Dr. J. Mark Finch, Pastor

I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved to Lawrenceville, Virginia, when I was five years old. I was raised in a Christian home and exposed to gospel preaching from an early age. At the age of eight, I accepted Christ as my personal savior and was baptized by immersion. I attended the University of Virginia from 1983–1987 and graduated with a Bachelors’ of Arts Degree in Chemistry. I then attended the Medical College of Virginia from 1987–1992 and graduated with a Doctor of Medicine Degree in 1992. I met my wife Jackie, a Registered Nurse, in 1990, and we married in 1992. We are the parents of three grown children. I was a family practice physician at Rockingham Family Physicians in Harrisonburg, Virginia from 1995–2010.

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Scholastic and secular pursuits dominated my life for quite some time. In 2002, during a revival meeting, I began to feel that my life as a physician, while providing temporal benefit to many, was, in reality, of no spiritual eternal benefit. I began to spend more time in Bible study and prayer. As if drawn by a magnet, my desire to preach and teach the Bible and pastor increased quickly. It was made clear to me over the next few years that God was calling me into full time ministry. I retired from the practice of medicine in 2010 and moved our family to Shelby, North Carolina  in order to attend Ambassador Baptist College to train for the ministry. I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Theology in 2013. Our family moved back to the Shenandoah Valley the summer of 2014  to plant Lighthouse Baptist Church.  I continue to feel confident that the Lord has called me to do the work of a pastor and I look forward to the opportunity to serve. I am aware that I, myself, am insufficient for the job before me, but Christ will give me the strength to do that which he has called me to do.