For the past 30 years Mark and Samantha Mielbrecht have been involved in full-time ministry - first with Campus Crusade for Christ resourcing and developing student leaders around the Northwest, and then with Breakthrough Partners working with ministry leaders in Africa, before joining Global Service Associates in 2014. They are passionate about seeing God’s Kingdom advance while working with indigenous leaders of communities that are among the “poorest of the poor” on the planet.

Mark and Sam believe the systemic issues that face the developing world (poverty, famine, rampant disease, ideological conflict, etc.) can only be fully addressed through an “inside-out” process that brings collaborate leaders from different sectors of society to work together for real transformative change. They have found that to the extent that these leaders own these systemic problems, they are motivated to create their own solutions.

To this end, Mark coaches, encourages, and trains international leaders whom he has been working with through his network of relationships developed over the past 30 years. Using a collaborative, holistic, and sustainable model of ministry – Entrepreneurial Leadership Development (ELD) - he has witnessed God empowering these church and community leaders toward a fuller expression of the Gospel. This has brought exponential outreach, economic growth and transformation to these communities.

Mark and Sam have seen countless ELD participants become business owners and many are already training others in these same principles. They are seeing entire communities of people growing in God’s grace, dignity and resolve and the international church isn’t spending significant time searching for financial partners from the West but instead is focusing on engaging and training their members and communities at large in ways that puts food on their tables, educates their children, provides for their own healthcare, and provides the resources for outreach, church growth, and discipleship.  Change implemented from the inside out has a far greater opportunity for sustainability than change brought through outside influences and agendas. Mark wants to continue to be a cheerleader for this type of gospel transformation!

Furthermore, Mark works with international students at Everett Community College. These students need a community of friends and a support network as they navigate an often lonely and sometimes challenging new life far from home. As these students come to faith in Christ and return to their country of origin, they hope to connect them with their network of indigenous ministry leaders so they’ll have a church home and can use their newly developed skills and education for Kingdom purposes within their communities.

Sam continues to pour into the lives of women. Her heart and giftedness make life-on-life discipleship a natural outpouring of who she is. Sam is a lifelong learner and invests time into ongoing training and seminary classes. Her desire is to see women come to know the God who created them, to grow comfortable with who God has made them to be, and that they will live fully the life He has for them. In addition, Sam has begun helping to lead retreats for global workers, and has also enjoyed helping with GSA staff gatherings.  Also, she has started a little side business using the principles we teach in ELD and it keeps her connected with the livestock community that we’ve been part of for the past 14 years.

Mark and Sam are loving parenting their three adult children and seeing them flourish in their own unique ways.  Although they no longer have a farm full of animals, they still have four goats, two dogs, and one cat. 

Click to learn more or donate to Mark & Samantha's Ministry Project Community Transformation Fund