John Mark Scruggs

John Mark was born and raised in Tupelo, MS. He graduated in 2008 from the University of Mississippi, where he was greatly impacted by the ministry of RUF. After graduation, he served as an intern at Lawndale Presbyterian Church, where he felt both encouraged and called to pursue full-time ministry. John Mark earned his MDiv from Covenant Seminary in 2013. It was in St. Louis that he met and married Caroline, who was also attending Covenant. In May of 2014, they moved to Chattanooga, where John Mark served as the RUF Campus Minister at UTC for nine years. He is currently pursuing his MA in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. John Mark and Caroline have three kids—Mary Margaret, Jack, and Sam.

Influential writers in John Mark’s life have been John Newton, C.S. Lewis, John Stott, David Powlison, Fredrick Backman, and Wendell Berry. He has also been greatly influenced by his maternal grandmother, paternal grandfather, various mentors, and the ministry of RUF—both as a student and as a campus minister.

In his free time, John Mark enjoys long meals, live music, trail runs, family hikes, reading and being outdoors.