Dr. Mark A. Winder and his wife Michele have been married for over 30 years and have three adult children. Before entering the pastorate, Mark worked in Philadelphia, PA as a regional Communications, Help, and Training Coordinator for an international food service company, and then as a business administrator for one of his suppliers.
Mark served a multi-year internship in an Orthodox Presbyterian Church, was ordained as a ruling elder in 2002, and as a minister in 2003. He served as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and then as pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama from 2004 to 2010. In September of 2010, he and his family moved to Collierville, Tennessee to plant an Orthodox Presbyterian Church in our community.
Mark holds a Master of Arts in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, and a Doctor of Ministry from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. His dissertation was entitled “Application with No Limits,” an exploration of the interpretive and preaching method of Dutch Theologian Geerhardus Vos, as applied to contemporary pulpit ministry. Mark serves on the Home Missions Committee of the Presbytery of the South of the OPC, as well as the OPC’s Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. He enjoys being a contributor to The Reformed Forum, particularly as host of the Proclaiming Christ podcast. His hobbies include playing ice hockey and singing with RSVP – a member chorus of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Mark writes: “I’m excited about what the Lord is doing here in Collierville. Ministering in the ‘Bible belt’ has its challenges. Many folks have heard about the Bible all their lives, but many more have heard little of it. I am so grateful that this church’s emphasis is on substantive preaching and teaching, and seeing that emphasis yield practical results.”
Mark’s background – his journey to the Reformed Faith – includes time in independent Baptist churches, where he served as an evangelist, and the Reformed Episcopal Church. “I thank the Lord for the wide background he’s given me,” Mark says, “it helps me to understand the perspective of folks from many denominational backgrounds and walks of life. It also enables me to be aware of some of the elements of misunderstanding about the Reformed Faith to which some have been exposed. I love what I do, and I love the rich heritage of the biblical approach to Scripture that the Reformed tradition brings with it. That’s something I love to share!”