralism, rapid technological change, postmodernism, staggering needs, loss
of faith in primary structures, and the dislocation of our known world. No
wonder we feel lost!
In this time, I
believe that God is inviting us to step into this ‘new world’ rather than
hiding from it or complaining that it's ‘not like it used to be.’ Instead, the
invitation is to be a missionary people in our own land. Every congregation
needs to be cross-cultural missionaries to their own community.
We must move from
the mind set that the church is a provider of ‘religious goods and services’
for Christian consumers to being a community which forms a people who are
following God's mission in our particular local community. In a
world that is increasing suspicious of strangers, a world that is more and
more fearful, we in the church have an amazing opportunity to witness to the
world."
