M. Craig Barnes (born 1956) is an American

Presbyterian minister Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session (o ...

and professor who served as president of

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

Biography and career

Born on August 28, 1956, and raised on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

,"Shadyside Presbyterian Church" The Reverend Dr. M. Craig Barnes http://www.shadysidepres.org/blog/m-craig-barnes-bio (retrieved Dec. 3, 2013) Barnes attended The King's College in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in history, in 1978."M. Craig Barnes: Vita" (pg. 1) http://www.pts.edu/UserFiles/File/faculty/CVs/Barnes.pdf (retrieved August 2, 2015) He went on to graduate from

, in 1981, with a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree. Barnes then earned a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree in the

history of Christianity The history of Christianity began with the life of Jesus, an itinerant Jewish preacher and teacher, who was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified in Jerusalem . His followers proclaimed that he was the Incarnation (Christianity), incarnation of Go ...

from the

University of Chicago Divinity School The University of Chicago Divinity School is a graduate professional school at the University of Chicago dedicated to the training of academics and clergy across religious boundaries. Formed under Baptist auspices, the school today is without ...

, in 1992, under the supervision of

Martin Marty Martin Emil Marty (February 5, 1928 – February 25, 2025) was an American Lutheran religious scholar who wrote extensively on religion in the United States. Biography Early life Marty was born on February 5, 1928, in West Point, Nebraska, ...

. For his doctoral studies, he wrote a dissertation titled '' John R. Mott: A Conversionist in a Pluralist World''. In 1981, Barnes was ordained as a minister in the PC(USA), serving in PC(USA) congregations in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and Madison,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. In 1993, he became senior pastor of National Presbyterian Church in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, serving until 2002, when he accepted a teaching position at

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) is a Presbyterian graduate seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794, it houses one of the largest theological libraries in the tri-state area. History Pittsburgh Theological Seminary was for ...

, in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. One year later, while serving as Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Barnes accepted a call to

Shadyside Presbyterian Church History The Shadyside Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in an historic section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Located at the corner of Amberson Avenue and West ...

as senior pastor. On October 8, 2012,

announced that Barnes was selected to succeed the retiring Iain Torrance as president. Barnes took up his duties as president on January 1, 2013, and was formally installed as president on October 23, 2013. He serves as president until January 2023, when he retired and received the title President Emeritus. While at Princeton Seminary, he also served as professor of pastoral ministry. On June 1, 2023, Barnes answered the call to serve as the Transitional Pastor and Head of Staff at the Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Barnes is married and has a daughter and two sons.

Works

Thesis

Books

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Articles

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, M. Craig 1956 births 20th-century American Presbyterian ministers 21st-century American Presbyterian ministers 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers 21st-century Presbyterians The King's College (New York City) alumni Living people Pittsburgh Theological Seminary faculty Presbyterian Church (USA) teaching elders Presidents of Calvinist and Reformed seminaries Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Princeton Theological Seminary faculty University of Chicago Divinity School alumni