Dear General Assembly Member,

It is with great joy I share with you that our Future Directions Committee, after a year and a half of work, has found and our Board of Directors has unanimously approved Rev. Mark Richardson as the next State Pastor for the Church of God in Michigan. Below is a video introduction of Mark, his biography, and resume. You will also find the ratification ballot. Please ratify and give the information asked for then click done and your vote will be registered. If you are the Senior Pastor, please forward this information to your Church’s lay delegate to the General Assembly so they too may vote. It has been my joy to serve you for the past 18 years and I believe Rev. Richardson will keep building on what we have done together to this point. If you have any questions about Rev. Richardson, I refer you to the Chair of our Board of Directors, Dr. Herbert Banks, (810) 732-0500, our to the Vice-Chair of the Future Directions Committee, Rev. Jerry Lyon, (517) 783-4218.

Complete the Survey Monkey Ratification no later than July 26


State Pastor Candidate - Ratification

Rev. Mark Richardson

Mark Richardson

Rev. Mark Kevin Richardson was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. He is the son of Harrison and Josephine Richardson. He is a first generation Church of God member, and minister, having grown up in the Catholic Church. He was educated in Akron through graduation from Archbishop Hoban High School. He attended Mount Union College, in Alliance, Ohio, graduating in 1979, with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, with a minor in Communications. Upon graduation, he worked for the IBM Corporation, from 1979 through 1983. While working in the computer industry from 1985 through 1996, Rev. Richardson developed as a lay minister under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Fowler in Akron. When his job required relocation to Maryland, from 1989 through 1991, he continued to develop as a lay minister under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Marc Farmer, of the Oakland Mills Church of God in Columbia, MD. Upon his relocation back to Akron in 1992, he resumed his development under Rev. Fowler. Rev, Richardson was ordained in 1994, at the Arlington Church of God.

He came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ under the ministry of Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Fowler, of the Arlington Church of God, in Akron, Ohio, in 1981. He experienced the call on his life for Pastoral Ministry in late 1983, and began the process of preparation for ministry immediately. After a brief time of study at the Anderson University School of Theology, Rev. Mark returned to Akron to develop in ministry while returning to work in the computer industry for Digital Equipment Corporation. In September of 1984 he married the love of his life, Sharon, to whom he has been married for over 34 years. They have two children whom they consider great blessings from God, Anna and Joshua, and another great blessing in grandson, Akhil.

In 1996 he answered the call to his first pastorate, the Lincoln Avenue Church of God in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was the Senior Pastor until July 2002. Since 2002, Rev. Richardson has served as the founding Senior Pastor of the New Life Church of God, in Pittsburgh, PA, a thriving congregation reaching into Pittsburgh and its eastern suburbs. During his time in Western Pennsylvania, he served in the state ministry, as a member, and chair, of the Credentialing Services Team, and as Team Leader of the Church Health Team. Rev. Richardson also served as a member of the Ministries Council of Western Pennsylvania Ministries. For nearly two years from June 2012 through January 2014, Rev. Richardson served as a Co-Director of Leadership Development and Church Multiplication with Church of God Ministries in Anderson, IN, working for the General Director of Church of God Ministries. Currently Rev. Richardson is the President of the General Assembly of WPA Ministries of the Church of God and Chair of the Ministries Council. He is currently a member of the Board of Servant Solutions of the Church of God. Rev. Richardson is also a Coach with the Leadership Focus Ministry of the Church of God.

Download Mark's Biography


Click the play button below to see Mark's introductory video.


Professional Profile

Through 22 years of Pastoral Ministry as a Senior Pastor, State Ministry Leader, and Church of God Ministries Director, 12 years of Lay Ministry, and 25+ years of business experience within the computer and health care industries, I have developed a number of skills which will allow me to meet, and prayerfully exceed, the duties required of a State Pastor within the Church of God.

  • Experience in oversight and direction of Church Operations & Management
  • 22+ years of Senior Pastoral experience within the Church of God
  • Current GA President, Western PA COG
  • Ministries Council Chair, Western PA COG
  • Current Trustee, Servant Solutions Board
  • Credentials Chair in WPA COG
  • Ministries Council member in WPA
  • Church Health Team Chair WPA
  • Leadership Development Team in WPA
  • Developed Leadership Academy
  • Successful Church Plant (16+ Years)
  • Many Church Consultations in WPA
  • Vision Implementation Team in WPA
  • 14 Ministers Coached Through Ordination
  • Launched Many Congregational Ministries
  • Authored & Taught Several Courses
  • Launched a Capital Giving Campaign
  • Strong writing skills developed through years of developing courseware, articles, presentations, correspondence, and grievances management (within the hospital environment)
  • Strong Communication Skills, honed through 39 years in sales and marketing, public speaking, preaching, teaching, and presenting on various topics from industry specialties while in the information industry, to theology and healthcare
  • Strong Presentation skills including development and presentation to audiences of all sizes.
  • Experienced with Computer Systems especially Microsoft Office
  • Experienced as a Chaplain within UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital
  • Significant Patient Experience knowledge gained within the healthcare environment of a large healthcare system, both in the inpatient and the medical practice environment

Work History & Accomplishments

Senior Pastor, New Life Church of God 2002 - Present
As the Senior Pastor of the New Life Church of God in Pittsburgh, PA, I have executed all of the Sacerdotal duties of the Senior Pastor, including preaching, teaching, counseling, administration, and the performance of all ordinance functions. During this time, I worked to establish the congregation as a viable, recognized congregation within the Church of God Reformation Movement. I guide the congregation and leadership toward the execution of the vision for ministry, including the communication of the vision, the preparation for it, the team building necessary to fulfill it, and the encouragement and direction needed to stay focused. During this time the congregation has more than doubled in size, launched several key ministries, acquired property, conducted the Capital Giving Campaign, secured loan funding for major facility renovations, and made an impact in the community. During my tenure as Senior Pastor, several people have received a call to pastoral ministry, with 9 being coached from the call through the ordination process. While working as Senior Pastor, I have also been actively involved in State Ministry with Western Pennsylvania Ministries of the Church of God as Church Health Team Chairman, Credentials Services Team Chairman, member of the Leadership Development Team, and a member of the Ministries Council. I have done several consultations with congregations in Western PA who were working though crises, pastoral transition, and proactive church health processes. I have also mentored ministers from other congregations in WPA in consultation with the Credentialing Services Team. I have also been an instructor with the Institute for Servant Leadership in WPA on several occasions. Currently I serve as the GA Chair for Western PA Ministries of the Church of God as well as Ministries Council Chair. I currently serve as a Trustee with the Servant Solutions Board of the Church of God. I also currently serve as a Coach for the Leadership Focus Credentialing Ministry of the Church of God.

Project Manager, Patient Experience, UPMC Physician’s Serv. Div. Feb - Dec 2014
As Project Manager for Patient Experience at UPMC’s Physician Services Division, I was responsible for working with the Director of Patient Experience to develop and manage the Patient Relations and Patient Experience functions for the Medical Practices of UPMC, covering 6 Divisions, and 1200 medical practices. This responsibility included the development and implementation of training to enhance patient interaction and experience. It also included the management of the patient satisfaction process to provide surveying and analytical reporting of patient surveys to insure that CMS reporting requirements were being met and patient experience was improved throughout the organization.

Co-Director, Leadership Dev. & Church Health CHOG Ministries June 2012 – Jan 2014
As a Co-Director with Church of God Ministries with Rev. Randy Montgomery, I shared the responsibility of vision casting, staff management, budget development, and management for the North American ministries of Church of God Ministries Headquartered in Anderson, IN. These responsibilities include the management of the relationships between Church of God Ministries HQ and the Regional Pastors who manage the affairs of the areas of the United States and Canada. As a part of this position I was also a member of the Executive Leadership Team of Church of God Ministries.

Patient Relations Coordinator & Chaplain, UPMC Presbyterian Hospital 2002 – 2008
As a Patient Relations Coordinator, I was responsible for being a liaison between the patients and the hospital administration. This included management of patient’s issues and complaints, as well as developing and presenting creative solutions to improve the patient’s experience and relationship with the hospital. In this position, I was responsible for managing of complaints through the formal complaint process, and insuring that this process was followed according to CMS and DOH guidelines. During my tenure as a Patient Relations Coordinator, I was responsible for preparing and tracking patient satisfaction results through the Press Ganey Company, and reporting those results to the management of the hospital in several different venues. Specifically, I developed queries for the clinical areas which I supported (General Medicine, Abdominal Transplant, Urology, Orthopedics, General Surgery, Gastroenterology, and Same Day Surgery, as well as some other key areas of the hospital. I provided these reports to the Clinical and Unit Directors at their meetings, and discussed with them the significance of the measurements and initiatives to improve the results. I also developed queries and presented Press Ganey results to other key areas of the hospital outside of my direct responsibility area, like the ER. As a part of this responsibility, I presented Press Ganey results at the Cross-Team monthly meetings of the departmental heads of the hospital. I also was a member of the Palliative Care Team and the Medical Ethics Team of the hospital.
As a Chaplain for UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, I served as both a Casual (on-call) Chaplain, and in a Part-time capacity. During this time, I interfaced with patients, family of patients, and the staff of the hospital to provide Pastoral Care in whatever situations it was needed. This included in-room visitation, participation with other departments of the Hospital, e.g. Palliative Care, and on-call activities.

Senior Pastor, Lincoln Avenue Church of God 1996 - 2002
As the Senior Pastor of the Lincoln Avenue Church of God in Pittsburgh, PA, I executed all of the Sacerdotal duties of the Senior Pastor, including preaching, teaching, counseling, administration, and the performance of all ordinance functions. During this time, I worked to execute the vision for ministry, including the communication of the vision, the preparation for it, the team building necessary to fulfill it, and the encouragement and direction needed to stay focused. Specifically I worked to change the structure of ministry for this older congregation to move to a cell-based ministry structure. During my tenure at Lincoln Avenue Church of God, several people were called into ministry, and five were coached and developed from calling to ordination. I also was a member and then chairman of the Credentialing Services Team of WPA Ministries. I consulted with several churches in Western PA through crises and pastoral transition.

Marketing & Sales Roles, Digital Equipment Corporation 1985 – 1987; 1989 – 1996
As a Marketing Executive, specializing in Telecommunications, and a Sales Executive in Maryland and Northeast Ohio, specializing in custom solutions to large Telecommunications Corporations, I was successful in selling, and supporting the efforts to implement, over 40 million dollars of computing solutions to large telecommunications companies. As a Senior Sales Representative, I was responsible for selling and implementing well over 8 Million dollars of information systems solutions to Manufacturing and Healthcare Organizations.

Dowling Associates and Microtek Systems, Inc. 1987 - 1989
During this period, I worked with two companies. With Dowling Associates, I was responsible for selling contract services for the development and support of complex information systems applications. With Microtek Information Systems, I was responsible for selling computer hardware as a Broker / Product Line Manager.

Marketing Representative, IBM Corporation 1979 – 1984
As a Marketing Representative, I was responsible for selling and implementing (with a team) complex computing solutions to solve customer business problems across several key industries (Manufacturing, Education, Transportation, and Healthcare).

Education

Mount Union College, 1979 Alliance, OH, Bachelor of Arts: Accounting, Communications Minor Post Graduate Study: Theology, Anderson University School of Theology1984 Numerous Seminars and Classes in Theology, Information Systems, and Healthcare Coaches Training Institute, Church of God, Graduated 2012

Boards, Certifications & Coaching Opportunities

GA President & Ministries Council Chair, WPA Ministries of the Church of God 2015 - Currrent Trustee, Servant Solutions Board of the Church of God, 2015 - Current Board Member, East Liberty Family Health Care Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 2015 – Current Member of Planning Board, Pittsburgh Pastoral Care Conference, 2015 - 2017 Certified Coach through the Coaching Training Institute 2012 Coach for the Leadership Initiative of Florida Ministries 2015 Coach for the Leadership Focus of Church of God Ministries 2016 – Current Instructor for 360 Leadership Conference in WPA Ministries 2017 & 2018

Family

Wife: Sharon (Married in 1984)
Children: Anna (30) Joshua (28)
Grandchild: Akhil (6)

References

Rev. Charles Myricks, Chief Operating & Development Officer, National Association COG
Rev. Rebecca New-Edson, Director of Ministries, WPA Ministries of the Church of God
Jeff Jenness, President, Servant Solutions Pension Board of the Church of God
Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Fowler, Pastor Laureate, Arlington Church of God, Akron, OH
Kirk Bookout, Development Director, Children of Promise

Download Mark's Resume

Complete the Survey Monkey Ratification no later than July 26