Meet Mark – Counseling Staff

Pastoral Counselor - Addiction and Recovery

Born in Virginia but firmly rooted in Birmingham, Mark has called Alabama home since meeting his best friend and wife, Lynn, in their church’s youth group. Married 36 years, they are the grateful parents of three adult children and five cherished grandchildren.

Mark spent the majority of his professional career in the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries, culminating in his leadership of Cigna’s Government sector in the Southeast. Throughout those years, he developed a deep appreciation for both the science of healthcare and the complexities of human need.

Upon retirement, Mark fully surrendered every area of his life to Jesus — including his long struggle with alcoholism. Out of that surrender came a clear calling: to devote the remainder of his life to walking alongside men and women in recovery, and to equip spouses, families, and friends to faithfully support their loved ones on the journey toward freedom.

Mark is particularly interested in how the brain functions in addiction. He’s dedicated to understanding the disease and the balance between the complex interplay of neurotransmitters and neural pathways that so powerfully shape behavior, and the spiritual realities at the heart of transformation. To deepen his preparation for this work, he obtained an MA in Pastoral Counseling – Addiction and Recovery from Liberty University.

Mark believes many of life’s deepest struggles emerge when human desires like pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain grow disordered and begin to rule the heart. His primary goal is to glorify God by helping individuals turn away from self-reliance and grow in complete dependence upon Christ, applying the hope of the gospel to every detail of life and recovery.