Mark Tooley

Mark Tooley became president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) in 2009. Tooley has been with the IRD since 1994, directing the United Methodist committee (UMAction) of the Institute on Religion & Democracy. He continues to direct UMAction’s ministry for traditional United Methodists working to reclaim America's third largest religious body for historic Christian beliefs. Mark is the editor of UMAction Briefing and the author of Taking Back The United Methodist Church. His articles about the political witness of America’s churches have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, The Weekly Standard, Human Events, The Washington Times, Touchstone, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Post, and elsewhere. He is a frequent commentator on radio and television.

Prior to joining the IRD in 1994, Mark worked eight years for the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and is a native of Arlington, Virginia. A lifelong United Methodist, he has been active in United Methodist renewal since 1988, when he wrote a study about church funding of pro-Marxist groups for his local congregation. Since 1993 he has served as a board member of Good News, an evangelical renewal caucus within United Methodism. He currently attends Washington Street United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

Order Mark Tooley's Book, Taking Back the United Methodist Church