Mark Rivera

Background

About Mark Rivera

BIOGRAPHY Mark is the Lead Pastor at Riverside Church located in Haverhill, MA and Church Safety Expert, and Instructor for Strategos International. Prior to this he served on staff as a Pastor at Bethany Church with locations in Greenland, Raymond, NH and Kittery, Maine. Bethany averages 1500 people in weekly attendance. In tandem with his ministry team and dedicated partners he helped establish the framework for Bethany’s first multi-site campus that launched in May of 2011. He formally served as a Director for the Dept. Of Youth Services in Massachusetts overseeing juvenile facilities. In addition to his time with DYS he also enjoyed a 7 year career in various law enforcement roles throughout Essex County. He has traveled both nationally and internationally helping organizations and church leaders leverage and fully maximize their resources for transformation and innovation. Born in Puerto Rico, he has the added benefit of being fluent in both English and Spanish. During his free time he enjoys reading, writing, deep sea fishing, and spending time with his family. He has begun writing his own biography"The Imperfect Preacher". You can follow his blog at He is a gifted conference speaker and trainer. Topics include: church safety, executive protection, leadership development, organizational management, capital campaigns and church planting. Mark is a graduate of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council, the Waltham Police Academy and is presently enrolled in a Masters degree program at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He currently resides in Groveland, MA w/ his lovely wife of 18yrs Someris and their 3 children, Alyssa(15), Sophia (14) and Joshua(10)