About our Founding Partner and President

As the founding partner of The Charis Group, Mark Brooks brings not only a rich background of ministry experience but also years of successfully helping Christian ministries raise funds for capital projects. His desire to better personalize the engagement that each ministry receives from their stewardship partner led him to begin The Charis Group. With creative, outside the box thinking, Mark has helped scores of ministries achieve maximum financial and spiritual results.

With over 20 years of pastoral experience in a wide variety of church settings, Mark has been in about every church environment imaginable, from the very small to one of the fastest growing churches in the country. In addition to pastoral ministry, Mark has also worked on the board level of various local, state, and national ministries.

In 1998, Mark left the pastorate to enter into the stewardship field. Before starting The Charis Group he had risen to the level of Vice President at Injoy Stewardship Services. Mark has worked in a cross section of churches across the nation. He has experience in virtually every type of church setting from small to large, from main line denominations to seeker sensitive settings. He has worked in campaigns that range in size from the largest church in North America to emerging churches.

A prolific writer, Mark writes a monthly online column for Christian ministry leaders entitled, “The Stewardship Coach.” These columns focus on the current trends impacting leaders today and gives practical advice on how to solve them. He also writes a blog called "The Stewardship Coach".

Mark has been married 32 years to his wife Valerie. They have two children. His son Jon, a Captain in the Army, is a decorated Iraqi war veteran. His daughter Amy is married to Captain Nick Cherry who is currently stationed in Iraq. Mark and Valerie have one grandchild, Jackson Cherry.

Chris Harrell

Chris Harrell, The Charis Groupís Vice President is passionate about partnering with churches and being used by God to help them fulfill their purpose. He is a proven visionary leader in both the church environment and the business arena.

His ministry experience includes 20 years in the pastorate where his experience ranges from being the Sr. Pastor of a Mega church to leading a church plant. Chris was privileged and honored to see the churches that he pastured experience rapid and sustained growth, including one that was listed as the seventh fastest growing church in America. The growth that Chrisí churches experienced led to numerous stewardship campaigns and building projects.

Chris has also served as an executive manager for a leadership consulting company in Denver, CO. There he honed his skills as a strategic consultant doing leadership and strategic consulting for clients such as NASA, Qwest Communications, Johns Hopkins University, the FBI, Marriott, Hartford Insurance and others.

Before coming to The Charis Group, Chris had worked with Injoy Stewardship Services were he was the Director of Church Partnerships.

Chris and his wife Cindy have been married for 28 years. They are the proud parents of two children. Christopher and his wife Asia were missionaries with Youth with a Mission in Thailand and just recently came off the field when Christopher won a film scholarship to Vancouver Film School. Their teenage daughter Courtney is in High School and loves church and music. Chris and Cindy live in Colorado Springs, CO.

Bruce Allen

Bruce Allen has a wealth of experience leading capital stewardship campaigns in growing churches, having served both as pastor and denominational staff for over 25 years. He was a Senior Consultant with Injoy Stewardship Services for the past 7 years before coming on board with The Charis Group. Bruce has guided over 100 churches across the country to achieve maximum giving responses that average 2.5 times their annual budget. Some of his most successful campaigns have resulted in 6 times the church’s budget being raised.

Having had the opportunity to partner with a wide variety of churches and denominations, Bruce’s greatest desire is to equip congregations to accomplish
the work of the local church and to help them reach their maximum spiritual
and financial potential.

Bruce is a “preacher’s kid” who has pastored in Georgia, Kentucky, and Massachusetts with congregations ranging in size from 100 to 2,000+ members. He also worked in establishing several nationally recognized programs. These experiences, combined with a pastor’s heart, have prepared Bruce to equip churches of all sizes and denominations to reach their stewardship goals.

Bruce and his wife, Laura, have been married for 26 years. Their son, Jason, will graduate from law school this year, and their daughter, Rachel, will also graduate next spring with her nursing degree. The Allen family resides in Marietta, Georgia.

Jim Lagrone

Serving churches for the past 28 years, both as pastor and denominational staff has given Jim Lagrone an incredible background in helping pastors and churches achieve their dreams.  He has spent his life’s calling getting people to work together for a cause greater than themselves. His enthusiasm and passion for people and ministry are contagious.

Jim clearly understands the challenging role a pastor and local church leadership have as they attempt to lead their churches to the next level of ministry.  He first was involved in stewardship campaigns as a pastor and sees things first through the eyes of the local church.  He understands their concerns.  Each church is unique and needs a program designed to meet their needs.

Jim serves The Charis Group as the Senior Consultant with primary responsibilities in the Midwest.  He is in charge of The Charis Groups Little Rock office.

Jim is a published author and popular speaker.  He served as statewide president of the largest religious organization in Arkansas.  Active in his local community, he has served on various boards and volunteer organizations.

Jim and his wife, Becky, have been married for 30 years and reside in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their oldest son, Matt, will graduate college this year after serving a tour in Iraq.  Janna, their daughter recently got married and resides in Little Rock.  Ben, the youngest attends the University of Arkansas.

James E. Washington

Pastor James E. Washington brings a unique giftedness to The Charis Group.  As a serving pastor that has had to raise millions of dollars he knows the importance of the pastor’s role in stewardship.  Pastor Washington’s primary responsibility at The Charis Group is to work closely with pastors as a coach and encourager.  His pastoral background and his stewardship experience helps pastors feel more confident in the tasks that they are called upon during a campaign.

Pastor Washington has 30 years in ministry; having been the pastor of churches in Alabama and California before coming to Dayton, Ohio. Every church he has led has seen significant growth. Since arriving at Phillips Temple CME in 1994, church attendance has grown from 325 people per week to over 1,000. This is primarily a result of his commitment to Biblical preaching.  Pastor Washington has led the Phillips Temple congregation to relocate to an eighty acre plot of land so that they can better expand their ministry opportunities.

"I have always believed that if I give my heart to God and my attention to preaching; that God would grow the church. If I focus on the depth of our members, God will bless the breadth of our ministry."

Born in Redding, CA in 1962, Pastor James E. Washington grew up in a small church from where he was called to preach in 1978 at the age of 16. After completing high school, he graduated from Miles College in Birmingham, AL. He returned to California to attend Talbot School of Theology and graduated from Azusa Pacific Seminary with a Master of Divinity in Biblical Exposition and Systematic Theology.

Pastor Washington and his wife Michelle are the proud parents of two daughters, Alexis and Faith.

Tom Holloway

Tom Holloway is The Charis Group's Marketing Director. After retiring from BellSouth with 28 years of Marketing experience, Tom joined the staff of Injoy Stewardship Services. Tom served there four years in Marketing helping pastors in the initial phases of consulting concerning the project and timing of potential Capital Campaigns.

Tom has been actively involved as a lay leader in both small and large churches in ministries including Evangelism Programs and as a Sunday School Teacher. He has served on Pastoral Search Committees as well as Capital Campaign Committees. With this experience, he understands the needs and timing that churches encounter and the importance of the Capital Campaign Consultant in being able to meet those needs. He has a strong desire to help pastors and churches especially in strategic timing of a Capital Campaign.

Tom and his wife Jane have been married 35 years. They live in Marietta, Georgia and are members of Roswell Street Baptist. Church. Daughter Kristin is an attorney in Atlanta. She and husband Shane are the proud parents of granddaughter Carson Elizabeth.