Bishop Mark Walden is a native of Louisville, Georgia. He was educated in Jefferson County School System and the C.H. Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA. Bishop has been a member of the Church of God In Christ for over sixty years.

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Bishop Walden married Dorothy J. Walden on July 4, 1956 and from this union they birthed ten children, twenty-five grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Bishop Walden is a man of loyalty, dedication, and commitment. God has blessed Bishop Walden over the years for all his dedicated service.

In the year 1960, Bishop Mark Walden received Christ into his life as his personal Savior and was filled with the Holy Ghost. He then joined the Friendly Church of God In Christ under the leadership of the late Elder Cleveland Woods, Sr. Before his calling to the ministry, he served in several capacities at his local church which include Chairman of the Deacon Board, Sunday School Superintendent, YPWW teacher, and Chairman of the Augusta District.

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Bishop Mark Walden accepted his calling into the ministry in 1970 and became a licensed Minister in 1971. He traveled extensively and entered full time evangelism visiting the southeastern states sharing God’s rich Word. In 1973, he was ordained as an Elder and founded the House of God Church of God In Christ, which began on Dean Avenue’s Society Hall in Thomson, GA. The first House of God sanctuary, located at 1091 Dallas Drive, in Thomson, Georgia, was dedicated in 1976.

From 1983 to 1993, Bishop Walden served as the Expeditor of Northern Georgia COGIC Finance Committee and the Superintendent of the Augusta District. He was appointed Chairman of the General Assembly and Elders Council and First Administrative Assistant to the late Bishop J. Howard Dell, of the Northern Georgia Jurisdiction and served from 1987-1992.

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God continued to elevate Bishop Walden in His kingdom. In 1992, Bishop Walden was appointed Coordinator of the Eastern Georgia Fellowship of the Church of God In Christ until his appointment as Bishop, Prelate of the Northern Georgia Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in 1994. He was officially inaugurated as Bishop of the Northern Georgia Second Jurisdiction, by the late Bishop Louis Henry Ford in 1995. Bishop Walden was appointed to the International Grievance Committee of the International Church of God In Christ in 1997.

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Bishop Walden continues his Christian walk as the pastor of the House of God Church of God In Christ. In July 1999, the second House of God sanctuary, located at 441 Jackson Street, Thomson, Georgia, was dedicated and five years later the church was given its deed for the 1.5-million-dollar shopping plaza that had been purchased and renovated. As God continues to expand Bishop Walden’s vision, he opened the doors to Shalom Temple Church of God In Christ in Sandersville, GA on March 29, 2003 and served as the interim pastor for five years. This Shepherd celebrated his 50th Pastor’s Anniversary on September 24, 2023 of being the Pastor of the House of God Church of God In Christ. 

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Bishop Walden served as an Area Bishop in the Church of God In Christ overseeing the Southeastern states to include Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Bishop Walden was awarded “The Most Distinguished Leader” at the Founder’s Day Banquet of the C.H. Mason Theological Seminary during its 100th Celebration in February 2007 and was honored during the 111th Holy Convocation of the Church of God In Christ in 2018 as a recipient of the Men Perfecting Men of Valor Award. Bishop Walden was appointed as a Senior Advisory Board Member to the Presiding Bishop & Chief Apostle J. Drew Sheard of the Church of God In Christ April of 2021 and he currently serves on the International Grievance Committee of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Walden was awarded a Lifetime Acheivement Award by the Board of Bishops of the Church of God In Christ during the 2023 Board of Bishops Conference in Los Angeles, California. 

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Sadly, the love of Bishop Walden’s life, Mother Dorothy J. Walden, went home to be with the Lord July 9, 2022. He honors her as his lifelong best friend, number one supporter, partner in ministry, and the love of his life. 

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Bishop Walden continues to demonstrate an unfaltering commitment to uphold the standards of his faith along with the ethical and moral teachings of this great church. He is a man of Godly character, great strength and an anchored inspiration to serve the Lord.