OUR LEADERS
Rick and Sue Clark serve the emerging leadership team. The following is all about them. But the real story is all about you – and YOUR LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL!
Rick and Sue Clark have been in full-time Christian ministry since 1976. Over the years, Rick has been an evangelist, radio Bible teacher, pastor, missionary, Bible College teacher, revivalist and church planter. Rick and Sue served as missionaries with Pioneers Mission for nine years, including living in Bangkok, Thailand from 1985 to 1989. Both have undergraduate degrees in Bible. Rick has a Masters in Missions and Sue has a Masters in Leadership Development. Rick and Sue have also studied at the doctoral level, with Rick set to complete his Doctor of Ministry degree in June, 2021.
Rick and Sue are the founders of TEAM Inc., a group of three ministries that include TEAM International (Missions), the Rising Movement (Evangelism, discipleship and church planting) and the Freedom Movement (Empowering youth to live free from sexual exploitation).
Rick is an author of the Fire Team Series including the Fire Team Evangelism book, Workbook, Coach’s Manual and DVD set.
In addition, Rick and Sue are the founders of The Rising Church in Azusa, CA. The first Rising House Church meets on Sundays in their home. There are a series of online and local discipleship groups that meet throughout the week. We have plans to plant our second Rising House Church in Riverside in January, 2021.
Rick and Sue have been married for 50 years. They have 3 children, all married and on-fire for Christ. They greatly enjoy their eleven grandchildren.
Former Hippies
Rick, once a hippie philosophy student, came to know Christ on November 7, 1971. He immediately gave himself to evangelism and Bible study. In 1976, Rick graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible.
After pastoring and growing Oreland Baptist Church in Pennsylvania from 1976-1981, Rick and Sue began nine wonderful years with PIONEERS Mission. Rick spent the first two years recruiting and training new missionaries in his role as the Candidate and Deputation Secretary. He earned his Masters in Missions from the Columbia Graduate School in Columbia, South Carolina in June of 1984, Nine months later, Rick and Sue became Pioneer’s first missionaries to Bangkok, Thailand.
Bangkok
They landed in Bangkok on June 14, 1985 (their 15th wedding anniversary) with their two young daughters, Stephanie and Jessica. Jeremiah was born in Bangkok on May 12, 1986. While in Thailand, Rick continued his studies in Church Growth under the Asia Pacific University. The Clarks witnessed the miraculous hand of God repeatedly in Thailand. This led to an evangelism movement in an undercover special operations team.
Their vision for reaching entire cities led them, upon finishing their four-year term in Bangkok, to study further at the Fuller School of Mission, beginning in 1990.
Trips to Argentina with Dr. C. Peter Wagner and Ed Silvoso led to the formation of a missionary fellowship, TEAM International, launched in August, 1994. The goal of TEAM is “to nurture church multiplication movements in 100 cities.” Our first attempt to reach an entire city was called “Pray Pasadena.” In less than 2 years, “Pray Hollywood” followed.
For over ten years, Rick traveled to Thailand 2-3 times a year, doing seminars and revival meetings to help realize the goals of the Thailand Evangelism Committee. In 2016 the Lord shifted Rick’s focus back to igniting revival in America.
Sue
Sue became involved in church leadership, Bible teaching, evangelism and discipleship even before her graduation from Philadelphia College of Bible in 1977. In Bangkok, she started serving in Christian Education. After returning to the States, Sue taught at, and eventually became the Director of the American Language and Culture Institute at Azusa Pacific University. Sue completed her Masters in Leadership from APU in 2003 and has completed her classroom Ph.D. studies at Biola University.
During their time in Southern California, the Clarks helped start one Thai/Laotian church and five other churches. Presently Rick and Sue are the pastors of the Rising Church in Azusa. They are focused on leading a discipleship multiplication movement through the development of the on-line RISE Discipleship Training program. The primary focus is on training adult disciples from the area. In the past, Rick and Sue have discipled a number of student leaders from Azusa Pacific University and Citrus College.
Your Anointing in Isaiah 61
In 2008, the TEAM Inc. Board of Directors enlarged our ministry to focus on victims of human trafficking. We began by developing the SoCal Restoration Coalition. In August of 2017, we launched Azusa Set Free, the pilot project of the Freedom Movement.
Both the Rising Movement and the Freedom Movement look to Isaiah 61:1-4 as our common call to evangelism, discipleship, inner healing, deliverance and city transformation. In essence, that is what the last days anointing of the Holy Spirit is all about!
Being empowered by the Holy Spirit is the key that unlocks your leadership potential. Rick and Sue Clark have a passion to develop new leaders to serve in both the Rising Movement and the Freedom Movement. If you have a call on your life to become a leader in the advance of the Kingdom, we invite you to get in touch with us!
Rick can be contacted at rickclark@risingmvmt.org or at 626.536.1000. Sue prefers to be contacted at suejoyclark7@gmail.com.