Leadership Team
Mark PARKER
Auckland, New Zealand
Married to Prue who is currently nursing at Middlemore Hospital. They have five boys:
Luke (25) did his DTS in Perth and currently back in NZ studying Journalism. Dominic (23) also did his DTS in Perth and just completed a 9 mth SBS in Muizenberg, South Africa, and is helping to lead the DTS there.
Christian (22) did his DTS in Townsville and currently doing a Life Leadership College course with our church.
Eli (17) finishing high school this year and looking at doing his DTS next year in Germany. Joel (14) still at school in Auckland.
Mark was born in Gisborne and briefly worked in banking before working as a training director for the Society for the Intellectually Handicapped (IHC) for ten years in the Wellington Region. He met Prue there and they lived in a Christian community for some years before doing their DTS in Christchurch in 1987.
Since joining YWAM:
*they spent a staff training year in Hamilton
*one year in Rarotonga with YWAM Cook Islands
*1990 they joined the staff of the YWAM base at Pahi in Northland where they led the DTS and pioneered the BLS (Basic Leadership School) and eventually became the base leaders
*1993 moved the base to establish what is now YWAM Oak Ridge
*Mark was appointed as the YWAM Training NZ director to oversee all Training done in YWAM nationally
*1999 the Parker family moved to Auckland to focus more on Training, and also take on the role of one of the directors of YWAM Auckland (Te Ao Marama) and also was recently appointed as the Chairman of the National Leadership Team (NLT) here in NZ
Mark's passion is discipleship and leadership development, seeing young people grow and fulfilling all that the Lord has created them for. He often teaches on 'The Cross, Lordship' and 'Relationships' on the DTSs in NZ, Sth Pacific, Australia and SE Asia.