J. Mark Jordan was the child and only son of Victor L. Jordan and Theodora (Anderson) Jordan.  He was born September 9, 1948, in Indiana, and has three older sisters: Carol Wilkinson, Union City, Tennessee; Jenny Teets, Farmingdale, New York; and Vicki Carpenter, Mt. Morris, Michigan.  Jordan's parents and numerous relatives on both sides of the family were preachers.  His mentor and the strongest influence in his life was his father.  Jordan received training by "just doing what was available"  and responding to obvious work that needed to be done.

Indianapolis was home for Jordan until his father accepted the pastorate of the church in Jackson, Michigan, in 1956.  He graduated from Jackson High School in 1967 with special emphasis on speech and debate activities.  His participation in speech and debate were preparation for the destiny he would later fulfill.

The calling to preach came to Jordan as a young man while he was alone in intense prayer.  Although he heard no audible voice, he had a very definite impression that he would preach.  His spiritual experience confirmed his calling.  Because he had been raised in a pastor's home, he knew the challenge and demands of the ministry.  It was all he knew.  He recalled that his mentors changed as times changed.

The most formative force in Jordan's ministry was his participation and experience in his varsity debate team.  Mental discipline while speaking shaped his speaking skills.  He learned how to substantiate his thoughts, respond to criticism, and analyze a situation.  Debating skills opened his thinking to important issues in culture and society in general.  Such skills are important for conducting business meetings and situations associated with secular and religious leadership.

At the New Orleans Conference in 1966, Mark met Sandy Kinzie of Toledo, Ohio.  After a time of courtship, they were married November 7, 1970.  They became assistant pastor to Fred Kinzie in August of 1973 and served the First Apostolic Church, Toledo.

Jordan continued his education at the University of Toledo where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in human relations in 1983.  At Pastor Kinzie's retirement in 1983, J. Mark Jordan was elected pastor.  The Jordans have three adopted children: Jonathan Ryan, Jeremy Ross, and Janelle Rene.

The Ohio District has benefited from Jordan's leadership in several offices which he has held.  These include Sectional Youth Director, Secretary-Treasurer of the Youth Department, President of the Youth Department, and currently, Ohio District Superintendent, where he has served since 1995.

In addition to the General Youth Committee and the General Board, Jordan has served two terms on the UPCI Executive Board.  He belongs to the Board of Publication and the Board of Directors of the Urshan Graduate School of Theology.  He has shared his leadership skills and life experiences in several books which he has authored.  The Ohio District benefits monthly from the column he writes for the Ohio Apostolic News.

Cassandra F. Kinzie Jordan was born December 23, 1950, in South Bend, Indiana, to Fred and Vera Kinzie, who ministered  across the United States as the Kinzie Evangelistic Party.  The family traveled together until Sandy was two and one half years old and then settled in Toledo, Ohio.

In 1966 Sandy met J. Mark Jordan at the national conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Their paths crossed again at a Michigan camp meeting.  Sandy had graduated from high school in June 1968, and enrolled in Apostolic Bible Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota, in September of the same year.  The St. Louis conference in 1969 brought a different dimension to their friendship, and the young couple married November 7, 1970.  The Jordans evangelized two and one half years before accepting the position of assistant pastor to the Kinzies in Toledo, Ohio.  They adopted three beautiful children, Ryan, Ross, and Rene.

Within her local church and the Ohio District, Sandy has been an exemplary leader.  Music has been an integral part of her gifts.  She has led her church choir in a style of praise that contributes worship to the church services, and district adult camp choirs have been inspired by her music and directing.

Sandy's leadership has been tempered with kindness and consideration, and she always encouraged creativity in her co-workers.  One of her strengths is her ability to delegate responsibility, and she organized and established a board for Ohio District Ladies Ministries.  Now, each section of Ohio has an elected ladies ministries representative working with the district  ladies ministries president, and the program has been very successful.

Sandy was greatly influenced by the examples set by her mother and father.  She learned not only to get the job done but to do it in a way fit for the King.  She has passed the same values she was taught to her own children.  She doesn't fear challenges but rather accepts it as a reason to do the job better than ever before.