Mark Yaconelli

Mark Yaconelli is a writer, retreat leader, spiritual director, storycatcher, husband, and father. He is the founder and executive director of The Hearth: Building Community One Story at a Time, a registered non-profit that assists cities and service-based agencies in producing personal storytelling events designed to help communities and individuals deepen relationships and cultivate compassion. Through The Hearth, Mark has produced and led events for The Ford Family Foundation, The Center for Congregations, Asante Hospice Services, The Oregon Department of Human Services, Princeton Theological Seminary, The Church in Wales, and many other towns and agencies across the United States and United Kingdom. Mark was the co-founder and program director for the Center for Engaged Compassion where he helped develop a unique set of practices and training programs for assisting individuals, organizations, and communities in creating genuine peace, healing, and reconciliation that change the world for good. While at the CEC Mark worked with Dr. Frank Rogers and Dr. Andrew Dreitcer to design training programs and facilitate retreats for agencies such as Prison Fellowship Canada, Religion and Politics, and The Mutare Pastoral Care and Counseling Center (Zimbabwe). Mark is in demand as a speaker and retreat leader. He speaks to a variety of audiences each year across North America and the United Kingdom. He has been a retreat leader and/or keynote speaker for agencies such as The Greenbelt Arts Festival, Compassion International, The National Youth Workers Convention (U.K., Canada, and U.S.), The Global Gathering for Spirituality and Justice, The National Presbyterian Youth Triennium, and many other events and organizations. See his calendar for upcoming engagements or contacts for booking information. Interviews and profiles of Mark Yaconelli’s work have appeared in the national media including the Wall Street Journal, ABC World News Tonight, New York Times Online, Washington Post Online, Christianity Magazine, and CBS Radio. Feature articles on his work with teens have appeared in The Christian Century, Immerse, Group Magazine, Youthworker Journal, and many other Christian publications in the U.S. and U.K.. Mark is the author of six books including Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us (Broadleaf 2022), The Gift of Hard Things (IVP 2016), Wonder, Fear, and Longing (Zondervan 2009). Mark Yaconelli holds an MA in Christian Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union and a Graduate Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark lives in Southern Oregon with his wife Jill. They have three grown children–Noah, Joseph, and Gracie.