Mark Volkers serves as instructor of digital media production at Dordt University.
An award-winning filmmaker, Volkers is passionate about producing content worth consuming. As an instructor at Dordt, he enjoys seeing students hone their craft and get excited about their future as content creators.
Volkers’ work has earned more than 25 Telly Awards, multiple Communicator Awards, Davey Awards, Hermes Awards, Ava Awards, and many global film festival wins. He is an Avid Certified Instructor, making Dordt University one of the only places in Iowa where students can become Avid Certified Users.
His areas of interest include film history, documentary filmmaking, post-production, mass media, theology, and history.
“My faith is at the center of my teaching,” says Volkers. “We are made in God’s image, and He is the most creative force ever. He grants us creative minds, and our playground is the incredible tools of media we have at our disposal. Creating ‘content worth consuming’ is a high and noble calling. We do it for His glory.”
Volkers’ most recent project, “Missions Upside Down,” is a six-episode video curriculum exploring modern trends in missions. It can be found at missionsupsidedown.com and at RightNow Media. The series was shot in seven countries. Another documentary, “The Fourth World,” looks at slum life around the world; it is available on Amazon, Hulu, and other streaming services.
Prior to working at Dordt, Volkers served as a missionary in Kenya, East Africa among the Luo people as part of the Africa Inland Mission. He also was communication director for Resonate; in that role, he worked as a writer, photojournalist, and filmmaker.
Education
- MA in Communication, Wheaton College.
- BA in Mission and Theology, Kuyper College.