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The Rev. Mark DeVries, MDiv ’86, arrived at Princeton Theological Seminary a “fundamentalist” intent on protecting the truth as he saw it. He left with an expansive and evolving view of ministry that shaped the rest of his professional and personal life, one that creates space where others can discern, experiment, and lead.
This May, DeVries will receive the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award at Reunion to honor the significant impact his work has had in the field of youth and family ministry, as well as with congregations and ministry organizations throughout the world.
A pioneer in the field of youth ministry and the author of a dozen books, DeVries is a pastor, teacher, and serial ministry entrepreneur.
He is the founder of Ministry Architects, a church-consulting organization, and a co-founder of Ministry Incubators, which helps move new ministry and social-enterprise ideas from concept to reality. DeVries also helped to launch the Center for Youth Ministry Training (now the Ministry Leadership Center) and Justice Industries, a nonprofit designed to create pathways for people facing barriers to traditional employment.
His life is proof that formation happens slowly and not necessarily through “Road to Damascus” moments, but by accumulated conversations, community, work, and time.
DeVries points to the “cocktail of transformation” he experienced at Princeton Seminary that combined consistent academic rigor and a catalyzing community of friends, particularly those formed in the close company of neighbors at the Charlotte Rachel Wilson Apartments.
“Looking back, I came with a pretty defensive posture,” DeVries recalls, adding, “It was the passing conversations, the debates in the snack room and the library, the provocative questions from professors or preceptors” that softened him.
Upon graduation from the Seminary, he served as associate pastor for youth and their families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1986 through 2014. After 14 years, he found himself at a point of burnout, needing to discern a more sustainable path for his work in youth ministry.
In 2001, DeVries moved to a part-time role at First Nashville, with no clear direction of what shape the rest of his work would take. He continued writing and training youth workers until he received a call from a church in Atlanta, Georgia, asking if he consulted with youth ministries. He jumped at the chance.
One church became three churches, three eventually became 10, and Youth Ministry Architects was born. Eventually, the work expanded beyond youth ministry to include strategic planning, executive coaching, search support, and virtual administrative assistance, all focused on providing sustainable solutions that can endure leadership transitions and changing congregational contexts.
Today, after almost 25 years, Ministry Architects has served over 1,000 organizations worldwide from 50 denominational traditions.
As his national profile grew, DeVries’ spirit never ventured far from Princeton Seminary. A deeply committed alumnus, DeVries has served on the Seminary’s Board of Trustees and in alumni leadership roles with ongoing engagement as a mentor and presenter on campus. He also played a formative role in some of the Seminary’s most influential initiatives, including the founding of the Institute for Youth Ministry and The Farminary Project.
In fact, the idea for Ministry Incubators grew out of a conversation with friend and colleague Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean, Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture and founding director for the Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry.
“We both share this deep commitment to young people and wanted to create an organization that could help those who have harebrained ideas for ministry,” he said.
DeVries describes Ministry Incubators’ signature offering, the “Hatchathon,” as Shark Tank “with love” he adds, “We walk them through eight to 10 modules to help them walk out with a basic business plan for launching their enterprise. The whole thing ends with a pitch.”
Today, DeVries continues to enjoy a warm relationship with Princeton Seminary. His connection now runs three generations deep, with three of four grandchildren born while their parents were studying at the Seminary. His son, Adam, MDiv ’14; son-in-law, Trey Wince, MDiv ’14; daughter-in-law, Jenni Herold, MDiv ’16; and daughter, Leigh, MDiv ’17, were all profoundly shaped by both the classroom and by lifelong friendships formed through their years at Princeton Seminary.
