About
About Mark Hobafcovich
Mark Hobafcovich is a pastor, Christian leader, and author whose passion is fulfilling the Great Commission by making disciples of Jesus Christ. He has served in Gospel Ministry for close to four decades. He is the author of "Defector: A True Story of Tyranny, Liberty and Purpose" and has served for over three decades as a Kingdom Catalyst at the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board, where he helps churches multiply and spread the Gospel in their communities, build disciples, and plant churches throughout the United States and Canada.
Early Life
Mark was born in Bozovici, Caras-Severin County in western Romania with a population of just over 3,000. He was the youngest of four siblings and the only boy in the family of Vichentie and Elena Hobafcovici. At that time, Caras-Severin County had a population of just over 200,000, with the majority being ethnic Romanian, Croatian, German, Serbian, Hungarian, and other ethnicities. Romania was part of the Eastern European Bloc, a group of socialist states living under communist dictatorial regimes during the Cold War.
Growing up, Mark experienced prejudice and ridicule for his family's evangelical Christian beliefs. Since religion was recognized as the ideology of the bourgeoisie, Marxist-Leninist atheism was promoted by the totalitarian regime with a hostile stance against religion. The ultimate goal was to establish an atheistic society. As a result, thousands of priests, pastors, and laymen were imprisoned, with many being sent to the notorious Danube-Black Sea Canal, a navigable canal known for its much-feared labor camp site in Communist Romania where thousands of political prisoners lost their lives. Evangelical Christian Baptists were a minority group in Romania and looked upon with suspicion, as the genesis of the movement originated in the West. They were monitored and restricted by the tyrannical government.
The Path to Freedom
As he grew and matured, Mark began to see through the veil of statist propaganda and concluded that he would do better seeking refuge on "the other side of the fence." One major factor in his growing anti-communist views was exposure to freedom and Western ideas via Radio Free Europe. Programs were broadcast to the Eastern Bloc and were founded as an anti-communist measure combating the totalitarian ideology promoted by the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc. With headquarters in Munich, West Germany, the radio was covertly funded by the Central Intelligence Agency and broadcast music, news, analysis, and free information to countries, as well as religious programs during the Cold War.
Even in his teen years, Mark dreamed that one day he would "go to the other side of the fence" and decided that he would one day leave Romania for a free land. That day eventually arrived in 1980. Under the cover of darkness, on a cold December night, one day before Christmas Eve, 20-year-old Mark and a handful of friends set toward the western border of Romania with present-day Serbia, known as Yugoslavia at that time. The goal was to make it past the border guards, into the neighboring country, and eventually into a free country.
Despite a few close calls, including nearly freezing to death, the group, which lost two members along the way, made it to Yugoslavia, where they applied for asylum, interviewed with the authorities, and were ultimately granted permanent entry to Australia.
Unexpected Encounter
On his first Sunday in a new country, little did he know that he would soon have a life-changing encounter with the Gospel message. Toma Toma, a layman and a simple church member, had invited the young man to attend a Baptist church in Melbourne. There, he would freshly hear the Gospel message and perhaps find the answers he had been searching for. The young man agreed to go and soon found himself among a community of believers who welcomed him with open arms.
On July 19, 1981, Mark was baptized by Pastor Gavril Crisan, the newly arrived pastor from Romania, at the First Romanian Baptist Church in Melbourne, Australia. This was a significant moment in Mark's life as it publicly marked the beginning of his journey of faith.
Growing in Faith and Ministry
As Mark continued to attend the church, he was discipled by mature believers, especially Peter Velja, his soon-to-be father-in-law. Peter invested in Mark's spiritual growth, guiding him in life and encouraging him to further study and prepare for a life of ministry. Mark began to be involved in the ministry of the local church, taking on different responsibilities, including youth leadership and various church leadership roles, which helped him mature in his faith. Pastor Gavril Crisan saw potential in the young believer and challenged him to prepare a sermon to be preached on Easter Monday morning, April 12, 1982. Mark was nervous, but he prepared diligently and delivered a Gospel sermon that touched the hearts of many.
That was the first time Mark publicly delivered a Gospel sermon, and he has been preaching the Gospel ever since. He continued to serve in the local church and eventually pursued formal ministry training. Mark also met his future wife, Christine, at the church, and they have been serving in ministry together ever since. The journey of this young transformed life is a testament to the transforming power of the Gospel message and the impact of investing in the spiritual growth of others.
Early Ministry
As Mark continued to pursue his calling, he recognized the importance of further study and education. Over the next several years, he studied Bible and theology at Victoria Bible College in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and at Baptist Theological College of Queensland in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In 1987, Mark took on a new challenge as a church planter and pastor in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, where he pastored Bethel Baptist Church until 1991. During this time, Mark worked tirelessly to build a vibrant and thriving congregation.
In the following years, Mark returned to the First Romanian Baptist Church in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where he served alongside other pastors and leaders, continuing to deepen his ministry skills and knowledge.
Ministry in the United States
God had other plans for Mark's ministry, and in July 1993, he arrived in the United States of America to begin a new chapter in his life. He settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where he led and organized the Romanian Baptist Church in Nashville. Under his leadership, the church experienced tremendous growth and outreach beyond the Romanian community, attracting people from different backgrounds.
The church became a place of transformation where many people were baptized, discipled, and equipped for ministry. The Lord blessed Mark's efforts, and the church was able to evangelize and baptize other people including Anglo-Americans, Hispanics, and African-Americans. Mark dedicated nine years of his life to serving the church in Nashville, pouring his heart and soul into building up the congregation and reaching out to the community. Mark's passion for ministry and his love for people has left a lasting impact on the church and the community.
Kingdom Catalyst
Mark's passion for evangelism, discipleship, and church planting continued to grow. In 1995, he began serving at the Nashville Baptist Association as Church Planting Catalyst, planting churches in the growing metropolitan area of Nashville, Tennessee. In 1997, he was called to serve as a Kingdom Catalyst with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. As a Kingdom Catalyst, Mark has worked tirelessly to help churches multiply throughout the United States and Canada, developing leaders and planting churches. The North American Mission Board is the domestic mission agency of the Southern Baptist Convention, responsible for ministries in the United States and Canada. The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the largest Baptist denominations in the world and the largest evangelical denomination in the United States, with close to fifteen million members organized in nearly fifty thousand congregations.
Through his work with the North American Mission Board, Mark has been able to apply his passion for evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and church planting, helping many congregations grow and flourish. His dedication and hard work have earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and the communities he has served.
A Heart for Global Missions
Mark's passion for mission work has taken him to different parts of the world, including Europe, Australia, South America, the United States, and Canada. His heart's desire is to see people from all nations hear the Gospel, respond with faith in Christ, and become part of a healthy church where disciples are made and multiplied.
For Mark, disciple-making is not only the last commandment that Jesus gave to His disciples before He ascended to heaven but also the priority for every follower of Christ. He believes that disciple-making begins with God working in the lives of people everywhere, creating divine appointments for believers to engage with them and share the good news of the Gospel, which has the power to transform lives and make them new creatures through the miraculous transformation of the new birth.
Mark's commitment to disciple-making has been evident throughout his ministry, and his work with the North American Mission Board has allowed him to help churches and leaders develop effective strategies for reaching people and making disciples. His prayer is that believers everywhere will join him in this mission, sharing the Gospel with those around them and helping to create healthy, vibrant communities of faith where disciples are made and multiplied.
Once born into the family of God, the process of maturing begins and obedience to His commandments is a must to be able to become all that God wants us to become in Him. Keeping His commandments is proof of our love for Him. As Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Loving God is demonstrated by obeying Him and serving people.
Personal Life
Since 1985, Mark has been married to Christine, a school teacher. They live in northeast Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, United States of America. They have two married daughters and are grateful grandparents to five grandchildren.
