Faculty Profile: Mark Sarver

Mark serves as a lecturer on the theology of the Reformation

Conversion

Having been raised by godly missionaries in India, Mark heard the gospel from infancy, and around his fifth birthday the Holy Spirit brought him to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, while taking a shower with his four-year-old brother, Mark said to him, "Paul, you need to repent right now, or you might go down the drain and go to hell!" (God saved Paul, but not right then!) God also instilled in Mark at an early age a love for God-exalting hymns, especially "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise."

Family

Mark married Juanita in 1974. Due to multiple miscarriages, Juanita was only able to carry one child to term, their daughter CeAnn. Juanita is an expert seamstress. CeAnn is married but has been unable to conceive. She teaches music at the College of St. Rose in Albany and teaches over twenty piano students privately. Their adopted son Timothy is a case manager with an agency caring for disadvantaged people and is hoping to carve out a career in music.

Education

Mark received his BA from Pillsbury Baptist Bible College (Owatonna, MN). He studied for a year at Baptist Bible School of Theology (Clarks Summit, PA), and completed ministerial training at Trinity Ministerial Academy (Montville, NJ), where he was in the first class to graduate (1980).

Ministry

Mark has been involved in church planting in the Midwest from 1980 through 1987, was an elder at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, NJ after returning there from the Midwest. Later he was called to the pastorate in Albany, NY in 1989, where he has served ever since. From 1990 through 1997 Mark taught the four courses in historical theology at Trinity Ministerial Academy in Montville.

Research Interests and Hobbies

Mark is writing what he hopes to be five volumes on the theology of the Reformers. He also hopes to complete books on baptism, the early church, justification, and sanctification. Mark enjoys carpentry, baseball, hiking, working out, and visiting historical sites. Before losing his flexibility, he also enjoyed snow skiing.