Lead Pastor Candidate Information
Salford Mennonite Church Lead Pastor Ballot
After various opportunities to interact with Lead Pastor Candidate Mark Boorse on and around March 15th, you have the opportunity to affirm Mark for the role of Lead Pastor at Salford Mennonite Church. Please use the ballot at this link to offer your affirmation and comments:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/XZ3JJF8
Your affirmation ballot must be completed and returned by Sunday, March 22, 2026 at midnight. Paper ballots are being distributed to some who may also have access to this ballot digitally through Survey Monkey. Please complete the ballot only once by your preferred method, paper or digital.
The board will receive the ballot results and in discernment together will reach a consensus to call Mark Boorse as lead pastor. The by-laws do not include and the board has not specified a threshold number for approval. In discussion together, the board has affirmed a process whereby ballots will be received and the board, in prayerful discernment, will come to a unanimous/consensus decision if the vote of the congregation affirms calling Mark Boorse to the role of lead pastor. The congregation will be informed of the Board’s decision and the results of the affirmation ballot on Wednesday, March 25th.
If you have questions, please contact us directly. Thank you for the trust you have given us, and the prayers you have offered for the process of selecting a Lead Pastor for our church family. Please continue to be in prayer for Mark and the Salford Church Board as final discernment on calling Mark as our Lead Pastor is made.
With anticipation,
Randy Nyce and Suzanne Kaczor
Co-Chairs, Search Committee
Mark Heise
Chair, Church Board
www.surveymonkey.com/r/XZ3JJF8
Your affirmation ballot must be completed and returned by Sunday, March 22, 2026 at midnight. Paper ballots are being distributed to some who may also have access to this ballot digitally through Survey Monkey. Please complete the ballot only once by your preferred method, paper or digital.
The board will receive the ballot results and in discernment together will reach a consensus to call Mark Boorse as lead pastor. The by-laws do not include and the board has not specified a threshold number for approval. In discussion together, the board has affirmed a process whereby ballots will be received and the board, in prayerful discernment, will come to a unanimous/consensus decision if the vote of the congregation affirms calling Mark Boorse to the role of lead pastor. The congregation will be informed of the Board’s decision and the results of the affirmation ballot on Wednesday, March 25th.
If you have questions, please contact us directly. Thank you for the trust you have given us, and the prayers you have offered for the process of selecting a Lead Pastor for our church family. Please continue to be in prayer for Mark and the Salford Church Board as final discernment on calling Mark as our Lead Pastor is made.
With anticipation,
Randy Nyce and Suzanne Kaczor
Co-Chairs, Search Committee
Mark Heise
Chair, Church Board
A Letter from the Pastoral Search Committee
Dear Salford family,
After months of prayer, listening, conversation, and shared discernment, we are grateful to recommend Mark Boorse as Lead Pastor candidate for Salford Mennonite Church.
This has not been a rushed process. It has been steady. It has been prayerful. We have listened carefully to you as a congregation, reflected deeply as a committee, and sought the Spirit’s guidance at every step. We believe God has been present with us.
We invite you to enter this next phase of the journey fully.
Pray.
Listen.
Ask questions.
Engage.
We trust that the Spirit leads the gathered community. This is not the committee’s decision alone. It is the congregation’s discernment. We move forward together — listening for God’s voice not as individuals acting independently, but as a body seeking faithfulness.
For more than three centuries, God has been faithful to Salford Mennonite Church. Through seasons of change, growth, challenge, and renewal, God has sustained this congregation. We trust that same faithful God continues to guide us now.
In shared discernment and hope,
The Pastoral Search Committee
After months of prayer, listening, conversation, and shared discernment, we are grateful to recommend Mark Boorse as Lead Pastor candidate for Salford Mennonite Church.
This has not been a rushed process. It has been steady. It has been prayerful. We have listened carefully to you as a congregation, reflected deeply as a committee, and sought the Spirit’s guidance at every step. We believe God has been present with us.
We invite you to enter this next phase of the journey fully.
Pray.
Listen.
Ask questions.
Engage.
We trust that the Spirit leads the gathered community. This is not the committee’s decision alone. It is the congregation’s discernment. We move forward together — listening for God’s voice not as individuals acting independently, but as a body seeking faithfulness.
For more than three centuries, God has been faithful to Salford Mennonite Church. Through seasons of change, growth, challenge, and renewal, God has sustained this congregation. We trust that same faithful God continues to guide us now.
In shared discernment and hope,
The Pastoral Search Committee
Lead Pastor Job Description
| lead_pastor_–_salford_mennonite_church.pdf |
Frequently Asked Questions
| faqs_lead_pastor_candidate_mark_boorse.pdf |
About Mark
Many of you already know Mark. That familiarity is both a gift and something we approached with care.
Mark brings more than four decades of leadership, teaching, and congregational involvement that have shaped him for pastoral ministry. Over the years, he has served in meaningful leadership roles within the church, walking alongside youth and adults, teaching across generations, supporting individuals and families in difficult seasons, and helping guide congregational life through thoughtful service.
His leadership is marked not by urgency, but by listening.
He listens carefully.
He asks thoughtful questions.
He names reality calmly.
He moves toward clarity without rushing discernment.
Beyond his congregational leadership, Mark has spent more than 40 years serving in community-based ministry through Access Services. In that work, he has walked alongside individuals and families navigating complex challenges, helped cultivate healthy teams, and encouraged leaders in mission-driven settings. His experience has been rooted in dignity, listening, and a deep respect for each person’s story — values that resonate naturally within congregational life.
He holds a Master of Human Services from Lincoln University and has continued his formation through leadership development, theological reflection in community, and decades of lived faith.
Throughout much of Salford’s history, we have recognized and called gifted leaders from within the congregation and then supported and equipped them for ministry. That pattern remains part of who we are. We believe Mark has the gifts we need, and we are committed to walking alongside him as he serves in this role.
This Lead Pastor role will be structured at 75% time. That reflects Mark’s request, and after careful conversation and discernment, the Board is comfortable and aligned with that structure for this season of ministry.
Mark brings more than four decades of leadership, teaching, and congregational involvement that have shaped him for pastoral ministry. Over the years, he has served in meaningful leadership roles within the church, walking alongside youth and adults, teaching across generations, supporting individuals and families in difficult seasons, and helping guide congregational life through thoughtful service.
His leadership is marked not by urgency, but by listening.
He listens carefully.
He asks thoughtful questions.
He names reality calmly.
He moves toward clarity without rushing discernment.
Beyond his congregational leadership, Mark has spent more than 40 years serving in community-based ministry through Access Services. In that work, he has walked alongside individuals and families navigating complex challenges, helped cultivate healthy teams, and encouraged leaders in mission-driven settings. His experience has been rooted in dignity, listening, and a deep respect for each person’s story — values that resonate naturally within congregational life.
He holds a Master of Human Services from Lincoln University and has continued his formation through leadership development, theological reflection in community, and decades of lived faith.
Throughout much of Salford’s history, we have recognized and called gifted leaders from within the congregation and then supported and equipped them for ministry. That pattern remains part of who we are. We believe Mark has the gifts we need, and we are committed to walking alongside him as he serves in this role.
This Lead Pastor role will be structured at 75% time. That reflects Mark’s request, and after careful conversation and discernment, the Board is comfortable and aligned with that structure for this season of ministry.
Mark's Faith and Ministry
Mark’s faith is deeply Jesus-centered and rooted in lived discipleship within community.
He cares about Scripture not just informing us, but forming us.
He values contemplation that leads to action.
He resonates with commitments to peace, covenant community, and embodied faith.
His desire, in his own words:
“To be fully used by God at Salford, in whatever capacity I am called to.”
He cares about Scripture not just informing us, but forming us.
He values contemplation that leads to action.
He resonates with commitments to peace, covenant community, and embodied faith.
His desire, in his own words:
“To be fully used by God at Salford, in whatever capacity I am called to.”
A Greeting From Mark
Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Brenda and I have often said that our coming to Salford felt like finding home, from the minute we got here. That continues to be our heartfelt sense.
When I look back across my life, I can see how God was working in ways that I did not fully understand at the time. I’m getting a glimpse of that unfolding over the past three years, and I’m grateful for the ways this time at Salford continues to shape me.
I’m grateful for these verses of encouragement as we move together as a congregation into this next season. I know that God will continue to direct our path as we seek His will and direction together. I am very much looking forward to continuing this conversation with all of you in the coming weeks.
With much love, Mark and Brenda
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Brenda and I have often said that our coming to Salford felt like finding home, from the minute we got here. That continues to be our heartfelt sense.
When I look back across my life, I can see how God was working in ways that I did not fully understand at the time. I’m getting a glimpse of that unfolding over the past three years, and I’m grateful for the ways this time at Salford continues to shape me.
I’m grateful for these verses of encouragement as we move together as a congregation into this next season. I know that God will continue to direct our path as we seek His will and direction together. I am very much looking forward to continuing this conversation with all of you in the coming weeks.
With much love, Mark and Brenda
Sermons Preached by Mark
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Beginning at 40:58
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Beginning at 38:13
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Candidating Weekend Schedule with Mark Boorse
Over the weekend of March 12–15, 2026, Mark will spend meaningful time with the congregation — in worship, conversation, and shared gatherings — so that we can listen, ask questions, and discern together.
He will preach in worship on Sunday morning, and the entire congregation will be invited to a Second Hour conversation that day.
While many of us already know Mark as a friend and fellow member, this weekend is a dedicated time to engage with him in a new way. This is a unique opportunity to transition into a new season of relationship moving from "member" to "pastoral leader." We invite you to join us as Mark reflects on his spiritual journey, his commitment to Anabaptist values of peace and service, and the specific leadership gifts he is called to offer as we follow Jesus together.
Schedule Opportunities to Meet Mark:
He will preach in worship on Sunday morning, and the entire congregation will be invited to a Second Hour conversation that day.
While many of us already know Mark as a friend and fellow member, this weekend is a dedicated time to engage with him in a new way. This is a unique opportunity to transition into a new season of relationship moving from "member" to "pastoral leader." We invite you to join us as Mark reflects on his spiritual journey, his commitment to Anabaptist values of peace and service, and the specific leadership gifts he is called to offer as we follow Jesus together.
Schedule Opportunities to Meet Mark:
Day |
Time and Location |
What |
Who |
3/12/26 |
6:30-7:30 p.m. Gathering Room |
Meet and Greet with Mark |
All Invited |
3/13/26 |
6:15 a.m. Breakfast Energy Station |
Breakfast with MYF |
MYF |
3/13/26 |
11:30 Lunch @ Peter Becker |
Lunch with Mark |
Peter Becker Residents |
3/13/26 |
2:00 p.m. SMH |
Meet and Greet with Mark |
Living Branches Residents |
3/15/26 |
9:30 a.m. Worship Service |
Preaching |
All Invited |
3/15/26 |
10:45-11:45 am Second Hour Fellowship Hall |
Meet and Greet Sharing and Q&A |
All Invited |
3/17/26 |
10:30 a.m. |
Church Staff Meeting |
Salford Staff |
Affirmation Process
Following the candidating weekend:
- Members will be invited to participate in an affirmation vote.
- The Church Board will receive the results in prayerful discernment.
- The congregation will be informed of the Board’s decision and next steps.
Communication Plan
In the weeks ahead, the congregation can expect:
- Reminder emails leading up to the weekend
- A follow-up email explaining the affirmation process
- A reminder prior to the affirmation deadline
- Communication from the Board after discernment is complete