M. Craig Barnes (born 1956) is an American Presbyterian minister and professor who served as president of Princeton Theological Seminary.
Biography and career Born on August 28, 1956, and raised on Long Island,"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, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts 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 Princeton Theological Seminary, in 1981, with a Master of Divinity degree. Barnes then earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the history of Christianity from the University of Chicago Divinity School, in 1992, under the supervision of Martin Marty. 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, and Madison, Wisconsin. In 1993, he became senior pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, serving until 2002, when he accepted a teaching position at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One year later, while serving as Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Barnes accepted a call to Shadyside Presbyterian Church as senior pastor. On October 8, 2012, Princeton Theological Seminary announced that Barnes was selected to succeed the retiring Iain Torrance as president."Princeton Seminary Announces M. Craig Barnes as Its New President", Oct. 8th, 2012, retrieved December 3, 2013 https://www.ptsem.edu/index.aspx?id=25769804591 Barnes took up his duties as president on January 1, 2013, and was formally installed as president on October 23, 2013."News & Notes: Princeton Theological Seminary installs new president M. Craig Barnes" Daily Princetonian Staff, Nov. 4, 2013, retrieved Dec. 3, 2013 http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/11/news-notes-princeton-theological-seminary-installs-new-president-m-craig-barnes/ 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.
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