Mark Walker Accepts Lee University Post
Cleveland, TN–Lee University is welcoming a veteran pastor to lead its ministerial training programs, it was announced Sunday by Lee President Paul Conn. Dr. Mark L. Walker, senior pastor of Mount Paran North Church of God, will resign from that pastorate to join the Lee faculty and administration in early August.
Pastor Walker made the announcement to his congregation yesterday in the morning services at Mount Paran North. He will join the President’s Cabinet in the newly created position of Vice President for Ministerial Development, while serving as Chair of the Department of Christian Ministries. As a member of the Lee faculty, he will hold the rank of Professor of Pastoral Studies.
“We are excited by what the future holds for practical ministerial training under Mark’s leadership,” Conn said. “The task of training pastors and other Christian ministers for the harvest is the oldest and most important mission of Lee University, and we expect Pastor Walker’s experience and stature to lead us in a fresh new emphasis.”
Conn said the Lee Board of Directors approved the appointment in a special meeting earlier last week.
Tom Madden, administrative bishop of North Georgia, joined Dr. Walker in making the announcement at Mount Paran North, and also shared the news that he and the congregation’s Board of Trustees have selected Dr. Kirk Walters as their new pastor. Walters currently serves as Senior Pastor of the Birmingham Metro Church of God.
In his combined roles, Walker will bring his skills and experience to Lee’s mission of training pastors, missionaries, youth and family ministers, chaplains, and other vocational callings. His accomplishments in pastoral ministry, combined with his academic background, provide a unique preparation for this important assignment. In addition to his effectiveness as the leader of a large and vibrant Atlanta congregation, he has earned an undergraduate degree in business administration and a masters degree in counseling from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Regent University.
Dr. Walker has served on the Lee University Board of Directors since 2010. His wife, Udella, is a graduate of Lee (class of 1983), as are their son Justin (’09) and their daughter Ashten (’13). The Walkers have two grandchildren.
Walker has gained a national reputation as a popular teacher and preacher, and frequently appears in seminars and conferences across the country. He has been elected on multiple occasions by his ministerial peers in the Church of God to its highest deliberative bodies, the International Executive Council and the North Georgia State Council. He currently serves as chair of the Church of God Benefits Boards, and is a past chair of the Church of God National Pastor’s Advisory Council.
(Source: Lee University)
