Mark and Katrina Willis
Welcome to the Godgrown web interface. We’re glad you stopped by to visit us!
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To schedule Mark or Kat for coaching, a speaking engagement, or workshop (on small group development, missions and evangelism, spiritual formation or church planting), please contact us.
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I (Mark) grew up in Indianapolis, IN and moved to Texas for college. There I received a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree at ACU. Involved in the degree was an intensive training and missions residency program that allowed me to incorporate the praxis of mission with my studies. The residency focused on urban missions, viral discipleship, organic church planting and intriguing new church expressions. Needless to say, I got me psyched about chasing after God at work in our world today.
Since then, we have moved to Chicago for mission work, and with the help of others, we are currently planting churches, training other church planters, and empowering an organic church network.
At our core, we are about raising up disciples of Christ who love the Lord, and with the help of friends, coaches, mentors and supporters, we’re prayerfully considering how diverse people groups in and around the whole city of Chicago can be reached for God. It’s exciting, it’s horrifying; it’s God’s life for me – and I’m loving every minute!
Here’s some personal stuff: I love a good read, a one-handed fribsee catch, natural creamy peanut butter, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
My wife Kat is the absolute joy and love of my life and an accomplished artist. A few years back, she graduated with a fine arts degree from ACU and has dreams of developing more deeply as an artist in Chicago. She draws and paints fine-art portraits, does web development and design, and much more. She is a part of this mission work in every way, learning to live missionally, prayerfully, and simply. You’ll find her dreaming about art, health and nutrition, sushi, and human-centered design.
We kept hearing rumors from God that we were to move to Chicago to catalyze a simple network of faith communities throughout the major metropolitan area. So, with the support of family and friends, we took the leap. We want to see vibrant families of Jesus Christ pop up all over that city and beyond. For more on our vision, click here.
Please feel free to strike up a conversation on any of the posts on this site or via email. This continues to be learning at its best for me – the kind that pulls in the resources of many, for the good of all. Please enjoy navigating the site, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Bill Lopez are discussing.
Bill Lopez 2:40 pm on July 26, 2006 Permalink
Greetings in the mighty and wonderful name of Jesus!
I enjoyed reading about you and your wife and what God has been saying to you, I am now living in Chicago, at jpusa. We are a christian community of about 400. I pray that our Lord and God, Jesus Christ will fill you both with His Spirit and wisdom and that you find His word a lamp unto your feet. God bless.
In Him
Bill
Jake 5:08 pm on August 30, 2006 Permalink
Hi Mark, I saw you left a comment on my site, and I replied to it, in case you don’t see it, here’s what I wrote:
Wow, Thanks Mark, I think I’ll take some time to look at Eph 4:1-16 tomorrow morning (it’s 1:00 am here in Turkey.) I’d love to hear more about what your experience of Organic Church has actually looked like, what have been some key components, how you and your wife got the point you’re at, and how you’d advise a couple who’s just starting out on this journey.