Mark Yaconelli is an author, storyteller, and community activist. Mark Yaconelli is the co-founder and director of the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project housed at San Francisco Theological Seminary. He is also the executive director of The Hearth: Real Stories by Regular Folks, a non-profit that uses personal stories to build community and address suffering within the United States. He has helped to start many creative ministry projects including the Center for Engaged Compassion at Claremont School of Theology.