Mark Casson is a husband, father, businessman, author, and church elder who also happens to have spent over 15 years serving a life sentence in California’s prison system. Mark was released from prison in 2004, and 10 days after his release he walked into Sierra View PCA in Fresno, CA, where he was warmly welcomed by the pastor and congregation. The sound preaching, warm hospitality, and community love expressed to him in those early days out of prison stoked in Mark a love for the PCA. He was ordained to the office of Ruling Elder in 2006 and has since served in two churches. Mark has been on the Session of First Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, since 2015. Mark and his wonderful wife, Raylene, courted for several years prior to his release and were married in 2004. Together they have two daughters who know and love Jesus: Eliana (14) and Joelle (11).

Mark previously served as the Director of MNA-Metanoia Prison Ministries full-time from 2010 to 2023 and has been blessed to have taken the message of God’s transforming grace to conferences, high schools, college campuses, prisons, and churches. During Mark’s time with Metanoia, the ministry grew from 2 part-time staff in 2010 to 13 current staff, serving more than 7,000 prisoners over that time and mobilizing more than 2,000 volunteers.

Mark enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, fishing, reading and bike riding. He is a firm believer that prayer is the work of the ministry.