I was raised in a Christian home. My father was a bi-vocational pastor for a season, then a full-time pastor. We moved a couple of times as he took on new opportunities. I remember distinct experiences in middle and high school where my heart was broken over the love of Jesus, and I surrendered myself to him. At the age of 16, I experienced the call of God on my life to vocational ministry. At age 18, I had few prospects for college because of financial obstacles, so I earned enough money to join a ministry internship at Center Point Church. After a year of serving, the church’s leadership saw potential in me and generously offered to start paying for my education. I've journeyed through a lot of highs and lows in the church. Those experiences taught me to rely on God, never assume I'm above failure, and that giftedness does not always equate to Godliness. I prioritize my spiritual, physical, and mental health and strive to be someone who fosters a healthy culture in my home and work environment.

My top spiritual gifts are teaching, leadership, and encouragement. I am recognized by others most often as a gifted communicator, team builder, coach, and strategic thinker.

I love seeing people experience transformation in their lives. I love seeing people discover their God-given spiritual gifts and put them to work for the Kingdom. I love seeing the lost come to faith in Jesus and be baptized.

RLC has a strong and solid foundation laid by former Pastor Mike Davis. Your location, community growth, and ministry philosophy all point to tremendous potential to reach your community for Christ and grow God’s kingdom.

My preaching style is conversational. I connect with audiences by being relatable and vulnerable, and through sharing relevant illustrations to explain the timeless principles of the Bible.

I am an expositional preacher who enjoys teaching through books or passages of the Bible. When I give a topical message, I root that message in a central passage and stay in that passage to expound on it.

I believe effective, life-giving sermons have three characteristics, they inform the mind, they stir the heart, and they move a person’s will to action. This can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, who empowers me in the preparation of my heart to preach, who informs my times of study, research and prayer, and who speaks to the hearts of those listening to the sermon.

• Build relationships and credibility with the staff.
• Build relationships and credibility with the church.
• Preach faithfully.
• Learn from the Leadership Team, staff and congregation about the area, the church's history, and its culture.
• Partner with the Leadership Team and staff to assess the churches strengths and areas for improvement.
• Through prayer and collaboration cultivate a vision for the future.

• My father Will Markham | He is a man of great wisdom, integrity and faithfulness.
• Don Cousins | He's a world-class leader and developer of people.
• My Mentors: Scott Ridout, Dale Ward & Bruce Garner
• John Maxwell | His books taught me to think like a leader.
• John Ortberg, Dane Ortlund, Dallas Williard, Jan Johnson & Henri Nouwen | Their writings have taught me to prioritize my relationship with God through spiritual practices.

I take a servant leadership approach. I view success as helping those who report to me and those to whom I report become successful. I love the situational leadership model of leadership. It gives tremendous clarity to those I lead as to how I am helping them to succeed. I believe in being a shepherd leader which I define in the three principles of provision, protection, and presence found in Psalms 23.

Collaborative, humble, hard-working, and encouraging. I thrive in spaces where staff are invested in so they can achieve their potential. I thrive in spaces where the best idea wins and people check their egos at the door.

I want to serve in a church that elevates the Gospel, the centrality of Jesus, the reliability and truth of Scripture, being Spirit-led, and serving the community. While the two previous churches I served in were nondenominational, I am in full agreement and alignment with RLC’s statement of faith and ministry philosophy.