Biography

Contact Mark

To contact Mark, email him at markroberts@fuller.edu or call the De Pree Center office at: 626-584-5325.

Mark’s Short Bio:

Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders, and the founder of the De Pree Center’s Flourishing in the Third Third of Life Initiative. Previously, Mark was the Executive Director of the De Pree Center, the lead pastor of a church in Southern California, and the Senior Director of Laity Lodge in Texas. He has written eight books, dozens of articles, and over 3,000 devotions that help people discover the difference God makes in their daily life and leadership. With a PhD in New Testament from Harvard, Mark teaches at Fuller Seminary, most recently in his DMin cohort on “Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation.” Mark is married to Linda, a marriage and family counselor, spiritual director, and executive coach. Their two grown children are educators on the high school and college level.

Mark’s Shortest Bio:

Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders, and the founder of the De Pree Center’s Flourishing in the Third Third of Life Initiative.

Mark’s Full Bio:

Dr. Mark D. Roberts is Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders, and the founder of the De Pree Center’s Flourishing in the Third Third of Life Initiative. With years of experience as a pastor and non-profit leader, as well as a mentor to leaders in business and other fields, Mark is deeply committed to serving leaders in the marketplace, education, government, non-profits, arts, family, and the church. He envisions leaders flourishing in every part of their lives as well as their leadership, thus contributing to God’s work throughout the world. Mark has a growing commitment to helping leaders who are entering the “third third” of life to flourish in new ways as their relationship with compensated work changes.

Before taking on the role of Senior Strategist, Mark was the Executive Director of the De Pree Center for six years. Prior to this, he was Executive Director of Digital Media and Senior Director of Laity Lodge for the H. E. Butt Foundation in Texas. A Presbyterian pastor, he served churches in California, with a sixteen-year stint as senior pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church.

Mark earned his BA magna cum laude in Philosophy, his MA in the Study of Religion, and his PhD in New Testament, all from Harvard University. For ten years, he taught a wide variety of New Testament courses as an adjunct instructor at Fuller, both in Orange County and on the Pasadena campus. He also taught as an adjunct for San Francisco Theological Seminary. Most recently, he is the lead professor for Fuller’s DMin cohort on Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation.

Mark is the author of eight books, including Dare to Be True and Can We Trust the Gospels? His commentary on Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in The Preacher’s Commentary examines leadership models in Israel’s life. His commentary on Ephesians in the Story of God series was published in 2016. Mark has written dozens of articles for journals and magazines, including Leadership Journal, Christian Reflection (Baylor University), and In Touch. He has also contributed to the biblical commentary of the Theology of Work Project, of which he is a steering committee member.

Most of Mark’s writing in the last decade has been in digital media. He is the primary writer for the De Pree Center’s Life for Leaders daily digital devotional. Emailed each morning to over 10,000 subscribers, Life for Leaders serves leaders in all sectors of life by helping them go deeper in relationship with God as they grow in a biblical understanding of their work.

Mark has served as a consultant to Christian organizations, including churches and educational institutions. In addition to preaching and teaching, he has spoken in a wide variety of conferences, retreats, and workshops. He often teams up with his wife, Linda, a licensed therapist, spiritual director, and executive coach, to speak at churches and retreat centers. Their two grown children are educators on the high school and college level.

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Get to know Mark as a Road Ahead guide: