Mark Nelson - Youth Pastor
About Mark
Mark is originally from Homer, a village in Central New York. He graduated from Baptist Bible College of PA in 1994, after which he served as youth pastor at two churches before coming to Northridge. He served for eight years at Bethel Baptist Church of Fruitport, MI followed by six years at Emmanuel Baptist Church of Toledo, OH. He recently received his Master of Ministry degree from Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago.
Mark married Gretchen in 1995 and the two have been blessed with four daughters since then. Their children are Brooke (1998), Kaleigh (2000), Taylor (2002), and Paige (2003).
Mark’s passion is to help teenagers integrate their Christian faith into every area of their lives. He also just happens to love sports, music, and video games.
Q&A with Mark
What was your first job?
Paperboy
Where did you grow up?
Homer, NY
What is your favorite movie?
The Princess Bride/Nacho Libre: a tie too close to call!
What do you love most about Northridge?
I love that people can come to know who Jesus Christ is without having to first navigate a bunch of needless “roadblocks” to understanding.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
One spent with family, teenagers, or both.
What's your favorite snack?
Pizza is a snack, right?
What's one thing you love about Rochester?
Lots of Buffalo Bills fans!
What is your favorite quote?
"The choices I make make me"
What is one thing most people don't know about you?
I once took organ lessons
What is one book (besides the Bible) that impacted you?
"Total Truth" by Nancy Pearcy
What is your family like?
Fun, fantastic, and filled with females.
Who is someone you admire?
My wife... she does it all!
What is your biggest challenge?
Figuring out how to help people become passionate followers of Christ while having my own spiritual problems to deal with.
What do you love most about your job?
All-nighters and video games!! Oh, and I get to work with people and I get paid to study the Bible!
What is a favorite passage of Scripture?
Proverbs 29:25 “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the Lord means safety.” NLT
What inspires you?
Selfless youth leaders who give of their time to love kids.
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Once as a little boy I was fishing with my father. I commented on how good he was at fishing. He said something that has remained with me which was, “If you want to be good at something find someone who does it really well, and do what they do.” This advice has proven reliable on many fronts.
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