Conversion

Born in 1959 into a devout Roman Catholic family in Grand Rapids, MI, Mark was blessed with a stable family life of Father’s disciplining and Mother's nurturing. Mark’s mother attended a Women's Bible Study Fellowship gathering and was apparently born again, not understanding what happened. At the age of 14, Mark’s father experienced a maiming auto accident, resulting in his new birth. The Lord worked in Mark by breaking his ankle at age 15, shattering his athletic idol, and then at age 17 sending him off to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes conference at Central Michigan University. The final session broke his heart with the reality of Christ's forgiveness, and he could not stop weeping on his way back to the dormitory, causing many to question, "What's with Chanski?!" When he got back home, he told his father that he became a Christian.
Mark’s life changed. He started reading his Bible hungrily, experienced a change of personality, got conscience sensitivity, and became intrigued with the idea of Christian counseling.

Family

Mark and Dianne have been married since 1982. They have 5 children (4 boys and one girl) born 1983 to 1993, and have 12 grandchildren.

Vocation

Coordinator of The Reformed Baptist Network.

Hobbies

Distance Running, Golfing, Traveling, Husbanding, Fathering, Grandfathering.

Ministry Experience

Mark pastored from 1986 to 1989 at Kemp Road Baptist Church near Dayton, OH. He then returned to GR and pastored at Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids from 1989 to 1994. In 1994 Mark planted and pastored The Reformed Baptist Church of Holland (now Harbor Church), until 2021. In 2020, Mark was appointed as the Coordinator of the Reformed Baptist Network, where I now labor full-time for Network-wide Great Commission projects.

Education

BA from Cornerstone University; MDiv from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.

Publications

Mark authored 3 published books: Manly Dominion (Calvary Press) 2007, Womanly Dominion (Calvary Press) 2008, Encouragement: Adrenaline for the Soul (Reformation Heritage Books) 2019.