Meet United Church of Bogotá
United Church of Bogotá (UCB) is a multi-denominational, Bible-based Christian church ministering to the English-speaking international community in Bogotá, Colombia. The church is a diverse fellowship, serving people from all over the world.
UCB is one of the world’s oldest international churches, with roots dating back to 1867. At UCB, internationals from across the globe gather each week with Colombian nationals to encounter God in worship and experience the impact of his grace on every part of their lives. As a church that prioritizes serving the globally mobile in their midst, they invest strategically in ministry to the next generation, community life among their diverse and transitory congregation, and outreach to the unreached.
With all its cultural complexities, the international church is often a place with fewer power dynamics than churches in a more monocultural setting. There is a general ethos of collaboration across cultures and denominational lines that makes pastoring an international church a gracious learning environment for someone new to local church ministry or ministry abroad.
Needed: a collaborative leader
United Church of Bogotá was seeking a collaborative and thoughtful leader with specific giftings to serve as their next Senior Pastor. This person would need to excel at managing people and resources in a complex, culturally dynamic, and transitory international church. The church wanted to find someone who would embrace the ambiguity of leading a multi-denominational church that includes a plethora of nationalities and denominational backgrounds while still functioning internally as a Presbyterian and winsomely Reformed church. They would need someone whose heart clearly beats for reaching the lost, cross-cultural missions, and discipleship.
A strong first slate
With UCB’s specific mission and unique cultural dynamic, their search team needed to find the right person with the right skills and calling, so they expanded their reach by partnering with Vanderbloemen. The UCB staff worked closely with Executive Search Consultant Rick Callahan to build a detailed profile of exactly who the church needed in a senior pastor.
With a list of qualifications and a vision in mind, the search officially began. Executive Search Recruiter Will Hancock sifted through applications as they came. Rick interviewed several of the most qualified candidates on paper, and they presented the top four strongest candidates to UCB’s search team. With a strong first slate, UCB had all they needed to find their senior pastor.
A unanimous vote of confidence
Ultimately, Mark Persson from Trumbull, CT stood out as the right fit. With a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and a Master’s of Divinity, Mark’s educational background fulfilled what UCB had hoped for. Having previously served as a school chaplain in Connecticut, Mark followed a call to relocate to Colombia. He, along with his wife and three kids, began a new journey alongside UCB when the church unanimously voted to install Mark as their new Senior Pastor.
