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Mark
Blankenship is a music minister, composer, arranger, orchestrator,
music leader, former publisher director, and worship specialist.
His ministry career spans over 47 years. His ministry career
began in Texas and occupied several states before his current
place of ministry in Franklin, Tennessee.
Mark
was born in Chicago, IL while his father was attending Moody
Bible Institute preparing to be a pastor. He grew up in the
Southwest, primarily in Texas. His college work was done at
Oklahoma Baptist University (BM) and The University of Texas
(MM). He began his music minister role started in smaller
churches, but in his mid-twenties was already positioned in
large Southern Baptist churches such as First Baptist Church,
Midland, TX, and North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix,
AZ. During those years in music ministry, Mark became increasingly
interested in composing and arranging music.
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Mark
receiving the W. Hines Sims Award from
the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference in 2008
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He
followed the Lord's leadership in 1974 and moved to Nashville, TN
to become a Youth and Adult Music Editor for LifeWay. He ministered
there for nearly 30 years in that role, including his service as
director of the Music Department and all its publication imprints
from 1993-2000.
While
in Nashville, Mark's writing career flourished and he became quite
prolific. Having had over 400 pieces of published music during his
career, he has been commissioned by churches and universities on
numerous occasions to write anthems, major musicals, and hymns.
Mark
also purposefully pursued music leadership relationships with leaders
around the country. He was even involved with leadership in the
international community on numerous occasions in the Philippines,
Japan, Australia, Germany and Switzerland. In the fall of 2012 he
taught worship and music in Germany, Switzerland and Botswana, Africa.
Mark
has been a featured vocalist on over 100 television segments, as
well as co-arranging and co-orchestrating much of the music that
was used in those segments with Buryl Red.
Besides
his role in local churches and with LifeWay, Mark served as President
of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference for two years. His
awards include:
- Career
of Excellence Award from LifeWay in 1998
- Profile
in Excellence Award from Oklahoma Baptist University in
1999
- W.
Hines Sims Award from the Southern Baptist Church Music
Conference in 2008
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Mark took
early retirement from LifeWay in 2003, and decided to end his ministry
career in the local church where he began. He retired from the local
church music ministry at First Baptist Church, Hilton Head Island
in 2010. He continues to pursue his writing ministry in Franklin,
Tennessee and decided through this website to make his new writings
available to music ministers and publishers. Also included on the
site are some older copyrights that he perceives are still useful
in the local church.
Mark
now enjoys retirement in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Judy
Starr Blankenship. Their family includes a daughter who resides
in Franklin, Tennessee, and a son and his family who live in Huntsville,
AL.
Mark's
prayer is that this website will provide resources for local church
music ministers and publishers to help people worship the Lord.
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