Marv Vander Vliet “was a wise person with a deep understanding of God’s Word and a great trust in God,” said a colleague and friend who ministered with him for 15 years at West Michigan Youth for Christ. “He loved people well. In ministry leadership and in life, he had a way of understanding people that was generous and kind, but still honest.” Marv, 80, died May 20, 2025.
Marv graduated from Calvin College (now University) and Seminary in 1975 and later obtained a Doctor of Ministry degree from Sioux Falls (Minn.) Seminary.
After ordination in 1975, Marv pastored Ellsworth (Mich.) Christian Reformed Church; Hillside Community Church, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Hawarden (Iowa) CRC; and First Jenison (Mich.) CRC. In 2004 he began serving the Juvenile Justice Ministry for West Michigan Youth for Christ, sharing the hope of Christ with teenage boys and girls in trouble with the law. Marv served there for the next 22 years, continuing to volunteer after he retired.
A story in The Banner from April 2008, “Navigating Young Souls,” described how Marv used outdoor settings and activities to help youth open up and consider a relationship with Christ. “When Rev. Marvin Vander Vliet takes teenage boys from the Kent County, Mich., Juvenile Justice System sailing on Lake Michigan, it’s an adventure in rehabilitation. … (T)he Christian Reformed minister uses his sailing ardor to model Christianity and foster deep conversation. ‘These kids have thousands of questions, about Jesus Christ in particular,’ he (Vander Vliet) said.”
Marv is survived by his five children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren. Barb, his wife of 56 years, died Jan. 12, 2026.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.