Mark Cannister

About:

Mark Cannister is the author of Teenagers Matter: Making Student Ministry a Priority in the Church (Baker Academic), and a contributing author to Teaching the Next Generations: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching Christian Formation (Baker Academic), Adoptive Youth Ministry: Integrating Emerging Generations into the Family of Faith (Baker Academic), Introduction to Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century (Baker Academic), Starting Right: Thinking Theologically About Youth Ministry (Zondervan Academic), and Reaching a Generation for Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry (Moody Publishers). 

Prior to joining the Gordon faculty in 1992, Mark spent fifteen years serving in both church and parachurch organizations. He has served as vice president and president of the Society of Professors of Christian Education. In 1994 he joined with two dozen colleagues from across the country to create the Association of Youth Ministry Educators, serving as board chair in 1997, and currently serving as the executive administrator for the organization. Mark is also a member of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry.

In 2002 he worked to develop the Journal of Youth Ministry, where he served as senior editor until 2013. He also serves on the advisory boards of YouthWorker Journal and as manuscript referee for the Christian Education Journal. Mark served as the first board chair of The Boston Project Ministries, a community-based organization founded by a group of Gordon students with a passion for seeing renewal in urban neighborhoods. Mark and his family are members of Grace Chapel, where he has served on the board of elders.