Mission to North America (MNA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Murray Lee has been appointed to the new role of MNA Executive Coordinator, with Teaching Elder (TE) Fred Marsh taking the new role of Interim Development Director. Marsh has served as Associate Coordinator since 2004. Lee currently serves as the MNA permanent committee chairman and senior pastor of Cahaba Park Church, PCA. Irwyn Ince, MNA coordinator, announced the appointments.
“As our new MNA structure was coming into shape it was clear that the person selected for the MNA Executive Coordinator role would require a unique combination of organizational leadership skills, pastoral gifting, and business acumen,” says Ince. “As Murray and I worked together, I often thought, ‘If only he could be the permanent MNA Permanent Committee Chairman!’ Well, the Lord had something better in mind! May he be pleased to glorify himself through our work as we seek to serve every church and presbytery in our beloved PCA!”
Lee is a graduate of Samford University (Communication Studies, 2002), where he met his wife Kim, Covenant Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 2005), and the University of Alabama (Ph.D. in Organizational Communications through the College of Communications and Informational Sciences, 2017). Murray and Kim have three children and reside in the Birmingham, Alabama area.
MNA Permanent Committee Vice-Chairman TE Blake Altman also shared his excitement about Lee’s appointment. “What an outstanding executive leader MNA will have in Murray Lee! Murray’s administrative gifts have blessed MNA since 2013, and I’m excited for Murray to integrate the major operations of MNA with strong leadership, management, and accountability alongside Irwyn. Murray’s experience at Cahaba Park and a keen awareness of organizational leadership dynamics will further equip the MNA staff to serve each PCA church with resources to strategically extend the gospel to our neighbors. May the Lord bless the synergy of leadership developing at MNA for His glory!”
Marsh has served as an MNA staff member since 1993. Through those years, God has blessed MNA with a gifted and highly committed staff who lead and resource PCA churches and individuals in sending out workers into the gospel harvest.
Before joining the MNA staff, he served as the pastor of St. Elmo Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee; assistant pastor with First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi; and Southeast Regional Coordinator for Bethany Christian Services. He has a BA degree from Covenant College, a master’s in social work from the University of Southern Mississippi, an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a DMin from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Fred and Janet are the parents of five adult children and six grandchildren. They make their home in the Asheville, North Carolina area with their oldest grandson in residence.
“As MNA seeks to grow in its ability to cultivate kingdom advancement through the PCA, it is imperative that we have an increased focus on development,” said Ince. “Teaching Elder Fred Marsh joined MNA almost 30 years ago as Development Coordinator. I am pleased to announce that he will return to a lead development role as Interim Development Director beginning September 15, 2022. His decades of dedicated service with MNA, expanding our ministries, make him well suited for this work.”
“I have had the privilege of working alongside Fred for the last nine years on the MNA Permanent Committee,” said Lee. “His institutional knowledge of MNA and breadth of relationships within the PCA that comes from a lifetime of service to our beloved denomination makes Fred remarkably suited to the role of Interim Development Director. As we seek to be used by the Lord to cultivate the Kingdom of God in North America, may the Lord open the floodgates of provision through Fred’s leadership so that the church might move forward in great power. To God be the Glory!”
Marsh expressed his excitement to work alongside Ince, Lee, and the current Church Relations Director, Stephen Lutz. “Along with Irwyn and Murray, and Church Relations Director Stephen Lutz, I look forward to focusing in a greater way on the support development that is essential to MNA’s future growth.”
Under the coordinator’s direction, Lee will oversee major operations for MNA, providing leadership, management, and accountability. Marsh will assist the coordinator in development efforts. Lee and Marsh will begin their new roles on September 15, 2022.