Thomas Clark, IV, is a co-vocational disciple-maker, author, equipper, coach, podcast host, and lead servant of The Launching Pad Worldwide (TLPWW), which he helped transfuse from a prevailing model church to a network of disciple-making missional communities and microchurches. Thomas holds a BS in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Missional Church Movements from Wheaton College, as well as diplomas in Christian Education, Christian Evangelism, Leadership Development, and Christian Discipleship. In 2019, Thomas was conferred and hooded with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from St. Thomas Christian University. In his co-vocational role, Thomas serves as Director, Commercial Clearance for a multinational communications company.
Thomas has led and overseen several transformative initiatives in the Greater Chicagoland area, including public health fairs, social momentum symposia, and equipping and empowering marginalized individuals and new arrivals, as well as helping communities confront and mitigate the presence of gang and drug activity. This led one Trustee in the Village of Maywood to state that the work of Thomas and his team helped “turn a hot zone into a cold zone.” He is humbled to be used by God to help empower disciples of Jesus to make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples. TLPWW has missional pastors and missional communities in multiple locations throughout Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, as well as on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, MO. Additionally, they have missional pastors and a microchurch in the Western suburbs of Chicago, as well as another in North Carolina. Thomas believes that every problem is a discipleship problem, and he has a BIG Dream of helping to make 100,000,000 disciples in 10 years. As a result, The Lord has provided opportunities for him to speak, teach, lead workshops, and be on mission throughout the United States, the Dominican Republic, and multiple locations in South Africa.
He believes that the Gospel forces a conflict and often says, “Every time we have an encounter with Jesus, we must make a decision. We will either decide for Him or against Him, but we will make a decision.” His first published book is titled: Bloom Where God Has Planted You – It’s Time to Fulfill Your God-Given Purpose. He is currently completing his next book, Take Off: How We Transitioned to Become A Disciple-Making Movement.
Thomas and his wife Felicia have three adult children, Darius, Kyle, and Nalisha Simone, and one very curious granddude, Darius, Jr. (aka DJ).