Mark Waite is the founding and
teaching pastor of Covenant of Grace Bible Church in Edgewood, New
Mexico. Pastor Mark is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard and
served a tour in the New Mexico National Guard. Upon being honorably
discharged, from the service, he attended Grace College in Winona
Lake, Indiana and later transferred to Baptist Bible College of
Pennsylvania where he graduated with a degree in Bible in 1986. He
also holds a Masters Degree in Biblical Studies from Tyndale
Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Pastor Mark has served in ministry
as a Youth Pastor, Senior Pastor, and Christian School teacher since
1985. During some of that time, he has also worked as a police
officer. Presently, he is serving as the teaching pastor of Covenant
of Grace Bible Church, a church he helped to found in 2004. He is
also working in the town of Estancia as a full-time police officer.
While thoroughly enjoying the
opportunity to serve the Lord as both a pastor and a police officer,
Pastor Mark’s passion is to teach the Word of God to God’s people so
that they are presented with and understand the whole counsel of God.
He teaches as he studies—one word and phrase at a time in the original
languages in an expository manner.
Pastor Mark loves to spend his time
with “dead theologians” reading the likes of Augustine, John Calvin,
Martin Luther, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards. He is a great fan of
the Puritans and also of such contemporary preachers as John Piper and
John MacArthur.
As for his time off, Pastor Mark
loves to hunt, fish, camp, ride his motorcycle, raise and butcher his
own hogs, and spend lots of time with his wife Nancy and their seven
children.
In trying to sum up the goal of his
life and ministry, Pastor Mark, in borrowing from the language of John
Piper writes:
“I desire through my life
and ministry to make much
of Jesus
so that He gets the glory and I get the joy.”
