Over the last 25 years Mark Westerfield has worked to develop a sense of unity not only in his church but also across Round Rock, according to those who know him.
Westerfield and his wife, Pam, moved to Round Rock in 1985 when he got a job as youth minister.
“When we came [to Round Rock] we had no intention of staying that long,” Pam said, explaining that church leadership positions often involve frequent relocation.
Eight years later in 1993, two churches merged to form Central Baptist Church with Westerfield at the helm as lead pastor. The front building of the church was all that existed at the time, and worship services were held at Round Rock High School, Westerfield said. Today, Central Baptist has expanded to house worship services, a variety of ministries, Bible studies and Round Rock Christian Academy. Westerfield’s impact, however, has extended beyond the walls of Central Baptist.
Keith Ferguson, lead pastor at Cityview Bible Church, said he met Westerfield after moving to Round Rock in 2007.
“When I met [Westerfield] 11 years ago, I was 28 years old and a young pastor coming to the city,” Ferguson said. “He spent a lot of time investing in me and helping me get started.”
Ferguson said he calls Westerfield “the pastor to the pastors” in the city.
“He has worked really hard over the last seven or eight years to gather the Round Rock pastors together at least once a quarter for a lunch,” Ferguson said. “That has been a real blessing in unifying the pastors and the churches in our city.”
Chris Chalman, creative and media pastor at Central Baptist, said he has attended the church since he was 10.
“I think that Mark has a really unique role in Round Rock because he has united and brought together the pastors—and because of that, the churches in the city—unlike anything that I’ve heard of,” Chalman said. “There’s a tendency for churches to compete with each other and to want to compare numbers and programs and successes, and Mark has worked to fight against that.”
A fruit of that effort is Love the Rock—a volunteer event involving several Round Rock congregations, the city of Round Rock and Austin Bridge Builders Alliance. The third iteration of the event, which has been held every other year since 2014, took place Oct. 27 with roughly 40 congregations and about 1,200 volunteers, Westerfield said.
Alongside members of the Round Rock Fire Department, volunteers performed voluntary fire safety inspections and smoke detector installations for residents in need of assistance. Other volunteers helped with neighborhood cleanups and curb address painting.
“Pastor Mark embodies what is so great about our community, which is how we come together to lift up our neighbors and work with each other to make our city a better place to live,” Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said.
“I did not dream this dream 25 years ago,” Westerfield said. “Part of my heartbeat is with the growth of this community. … We can’t imagine Round Rock not being in our address now.”
Central Baptist Church
301 N. Lake Creek Drive, Round Rock
512-388-3408
www.centralrr.com
