Pastor Mark Congrove

Pastor Mark Congrove was born in Medina, Ohio, where he grew up in a Christian home with parents who loved him and introduced him to the gospel at an early age. He came to faith at the age of twelve and spent his high school years growing in grace and learning to walk with Christ.

Upon graduating from Medina Senior High School in 1975, he attended Miami University of Ohio. After completing his freshman year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a military policeman, where he served for three and a half years. While stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, he met the love of his life, Debbie, a local girl whose mother ministered to soldiers by serving as an unofficial USO for those away from home. After a brief courtship, they were married in December 1978.

Following his discharge from the military, Mark and Debbie relocated to the Phoenix area, where he enrolled at Arizona State University. He graduated from ASU in 1983 with a degree in Secondary Education and went on to teach for two years in both public and private schools. During that time, he sensed a call to ministry, which led him to move to Ankeny, Iowa, to attend Faith Baptist Seminary. He graduated in 1989 with a Master’s degree in Theology.

After completing seminary, Mark returned to Arizona, where he and a colleague founded Camino Del Rey Baptist Church in Apache Junction in 1989. In 1994, after five years of church planting ministry, Mark and Debbie answered a call to Robinson Baptist Church in Grand Haven, Michigan. During his time there, Mark also served as an adjunct professor at Grace Christian University and Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2004, he earned his Th.M. from Calvin Seminary.

After fourteen years at Robinson Baptist Church, Mark transitioned to serve as Executive Director of Lakeshore Pregnancy Center (now Positive Options). After three years in that role, he returned to pastoral ministry as Senior Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in South Haven, Michigan, where he served for ten years. During that time, he completed his doctoral work at Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating in 2015.

Following this season of ministry, Mark “retired” from full-time pastoral work to pursue interim ministry opportunities. While serving in the Baldwin, Michigan, area, he accepted a call to pastor Lake Community Bible Church, where he served for four years. After his “second” retirement in 2024, he served an interim role in Hesperia, Michigan, and was subsequently invited to return to Robinson Baptist Church for a year-long interim. Shortly thereafter, he assumed the role of Senior Pastor at Robinson Baptist Church in 2025.

Mark and Deb have three grown children—Joshua (46), Daniel (43), and Michaela (33)—and thirteen grandchildren. With two of their children living out of state, much of their free time is spent traveling to visit family. When not on the road, Mark enjoys spending time with Deb, reading, writing, riding his bicycle, and backpacking with his children.

Mark and Debbie committed their lives to pastoral ministry in 1987 and have sought to remain faithful to the calling of communicating the Bible effectively and loving God’s people throughout the years.

MJC