Do significant ministries begin as a result of a forward-leaning, inspirational vision?
Or do they begin through the evolution of our callings as they are lived out day to day over time?
Yes. At least this is the journey for Pinnacle Leadership Associates.
In 2002, Mark Tidsworth led the Pastoral Counseling Center he directed to apply for the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Grant offered by The Lilly Foundation. Though the Center did not receive this grant, it galvanized Mark’s calling to assist clergy and congregations in their journey toward mission fulfillment. Through serving as a pastor, new church developer, interim pastor, and therapist, Mark’s vocation evolved towards specializing in services to support the mission of the church. Over time, Mark’s counseling caseload became couples, ministers, minister support groups, as well as informal consulting with church staffs and congregations.
In January 2004, Mark moved from Charleston, SC to Columbia, SC at the invitation of Palmetto Health, starting a Center for Clergy & Congregations. After upgrading skills and certifications, this Center began providing coaching, consulting, and training to South Carolina constituents. After four and a half years, it became clear that this kind of work could not develop further in this setting, leading to the establishment of Pinnacle Leadership Associates.
Upon establishing Pinnacle in June 2008, Mark invited Associates to join the Pinnacle Team. Collaborative, synergistic ministry is part of Pinnacle’s identity. Additional foundational values guiding Pinnacle’s journey are generativity, optimism, strengths orientation, faith focused, missional, and interactive. Our tag line, “Living And Working On Purpose,” grows out of these values.
Since its beginning, Pinnacle is developing faster than Mark or the Team expected. In 2011, Pinnacle provided 45% more service than the year before. We don’t expect to continue this growth rate, yet we interpret this to mean we are addressing real needs with quality services. Now Pinnacle expresses itself through three divisions of Coaching, Consulting, and Training, with leadership in place for each division. We are glad you are here. We look forward to partnering with you, working together toward God’s kingdom coming on earth, as it is in heaven.