Eagles or Church Camp? with Rev. Mark Vowell

Which would you choose? We think Pastor Mark chose wisely as he continues to Pastor First Frisco GMC and faithfully serves as a leading voice in MidTexas and the GMC as a whole. Mark shares his testimony of coming to realize his call to pastoral ministry. He also offers a synopsis of his recent experience as a delegate to General Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mark Vowell is a lifelong Methodist, and a third-generation Methodist Pastor. A Navy brat, Mark was born on Guam, baptized by his grandfather in Archer City, Texas, and raised in the congregation at First Methodist of Gainesville, Texas. He attended the University of Oklahoma on a Navy ROTC scholarship, and spent 10 years on active duty as a Naval Flight Officer and Mission Commander aboard P-3C Orion aircraft, tracking Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. Following active duty, Mark continued to serve in the Naval Reserves and retired as a Commander in 2001.

Mark answered a call from God to Christian ministry and retired from active duty naval service in 1992. He served as the Director of Youth Ministries at Tyler Street Methodist in Oak Cliff while attending seminary, and received his Masters of Divinity in 1996 from Perkins School of Theology, SMU.

Mark has served as senior pastor at Westview Greenville, First Whitewright, Ridgewood Park in Dallas and Spring Valley in Dallas. He was appointed as senior pastor at First Frisco Methodist in July of 2013. Mark’s grandfather was also pastor at First Frisco from 1954 to 1957. In January 2023, First Frisco became one of the first congregations in the Dallas metroplex to join the Global Methodist Church.

Mark helped launch the MidTexas Conference of the Global Methodist Church. He serves on the Connectional Council, Chairs Superintendency and Conference Personnel, and is the Presiding Elder for the Dallas District. Mark was a delegate to the 2026 General Conference.

Mark is married to Shannon. Shannon writes, teaches high school literature, and leads First Frisco’s confirmation training. The Vowell's still have two daughters at home. They cherish time with their adult kids and grandchildren in Arizona, Washington, and Texas.

Mark's passions include preaching, relational evangelism, helping folks get grounded in scripture, and helping congregations tackle once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Mark serves on Kairos prison ministry teams twice annually. Believing that the church really is God's primary plan for reaching the world with the love of Jesus Christ, Mark loves to be part of connecting churches with God’s dreams for them. Mark points out, “God’s dreams are always bigger than our dreams, and they are always wonderful!”