The son of a pastor, Mark grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where he met Cindy, his future wife, in High School. Mark attended Moody Bible Institute, receiving his B.A. in Bible Theology and Greek. After serving as a youth pastor for 26 years, he obtained his Master's degree in counseling from Liberty University. He now works as a therapist at Keys to Living Counseling. The Forstroms' two grown daughters, son-in-law, and grandsons all live overseas. Mark enjoys being an elder at Trinity and also loves blogging, long-distance running, and vegetable gardening.