09/11/2026
🎓Alumni Spotlight | Christian Markle ('13)
Every afternoon, children gather at Ezekiel Ministries for activities, conversations about faith and identity — and, most importantly, for relationships with adults who keep showing up.
Christian Markle ('13), who earned degrees in Bible and Communication from CIU, now serves as executive director of the Columbia-area ministry, which provides group and one-on-one mentoring for children navigating significant barriers to stability.
"We see these kids…each day, and we're working on faith, identity, relationships and life skills in really practical ways," Christian explains. "But then we also have one-to-one mentors focused on building trust and walking with kids for the long haul."
Through partnerships with churches and public schools across the Midlands, Ezekiel Ministries connects children with caring Christian adults who can offer something simple but powerful: a consistent presence. Kids growing up in financially vulnerable environments are often the least likely to have access to long-term, dependable relationships with caring adults — and that's exactly the gap mentoring fills.
Christian first became involved with Ezekiel Ministries in 2014, not long after graduating from CIU. He was drawn to its mission because it connected with his own God-given passion for discipling children from difficult and vulnerable circumstances through the local church. Over the years, he served in nonprofit development roles with Oliver Gospel Mission, United Way and Healthy Learners while staying connected to Ezekiel and its founder. When the opportunity came to lead the organization in 2025, he joyfully stepped into the role.
Mentoring is also deeply personal for him.
"I can point to dozens of people in my life who stepped in and were used by God to show me His love and show me what my identity in God looked like," Christian says. "A youth pastor here, a college minister there, a CIU professor or a friend in church — God has brought the right people into my life, time and time again."
Today, Christian is helping make those kinds of relationships possible for another generation — whether that means helping a child learn to ride a bike, improve reading and writing skills, prepare to drive a car or begin thinking about the future.
And he hopes to help even more churches, mentors and communities discover how they can be part of that work.
"Everyone has a passion for some category of changing the world for good," Christian says. "We all have resources — time, talent and treasure. I love helping people use them."
Read more about Christian and the work of Ezekiel Ministries: https://ciu.edu/news/mentoring-the-vulnerable-ciu-alumnus-leads-ezekiel-ministries/
