Dear Friends of Calvin Theological Seminary, Thank you for your appreciation for the last issue of the Forum, which focused on the question, “What does it mean to be Reformed?”
The focus on Reformed identity was one where people heard familiar answers to that vital question and were allowed to expand their understanding of how “Reformed” is a big word and that many accents need to be heard and recognized.
The current issue of the Forum continues our previous discussion. It delves deeper into new programs and initiatives that aim to bridge Reformed identity and understanding for ministry in the 21st century.
If the last Forum can be read through the lens of “What does it mean to be Reformed?,” this issue extends that lens to ask how we reference our Reformed Identity while navigating the road ahead of us in the 21st century.
What insights can we share with you from fields ranging from mental health counseling to Latino/a ministry? How do we prepare preachers and other church leaders? What does a key strand of our Reformed tradition—Missional Neo-Calvinism—have to say to address the turbulent context of ministry today?
As always, I appreciate the authors who have taken the time to write an overview of their work and ministry. I encourage you to read the articles with an eye to understanding that these threads weave together a tapestry of how Calvin Theological Seminary seeks to be faithful to her calling in this world that God still loves.
May you be encouraged that God is clearly working through this time as we seek to bring Him glory and serve His Church!
In His Service With You,
Jul Medenblik President
Features
Calvin Theological Seminary: A Living Tradition of Service for the 21st Century
In just a few years, Calvin Theological Seminary will celebrate March 15, 1876, as Calvin’s 150th birthday! March 15, 1876 is the date that Rev. Geert Egberts Boer was installed as a “docent” or teacher at Calvin Theological Seminary, a school dedicated to training pastors for a new denomination primarily made up of immigrant churches that became known as the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
In that first year, Rev. Boer taught seven students on the second floor of an elementary school building on Williams Street, which crossed Commerce Avenue, where the clatter, rumble, and smoke of train engines interrupted instruction. I am impressed by the range of the curriculum—Dutch, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, General History and Dutch History, Geography, Psychology, Logic and Rhetoric. Rev. Boer also taught Dogmatics, Hermeneutics, Exegetics, Isagogics, Church History, Symbolism, and Practical Theology.
Calvin Theological Seminary has a rich heritage for both academic rigor and contextual training. We have always sought to navigate ways to address the needs of the church serving to share the gospel in the current context of society. The last decade-plus of my time as President of Calvin Theological Seminary has been a decade of change and development with the goal of
reaching out to serve the global church and the church across the street.
From 1876 until 2013, if you wanted to receive a Calvin Seminary education, you needed to move to Calvin Seminary. So, I moved from Florida to Grand Rapids, but I did wonder about attending a new campus of Reformed Theological Seminary opening up near Orlando, Florida. I considered how I could be both a lawyer and a seminary student. Eventually, wisdom and my wife—a fount of wisdom—led me to move to Calvin Theological Seminary. I do not regret that move and following the Spirit’s prompting.
At the same time, I know that in our increasingly networked world, Calvin Theological Seminary has something to offer beyond Kent County in Michigan. Over the last ten years, we have been blessed by seeing God at work through the following:
• Distance Education (Distributed) Education: This program began in 2013 and now reaches over half of our student body, typically comprised of 25 different nations.
• Latino/a Ministry Program: Version 1.0 began under the leadership of Dr. Mariano Avila, and Version 2.0 is now ably led by Dr. Gabriela Tijerina-Pike.
• The Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI): A partnership with Calvin University where we train students at Handlon Prison in Ionia, Michigan to become leaders. CPI graduates are now being transferred to other prisons to impact the culture there positively.
• Global Teaching: A professor, Dr. Young Ahn Kang, taught at Calvin Seminary for five years before needing to move back to Korea. He now teaches for us from Korea!
• Expansion of our Ph.D. program: The program now includes a concentration in the New Testament and the addition of a Doctor of Ministry program (D.Min.), which will have our first graduate from the program at this year’s commencement.
• Competency-Based Theological Education (C.B.T.E.): Known as “Empower” at Calvin Seminary, this program started as a pilot project with Sunlight CRC in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and the student ministry of Grand Valley State University to raise leaders in partnership and mentorship.
Did you know Abraham Lincoln never went to law school? Did you know most pastors’ training over the centuries was by apprenticeship? Is God teaching us to look back to how we may train others in the future?
Calvin Theological Seminary has a rich heritage for both academic rigor and contextual training. We have always sought to navigate ways to address the needs of the church serving to share the gospel in the current context of society.
JUL MEDENBLIK PRESIDENT
In this Forum, you will also read the reflections of Dr. Danjuma Gibson, the program director of our new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I could highlight more items and programs, but I hope this overview causes us to reflect that God is still calling us to pray for more workers for the harvest. That harvest field has changed since 1876 and clearly includes the global church. As I reviewed Rev. Boer’s curriculum, I noted that one subject was Psychology. I am sure that the content of the course would have changed over the years, but Dr. Gibson makes the case that our Clinical Mental Health Counseling is in keeping with our living tradition at Calvin Seminary. We are interested in forming the whole person for ministry and are mindful of the challenge of ministry in the 21st century.
Some of the articles included will note how COVID-19 has affected all of us, including Calvin Theological Seminary, the church, and our students. For example, COVID-19 accelerated our online program offerings. However, COVID-19 is only one of the reasons we have seen changes and developments. We were already looking at the
road ahead and making changes as we sought to provide tools for students who will serve in various fields of ministry.
In closing, I want to return to Rev. Geert Egberts Boer. It is said that at the end of his installation address as docent, he turned to the students and spoke to them words that I have since repeated at every convocation of Calvin Seminary. May we join together in these words of commitment and challenge!
“I now stand in a special, specific relation to you. This tie will be drawn ever tighter in a communion of true faith; henceforth, I hope to work at your training and development; to point out to you your needs according to the requirements of the times, to warn you of dangerous shoals upon which you could easily be shipwrecked, to teach you and to pray with and for you—this is the task that awaits us.”
—Rev. Geert Egberts Boer, March 15, 1876
“I now stand in a special, specific relation to you. This tie will be drawn ever tighter in a communion of true faith; henceforth, I hope to work at your training and development; to point out to you your needs according to the requirements of the times, to warn you of dangerous shoals upon which you could easily be shipwrecked, to teach you and to pray with and for you—this is the task that awaits us.”
Rev. Geert Egberts Boer March 15, 1876
VIRTUOUS REASONING
GABRIELA TIJERINA-PIKE
DIRECTOR OF LATINO/A MINISTRIES
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT
“Do you have a closet of useless things at home?”—this is what I ask candidates interested in enrolling in the Master of Arts in Leadership Formation (MALF). This new Latino Ministries program focuses on developing skills for Christian leadership amid today’s cultural challenges. “Has the number of items in it increased in the last year? Do you remember everything stored there?” The response is a loud laugh, confirming that they, too, often store useless things. I use this simple example with Hispanic candidates to introduce them to the relevance of the MALF program in the era of information. As Christian leaders in a world overloaded with information, MALF students need to develop skills in discernment and virtuous reasoning to be capable of discarding useless thoughts and converting useful information into knowledge and wisdom.
Our MALF students are challenged to master virtuous reasoning—not simply for themselves, but to teach it to their congregations. The importance of this cannot be overstated, especially given that congregants’ cell phone and internet use exposes them to vast amounts of unfiltered information. When congregants listen to a sermon, join a Bible study, experience difficulties, or seek advice, they already have a virtual warehouse full of disordered and useless information. This situation is, of course, not exclusive to Hispanic communities or Latin American countries. However, these communities also have additional challenges stemming from Latin American behavioral and educational systems that rarely encourage criticism of arguments’ soundness or validity. This context makes it all the more important for Hispanic church leaders to be able to teach their congregations how to engage in virtuous reasoning and discernment related to questions of truth.
The inspiration for the MALF program comes from Acts 17:11 (NIV): “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” The Bereans’ example has been followed by people throughout church history: godly people have reasoned through the Scriptures, articulated confessions of faith (e.g., the Belgic Confession and Canons of Dort), and set the standards of orthodoxy that inform our reasoning today. The exhortation and example of our predecessors teach us how to apply virtuous reasoning to understand biblical truths. In the same way, the primary goal of the MALF program is to form modern-day leaders who possess Berean attitudes and skills—leaders who excel in Scripture-based reasoning and discernment.
As Hispanic Christians are exposed to new ways of thinking within the North American multicultural tapestry and the global context, they can benefit from developing the Bereans’ way of reasoning. That is why the MALF program places such a strong emphasis on reasoning and discernment. At Calvin Theological Seminary, our call is to instill students with an eager attitude toward Scripture. We follow this call by equipping them with the skills and tools that will enable them to discard useless things from their intellectual closet and discern how information and ideas align with Scripture. As we pursue this call, we pray that our Hispanic students will continue to enrich their reasoning and be identified as people of wise and noble character.
Why on Earth Look to the Church for Help in Society?
CORY WILLSON JAKE AND BETSY TULS PROFESSOR OF MISSIOLOGY, WORLD CHRISTIANITY, AND PUBLIC THEOLOGY
The Turbulent Context of Ministry Today
In the wake of the pandemic, many churches are struggling because their rhythms of gathering and scattering have been disrupted, discipleship has become increasingly disembodied, and many people feel disconnected from or disenchanted with organized religion.
While COVID-19 upended many of our social rhythms and wreaked havoc on the world, it did not create these issues as much as it exacerbated underlying problems. For example, the distrust of authority, especially in religious institutions and leaders, is nothing new in American society. Similarly, the political divisions in society did not begin during the pandemic. However, the pandemic did provide the environment for political and ideological battle lines to spread far and wide—dividing families, communities, and churches. Whatever “goodwill” in society the church used to rely on is now displaced by suspicion and even hostility.
In such environments, why would anyone look to the church for help addressing society’s ills? What is needed to help churches meet these challenges?
A Silver Bullet?
Given the complexity and scale of these issues, it is naïve to think there are simple solutions or that any one community has all the answers. What is needed are Christians who creatively draw on
their religious traditions to provide wisdom for discipleship and mission. I am grateful to be part of a community that is thinking deeply about what it means to be reformed in our world today.1
I have an especially strong affinity for the Neo-Calvinist tradition and the efforts of those who flesh out this theological vision in our secular age. Missional Neo-Calvinism (as Michael Goheen and Craig Bartholomew call it) intentionally draws together the rich theological tradition of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck with the insights of missionary theologians like Lesslie Newbigin and J. H. Bavinck.2 Here is my take on how five specific facets of Missional Neo-Calvinism equip congregations to engage in our current historical moment.
Missional Neo-Calvinism
Participating in God’s True Story of the World
Missional Neo-Calvinism provides a way of reading the big story of Scripture (creation, fall, redemption, consummation) as the true story of the world.3 The significance of this is not only personal and spiritual but also public and corporate. This story communicates the truth about who God is and what his mission in this world entails. In turn, this shapes how we understand humans as responsible agents. This does not mean that our hope resides in humanity itself. God is the one who began and will bring this story to its appointed consummation. History is “his-story”, and Jesus is the hero, not us. But we are
responsible agents, and our vocations, gifts, and passions find deeper meaning within the larger story of God’s mission. The congregation is where this story is rehearsed through the reading and preaching of Scripture, and this story is inhabited through participation in corporate worship.
Discipleship as a Dialogue of Love with Our Culture
Missional Neo-Calvinism gives special attention to how the gospel helps Christians engage their culture from a disposition of love, not fear. Instead of viewing the world as a battlefield, they begin with a commitment to the lordship of Jesus over every part of the world and his self-sacrificing love to redeem all things. Idols are real and powerful, but we must be discipled to see deeper into society’s disordered loves that find their only proper reordering in Christ. What is needed are disciples of Jesus who are willing to enter a “dialogue of love”4 with their culture so that the gospel redeems “all of life as it was meant
to be lived according to God’s creational design from the very beginning.”5 The church is the community where disciples should be formed to carry out this sustained dialogue of love.
Neither Romanticizing nor Demonizing the Church or the World
In a culture filled with simplistic polarities and divisions, Missional Neo-Calvinism provides a more complicated perspective that resists false binaries that paint one side as “all good” and the other as “all bad”—God’s grace redeems and restores nature. Grace does not make us angelic beings; it frees us to be more fully human as God intended. This means that God’s saving grace is active within sinful Christians, and his common grace is active in the world, upholding fallen humanity and creation. Abraham Kuyper once commented that the world is often better than we expect it to be, and the church is sometimes worse than expected.6 For those hungering for absolutes and clear boundaries between
“the good” and “the bad” or “the virtuous” and “the villains,” it is best to look elsewhere. Missional Neo-Calvinism provides resources to help us to neither romanticize nor demonize the church or the world. Beautiful and broken, both remain integral parts of God’s purposes.
Daily Work Is the Primary Witness of the Local Church
Missional Neo-Calvinism goes a step further and argues that the central place of discipleship is in the local congregation and that the primary context of formation is the daily work of Christians. As churches try to find new rhythms of worship and discipleship, they should see each congregant as a frontline worker in God’s mission in their various and scattered callings. Given the Neo-Calvinist emphasis on the priesthood of all believers, it stands to reason that the primary witness of each local church is not centered on the church property or its outreach ministries but rather on those diverse geographic locations where congregants spend their waking hours at work, home, and play. Sunday worship is the culmination of our week of work. In the sanctuary, the priesthood of believers offers God the worship of the world from their industries, trades, and businesses. Sermon podcasts and spiritual discipline apps are helpful, but if untethered by the local church, they reinforce the central value of individualism in our society.
Missionaries with Convicted Civility and Compassion
I am a student and fan of Richard Mouw. Every few weeks, I hear his voice in my head encouraging the next generation of Missional
Neo-Calvinists to put away our swords and find another means of engaging culture. We need to trust that, in the long run, embodying grace and truth while practicing convicted civility and compassion will provide a more faithful witness to our Lord, who chose to drive out darkness with love and sacrifice, not with darkness and hatred. I have long been drawn to Mouw’s argument in his book, Uncommon Decency—some people are convicted but not civil, and others are civil but lack convictions, but we need convicted civility. He encouraged Christians to engage in the public square but warned against the church’s violent tendencies toward dominance and conquest. Mark Yarhouse recently referred to Mouw’s concept of convicted civility at a Calvin Theological Seminary gathering, suggesting that one more word be added: compassion. Yarhouse urged us to find practices that increase our capacity for convicted civility with compassion, especially towards those who oppose us.
How the Institute for Mission, Church, and Culture is Supporting Local Churches
I do not believe that missional Neo-Calvinism is a silver bullet that will meet all the church’s needs today. However, it does provide helpful theological insights that can equip congregations to disciple Christians for God’s mission in the world.
Calvin Seminary’s Institute for Mission, Church, and Culture seeks to equip the local church through seminars and retreats, videos and written resources, and conferences. To learn more about the institute’s work and offerings, visit www.calvinseminary.edu/imcc/.
“What Does it Mean to Be Reformed?” The Forum (Winter 2024, Issue 33) https://calvinseminary.edu/forum/ (accessed 3/1/24).
2Goheen and Bartholomew “Contours of Missional Neo-Calvinism,” All of Life Redeemed, May 2011, vol. 1 (I), (https:// missionworldview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ea8a85_acab5945b15140bcae1c310962857635.pdf). I find their term helpful in drawing out themes that see in other theologians such as Richard Mouw, James K. A. Smith, and Cornelus van der Kooi—none of whom apply this label to themselves.
3Michael Goheen and Craig Bartholomew, The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2009).
4“Dialogue of love” comes from Jose Miguez Bonino and his description of the impact of John Mackay’s missionary work in Central and South America.
5Al Wolters, “What is to be Done… Toward a Neocalvinist Agenda?” Comment Magazine (December 1, 2005) (https:// comment.org/what-is-to-be-done-toward-a-neocalvinist-agenda/).
6Kuyper, Common Grace (vol. 2), p. 10 (italics original).
Bringing the Trouble to Church: The Call to
Christ-Centered
Mental
Health Support
DANJUMA G. GIBSON
PROFESSOR OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY, CARE, AND COUNSELING
Turn on the news, open social media, or talk to a friend long enough, and mental health is likely to come up. In 2024, we are experiencing a greater awareness of how mental health impacts us individually and collectively.
It is not that psychological ailments have not existed before, but we as a society have ignored them—to our detriment. While I wish I could say that the church has not disregarded the mental health needs around us, the truth is that congregations have long protected their Sunday morning rituals from the troubles within and without.
When I look back on my time as a pastor, it’s clear to me that Christians often like sermons to be sanitized. As a minister, I was told, sometimes explicitly and often implicitly, don’t bring too much trouble.
What that really meant was that congregants did not want pastors to interrupt the illusion that if we live right, everything will somehow fall into place. The truth is, even as we know and are formed by God, many of us are still incredibly ill, hurt, and experiencing brokenness. Christ uniquely equips the church to be the hope of the world; therefore, the church is precisely the place where trouble needs to come for healing—surrounded by sisters and brothers at the foot of the cross.
When we first began the Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MCMHC) at Calvin Theological Seminary, we did it knowing that students would be called to places we don’t like to talk about. The field of clinical mental health counseling, by its very nature, must reckon with the things we try to deny, for example, depression, trauma, grief and loss, domestic violence and abuse, suicide, or the haunted past of our honored veterans.
At Calvin Theological Seminary, we prepare students to go boldly into these dark places as a function of their Christian identity and vocational calling. As a Reformed school, we do not shy away from the dark places of human experience. On the contrary, engaging the dark places of life is what we see in the biblical witness. We find ourselves at the starting point of clinical counseling when we see the story of Scripture through the arc of creation, fall, and redemption.
A Reformed hermeneutic is refreshing to many students because it confronts us with the reality of our fallibility. Mental health counseling affirms the goodness of God’s creation, confronts humanity’s fallenness—exemplified both within ourselves and through what others have done to us—and offers a redemptive outlook.
I am grateful that this program has launched at a Reformed seminary, where our tradition’s accents, like common grace, our call to all people of the world, and Abraham Kuyper’s understanding of God’s sovereignty compel us to go into these dark places with the Christian hope of healing and redemption.
Carrying the hope of the gospel into the darkest places must be done with excellence. I am confident that our MCMHC students are being educated at the highest levels of excellence for clinical mental health counseling, preparing for the intersection of the field with the Christian faith.
Although the MCMHC program, launched in 2021, is relatively new, it stands on the shoulders of a long tradition of Calvin Theological Seminary’s reputation for vigorous, quality education and whole-person preparation. We live into that tradition by designing courses that satisfy CACREP1 learning outcomes, and courses that reflect the integration of Christian praxis with the evidence-based psychological sciences that will prepare our students for a vibrant career in clinical mental health counseling. I believe that as people of faith, we should lead the charge in being competent and informed.
Many people lean on their faith and spirituality in the dark seasons of life. A person’s religious experience and mental and emotional health are inseparable and indelibly impact their capacity for resilience and their healing or recovery. Research has found that people who use their faith and spirituality to cope in times of duress tend to have a better recovery rate for their physical or psychological healing than those who do not. Therefore, what better place is there to prepare for nurturing the soul than at seminary?
As individuals and communities become increasingly aware of the need for mental health support—specifically clinical mental health counseling—I remain incredibly grateful for our MCMHC students who are answering that call with faith, science, and a Christ-centered approach to whole-person care.
THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERS: COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION ON THE RISE
AARON EINFELD DIRECTOR OF LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM CONSULTANT FOR THE NEXT STEPS INITIATIVE
When I visited Kenya this spring, I met with Christian leaders trying to keep up with the growth in their local congregations. They needed to develop and mentor more leaders to handle the increasing numbers of believers and churches. By contrast, when I travel in some parts of the United States, I often see church buildings for sale, congregations strapped for resources, or pastors heading towards burnout.
Though these scenarios appear to be dramatically different, they point toward a common theme: churches worldwide are looking for ways to identify, prepare more effectively, and support leaders who can meet the pressing challenges facing the communities they serve. Whether churches are booming or are struggling to keep their doors open, the need remains the same: effective, mature, Christ-centered leadership.
A New Model
For some learners, the familiar classroom model of education—whether in person or online— remains a viable and trusted option. But in order to fill the vast need for effective ministry leaders, the church today must also embrace emerging leadership training pathways. For many aspiring learners, a more flexible educational format
is needed. These learners are turning to a new model, known as competency-based theological education, as an option that fits into their lives, schedules, and goals for ministry while providing the dedicated mentorship they desire.
In competency-based education, students are paired with mentors who walk alongside the student as they develop and demonstrate competencies for ministry. These competencies integrate content knowledge with character development and practical skills. Through this intensive mentorship process, each student’s character is shaped and nurtured. Sometimes, the nurturing goes deeper than possible within a traditional classroom setting. In fact, today’s university model is a relatively “new” way of equipping church leaders. The apprenticeship model that Paul used in the New Testament may differ from the pedagogy of most of today’s seminaries, but it predates modern theological education.
Many institutions find it challenging to reconsider their assumptions about how leaders can best be equipped for their callings. However, as graduates of competency-based programs demonstrate their whole-person formation, more and more institutions are seeing its value.
I recently returned from a conference in Italy that brought together 71 leaders from 32 countries, all exploring or implementing competency-based theological education at their institutions as a viable practice.
Empowering Leaders at CTS
Since 2022, Calvin Theological Seminary’s Empower program has offered competency-based theological education to leaders locally and across the country. What started as two distinct cohorts that are still going strong—one in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through Grand Valley Campus Ministries and the other in Port St. Lucie, Florida, through Sunshine Community Church—has now grown into a customizable program for groups and individuals alike.
Students in the program are matched with three mentors: one faculty member and two mentors from the learner’s current or desired ministry context. The mentors will walk with each emerging leader as they gain and hone the competencies needed to complete their program. Currently, the Empower program provides students with a pathway to either an M.A. degree in Christian Leadership or a Certificate in Christian Leadership.
What’s Next
Competency-based theological education continues to gain traction around the world to meet the demand for effective ministry leaders. While some might lament a shift from comfortable and familiar forms of formal education, Calvin Theological Seminary is embracing this opportunity to adapt to new ministry contexts, just as ministry leaders worldwide are called to serve and adapt amidst rapid change. Launching the Empower program has been a “doubling down” on our mission of equipping disciples who disciple others. To serve emerging leaders—for whom issues like schedules, vocational obligations, and a lack of propensity toward traditional academics may hinder leadership training—we must embrace competency-based theological education.
Ultimately, the church risks losing its way without effective and well-formed leaders. To meet the challenges of our day, the church needs leadership formation processes that are accessible, flexible, and effective. With growth and challenges emerging in all corners of the world, we have no time to spare.
A Challenging Journey: Preaching Through Competition, Wariness, and Trauma
SCOTT HOEZEE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN PREACHING
Four years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that the world has seen significant changes on an array of fronts—changes that may be permanent. In-person conferences have changed, with many events receiving half the registrations they had pre-pandemic. Attendance at worship services has decreased, and worship styles have been altered. Preaching has seen some changes and adjustments as well. As part of the Compelling Preaching Initiative (sponsored by the Lilly Endowment), Calvin Theological Seminary’s Center for Excellence in Preaching (CEP) has carefully listened to pastors as they reflect on today’s preaching environment, particularly the challenges they face.
Some of what has changed for preachers has not entirely stemmed from the pandemic. Larger socio-political factors had been evolving for some years before 2020. What COVID did, however, was break some of those things out into the open. The fault lines that ran just below the surface of some congregations ruptured in full when partisan disagreements related to COVID and other issues broke out in open conflicts among parishioners and between parishioners and their pastors.
Competition
Preachers today are acutely aware of how readily they are compared to others. In the past, this
comparison happened with fellow local preachers, particularly ones in the immediate community. With more and more people consuming sermons on YouTube or Facebook Live, there is abundant opportunity to sample the sermons of multiple preachers. Even when a pastor’s congregation watches their sermons online, viewers can see a roster of other sermon video options displayed on the same screen. “Will they click the pause button on me and jump to another sermon?” pastors wonder.
The result is that preachers worry they will pale by comparison. This, in turn, can lead to the temptation to jazz up their sermons, but with the realization that not all such attempts will improve preaching. Efforts to introduce more drama or humor might diminish preaching. Preachers today are aware of the competition out there, even as their own recent experience confirms that loyalty to a given congregation is not what it used to be. People will readily change churches if they think they can hear better preaching elsewhere.
Wariness
Society is riven. Many people get their information from only one or two select sources and then confirm their opinions within social media echo chambers. In addition to being divided by social media, we are increasingly suspicious. People scrutinize the preacher’s language in public prayers
and sermons to see if they can detect a whiff of a partisan agenda to the right or left. Preachers today are sensitive to the fact that, with a single word, they could be written off as “grinding an axe” if a congregant is triggered. In some places today, some will label the preacher as “woke” if they preach on or pray for “justice,” and that may be the end of the matter for some people where a given preacher is concerned.
I am a preacher, I teach preaching, and I work to provide resources for working preachers, so I have identified with the preachers described in this article. Some will properly point out that sometimes congregations themselves have been stressed or traumatized by preachers who misuse their pulpits. In some congregations, it is not just a perception that the pastor is pushing a more partisan agenda—the pastor actually is. How to address that would require an entire article beyond this one.
People will readily change churches if they think they can hear better preaching elsewhere.
For now, Calvin Seminary’s Center for Excellence in Preaching is sponsoring many Peer Learning Groups for preachers across the U.S. and Canada, where these challenges are being discussed and addressed. We plan to hold on-campus seminars for pastors to provide another opportunity to hear best practices and creative ideas for overcoming preaching challenges in the church today. Through these avenues, we hope that the content and resources we offer on the CEP website will also be shaped by the learning we harvest from working preachers so that we can encourage preachers in all these areas.
Some preachers see the preaching landscape as one littered with landmines they might set off without knowing it. This has led to wariness and hesitancy regarding what they dare include in their public speeches. The temptation to jazz up a sermon to compete with other preachers on social media platforms can have deleterious effects on preaching. So, too, can over-cautiousness and fear of how a sermon will be heard.
Trauma
Finally, preachers recognize that they are preaching to many people who have experienced trauma in recent years. The trauma may stem from the loneliness of the pandemic. It may stem from multiple losses or the fatigue that inevitably comes from constant partisan bickering. However, it’s not just that pastors are preaching to the traumatized— they themselves have endured a lot of trauma in recent years. Pastors are weary as well. One of the most common words I have heard preachers use to describe how they feel a lot of the time now is “vulnerable.”
Pastors who find appropriate, creative ways to leverage their trauma and hurts to reach the hearts of others can provide significant pastoral care from the pulpit. However, preaching from a place of vulnerability takes a toll on pastors.
I close with a plea to pray for our pastors, support them in multiple ways, and be sensitive to the vulnerable place from which they operate now. God is faithful and will not abandon Christ’s church. Even as we take comfort in that fact, we can all do our best to show love for the church and its leaders in the challenging moment we find ourselves in.
Seminary News
Calvin Theological Seminary Partners with Missional Training Center
In April 2024, Calvin Theological Seminary announced its new partnership with the Missional Training Center (MTC) in Phoenix, Arizona. MTC offers Phoenix-area pastors and ministry leaders an M.A. in Missional Theology in a part-time, residential program over four years, permitting students to maintain full-time employment. This Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited partnership between the institutions requires Calvin Theological Seminary to oversee MTC’s curriculum, assessments, and faculty.
In addition to fulfilling accreditation requirements, both institutions are excited that this partnership facilitates the continuation of a relationship between two Reformed institutions with similar missional and pedagogical goals. Calvin Seminary and MTC are similarly committed to providing their students with an education that focuses on Scripture, doctrine, and practical ministry experience, helping students engage in congregational ministry and culture in Christ-honoring ways.
This partnership also opens doors for faculty exchange between the schools, with Dr. Mark Ryan, Dr. Dave Beldman, and Dr. Mike Goheen teaching at Calvin Seminary and faculty, such as Dr. David Rylaarsdam, teaching at MTC. Both institutions anticipate sending students to the other institution’s campus to engage with their faculty, staff, and students. Shared missional goals will allow for ongoing refinement of pedagogy, where Calvin Seminary’s nearly 150 years of experience will help refine MTC’s curriculum, while MTC’s missional, creative pedagogy will aid Calvin Seminary in reevaluating its vocational training methods.
Calvin Theological Seminary is grateful and excited about this opportunity to partner with MTC and looks forward to the mutual encouragement, growth, and education between the two institutions.
CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY RECEIVES GRANT FROM LILLY ENDOWMENT
In January of 2024, Calvin Theological Seminary received a $1,250,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative, which will help establish the Ancient Practices for Missional Churches Initiative of the Institute for Mission, Church, and Culture (IMCC). The Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative seeks to encourage congregations by deepening their relationship with God, bolstering interpersonal connections, and contributing to the well-being of society.
The Ancient Practices for Missional Churches Initiatives, led by Dr. Cory Willson (Professor of Missiology, World Christianity, and Public Theology, and Director of the IMCC), will engage pastors and lay leaders through seminars and retreats. The seminars will empower Christians with diverse vocations and callings to serve God in their respective communities, building on Dr. Willson’s book, Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy The retreats offered by the Ancient Practices for Missional Churches Initiative will engage the Psalms and their connection to prayer and worship in congregational and individual worship settings.
The work of the Ancient Practices for Missional Churches Initiative builds on the core goals and mission of IMCC, which exists to help churches and organizations faithfully exegete and engage their social context, cultivate the priesthood of all believers for public witness, equip Christians to inhabit the multifaith public square as artisans of God’s shalom, and birth and nurture missional communities.
The IMCC is grateful for the generosity of the Lilly Endowment and excited for the future of the Ancient Practices for Missional Churches Initiative and its impact on the church.
CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN PREACHING CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY
This year, the Center for Excellence in Preaching (CEP) celebrates 20 years of service to pastors. Founded in 2004, CEP serves the church by providing preachers with fresh ideas and resources to help make weekly sermons an eventful and vibrant proclamation of grace and hope. This mission is accomplished through weekly sermon commentaries on the CEP website, short teaching videos, an expansive resource library, and conference events and seminars for pastors and ministry leaders.
As CEP celebrates 20 years of ministry, they are excited that their website is nearing 100,000 users per month, a statistic that speaks to the ongoing, global benefit of their work in the lives of pastors and congregations. Now in their second year of the Compelling Preaching Initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment, CEP is actively conducting workshops, Peer Learning Groups, seminars, and other events to help pastors from around the globe proclaim the Gospel in engaging and effective ways.
In July 2024, the Center is hosting a seminar on “Gratitude in Preaching and Worship,” where Dr. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. (Calvin Theological Seminary President Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship) and Rev. Scott Hoezee (Calvin Theological Seminary Director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching) will lead conversations on the theme of gratitude, its role in the Christian life, and how preaching can encourage all congregants in living a grateful life before God. Registered participants for this seminar are coming from the United States, Canada, the United States Virgin Islands, Guyana, and Jamaica.
CEP is grateful for the generosity of the many donors whose contributions have funded all regular CEP programming from the Center’s inception.
FACULTY BOOK RELEASES
Through the Eyes of the Titans
BY DANJUMA GIBSON PROFESSOR OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY, CARE, AND COUNSELING
Dr. Danjuma Gibson, with the help of Cascade Books, brought a new book to press this year. For Gibson, it was a labor of love—poring over firsthand accounts of historical figures in the civil rights movement and uncovering their humanity between the lines. What he found was a variety of ways to persevere against anti-love.
Through The Eyes Of Titans: Finding Courage To Redeem The Soul of A Nation; Images of Pastoral Care and Leadership, Self-Care, and Radical Love in Public Spaces examines the self-care practices of four leaders: Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, Benjamin Elijah Mays, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Through introspection and self-work, they became better equipped for their life’s work.
Gibson asserts that a person’s life’s work is not necessarily what you are paid to do for a living. It is the work you cannot help but do, whether or not you receive a salary. The indelible fingerprint you leave behind tells others that you were there, leaving your mark even far into the future.
Lest we think this kind of work is only reserved for the famed or favored by history, Gibson reminds us that idealizing historical figures puts them on a pedestal we cannot reach. Instead of learning from them and taking up our responsibility to society, we block our ability to learn from them because we view them as superhuman. In short, “romanticizing history,” the book warns, “undermines our capacity to be moral agents in the present time.”
Gibson argues that we need more than secondary sources to understand our history. “In our collective psychological need for heroes and martyrs, that is to say, people who happily embrace suffering and even death without reservation or hesitation, the titans have been idealized to the point where we have undermined our capacity to learn from them,” he writes. “Instead, their lives remain etched on the pages of books.”
Using firsthand accounts from Wells, Hamer, Mays, and King, Gibson saw their struggles with sin, their need for self-care, and their journeys fraught with disappointment and pain. As Gibson dove into the primary sources of letters, journals, and other writings (so deeply that he could recognize these cultural heroes by their penmanship), he practiced the art of demythologizing their lives and contexts.
Though some may wonder if the book’s title idealizes its subjects, Gibson addresses this notion head-on: “At first glance, it would seem that to refer to Wells, Hamer, Mays, and King as titans threatens the very premise of this project. I do not invoke the terminology of titan to suggest that they were superhuman or that emulating their work is beyond the average person’s reach. Instead, titan refers to their willingness to engage in the self-work, self-reflexivity, and interior reflection that were required in order for them to accomplish the body of work they are so well known for.”
This profoundly human and psychoanalytic examination of historical greats, Gibson says, is a spiritual exercise. It brings us a modern-day take on Hebrews 12 as we look at heroes of the faith in more recent history, knowing that these figures, too, are role models who show us what love looks like in the world.
What love does not look like in the world, Gibson said, not only includes racial injustice, hatred, and oppression but is the very antithesis of love. And where love stands, this unchecked human animus that Gibson deems “anti-love” cannot exist.
Through the stories of four Titans, Gibson has given us an intimate look into the courage of four hearts, the fragility of their humanity, and the habits that allowed them to carry on in their callings. By not repressing their feelings but processing them with ink and paper, these titans have given us the gift of wrestling with our own feelings—and pressing on in our life’s work.
Isaiah and Intertextuality
BY WILSON DE ANGELO CUNHA PROFESSOR OF OLD TESTAMENT
Earlier this year, Dr. Wilson de Angelo Cunha and Dr. Andrew Abernethy (Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College) published Isaiah and Intertextuality: Isaiah Amid Israel’s Scriptures. This volume, featuring essays from several Old Testament scholars, demonstrates the connections between Isaiah and the major canonical sections of the Old Testament: the Torah, Prophets, and Writings.
The publication of Isaiah and Intertextuality was many years in the making. While preparing to teach a class on Isaiah at LeTourneau University, Cunha noticed that Isaiah 59:7 appeared almost verbatim in Proverbs 1:16—“Because their feet rush to do evil, and they hurry to shed blood.” After making this connection, he began to consider the intertextual links between Isaiah and other books of the Old Testament. Eventually, he contacted Abernethy to gauge interest in developing a project, which led to the founding of the Institute for Biblical Research’s Isaiah research group and the collection of essays featured in Isaiah and Intertextuality.
Cunha’s work as an editor and contributor to Isaiah and Intertextuality built on intertextuality studies, which he began as a Master of Theology (ThM) student at Calvin Seminary. As a ThM student, he discovered his love for intertextuality as he wrote a research paper on Zechariah 7–8. Later, as a PhD student, he would explore intertextuality in LXX Isaiah. In Isaiah and Intertextuality, Cunha further built his understanding of the intertextual connections between Isaiah and significant portions of the Old Testament (such as the Torah, Prophets, and Writings), as well as the thematic connections across Old Testament books, which he explores in his essay on Isaiah 1 and Hosea, featured in the volume.
In addition to preaching at local churches and writing projects, Cunha teaches Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament courses for MA, MDiv, ThM, and PhD students at Calvin Seminary. His involvement in Isaiah and Intertextuality directly impacts that work in the classroom, as he seeks to help students understand how the Old Testament comes together from a literary, canonical, and theological perspective. Teaching students about intertextuality helps them identify connections in books or genres of the Old Testament that, at first glance, might lack any connection at all. When students understand the intertextuality of the Old Testament, it prevents them from having a fragmented understanding of and approach to the Old Testament, which affects their preaching and teaching of Scripture.
Through Isaiah and Intertextuality, Cunha aids students and scholars alike in understanding the intertextual connections between Isaiah and the rest of the Old Testament, strengthening their appreciation of the literary features of Scripture and deepening their faith in the God of the Old Testament in that process.
FACULTY BOOK RELEASES
Ideal Disciples
BY DANIEL DALEY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT
In May 2024, Baylor University Press published Dr. Daniel Daley’s book Ideal Disciples. It is an exposition of Matthew’s Beatitudes that aids readers and followers of Christ in understanding the disposition and character Christ instructs them to cultivate.
Daley’s prompting to write Ideal Disciples came from his first book, God’s Will and Testament (Baylor University Press, 2021), where he explores the theme of inheritance in the Gospel of Matthew and the Jewish tradition. In God’s Will and Testament, Daley examines two of the Beatitudes in depth, specifically their contribution to the inheritance theme. After a highly positive reception of God’s Will and Testament and receiving several requests for an in-depth commentary on the Beatitudes, the idea of Ideal Disciples was born. Daley was eager and ready for an in-depth study of the Beatitudes, as it allowed him to revisit his work in God’s Will and Testament while drawing on his experience living in Europe and his love for in-depth study of the book of Matthew.
Daley cites his time spent studying and living in Belgium, Scotland, and Ireland as profoundly influential in his reading and interpretation of the Beatitudes and Scripture. As a student in Europe, Daley’s classrooms were filled with believers and non-believers alike from contexts much different than his own, inspiring him to think more broadly and diversely about how the Beatitudes might be read by people from other contexts. The lessons Daley learned from his peers carried into Ideal Disciples, where he writes, “We are enriched by the insights of others who engage with the text differently from ourselves.”
Drawing upon others’ insights on Scripture in scholarly literature, Daley’s commentary on the Beatitudes reflects his keen ability to dialogue with perspectives different from his own. In Ideal Disciples, readers will quickly notice that Daley provides in-depth, thoughtful engagement with ideas and interpretations of Scripture different from his own, interacting with these differences to address how the Beatitudes could be translated and interpreted based on their context. In addition, readers will benefit from Daley’s translation of each Beatitude from Greek to English, as well as the aspects of history, Second Temple literature, eschatological debates, and contextual analysis he provides.
Unlike many other scholars, Daley’s keen ability to write for a broad audience is on full display in Ideal Disciples. Both highly academic readers, pastors, and lay people alike will benefit from Daley’s enriching and clear analysis of the Beatitudes. These Beatitudes, Daley concludes, speak to the disposition and habits of an ‘ideal disciple’ of Jesus Christ, a leader who is equipped to obey the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), just as Jesus commands, not leaving the people of God without a shepherd, as the Pharisees were prone to do in the days of the New Testament. Believers from all ages and stages will be challenged, convicted, and enriched by Daley’s interpretation of the Beatitudes, propelled to a deeper understanding and pursuit of the character Christ instructs them to cultivate, becoming ‘ideal disciples’ that honor Him in their character and conduct.
NEW STAFF & FACULTY
MEET
Mike Goheen
DIRECTOR OF THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION, MISSIONAL TRAINING CENTER – PHOENIX, PROFESSOR OF MISSIONAL THEOLOGY
Dr. Mike Goheen began his professional life as a church planter and pastor in the Toronto, Canada area. For over two decades, he taught worldview studies, biblical theology, and missiology at Dordt College, Redeemer University College, Trinity Western University, Regent College, Calvin Theological Seminary, and Covenant Seminary. He has also held part-time pastoral and preaching positions in local congregations for most of that time.
Presently, he splits his time between Vancouver, Canada, and Phoenix, Arizona, where he teaches and directs the theological education program at the Missional Training Center (MTC), an extension site of Calvin Theological Seminary. He also spends time each year training pastoral leaders in Brazil and Chile.
Mike has authored, co-authored, or edited thirteen books, including The Church and Its Vocation: Lesslie Newbigin’s Missional Ecclesiology (Baker, 2018), Introducing Christian Mission Today: Scripture, History, and Issues (IVP, 2014), and A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Baker, 2011).
Mike has been married to Marnie since 1979. They have four adult children and 11 grandchildren.
MEET
Mark Ryan
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CONGREGATIONAL THEOLOGY AND CULTURAL APOLOGETICS, MISSIONAL TRAINING CENTER –PHOENIX
Dr. Mark Ryan is a pastor, evangelist, and apologist who serves as Sage Christianity’s Executive Director. He previously directed the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Seminary after pastoring congregations in the United States and his home country of Australia.
Mark spent numerous years working with L’Abri Fellowship in Boston and Vancouver, ministering to people investigating the truth claims of the Bible. L’Abri, French for “the shelter,” is the ministry started by Francis and Edith Schaeffer, intended to meaningfully engage with those seeking answers to questions about Christianity. Mark and his wife, Terri, are known for the way they open their lives and their home to those who question God, are done with church, feel at a loss with faith, or feel curious but suspicious about Christianity.
Presently, Mark splits his time between St. Louis, Missouri, where he lives and serves Sage Christianity and several other local apologetics ministries, and Phoenix, Arizona, where he teaches theology and cultural studies at the Missional Training Center (MTC), an extension site of Calvin Theological Seminary.
Mark has been married to Terri since 1996. They have three children.
NEW STAFF & FACULTY
MEET
Dave Beldman
PROFESSOR OF OLD TESTAMENT, MISSIONAL TRAINING CENTER – PHOENIX
Dr. Dave Beldman began his career as a licensed electrician but soon felt the call into theological education. After completing his studies, he taught at Redeemer University for 12 years. In 2022, he and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, so that he could take up work at the Missional Training Center (MTC), an extension site of Calvin Theological Seminary and the larger Christian city movement in Phoenix. In addition to his work at MTC, he is a scholar in residence at the Surge Network and is the director of Surge School. Dave is passionate about bringing the rich wisdom of Old Testament teaching to bear on the challenges of Christian witness in the 21st century.
Dave has authored, co-authored, and co-edited several books, including Hearing the Old Testament: Listening for God’s Address (Eerdmans, 2012), The Completion of Judges: Strategies of Ending in Judges 17-21 (Eisenbrauns, 2017), Deserting the King: The Book of Judges (Lexham, 2017), The Book of Ecclesiastes: A Classified Bibliography (T & T Clark, 2019), Judges (Eerdmans, 2020), Scripture and Hermeneutics: Retrospect and Prospect (Zondervan Academic, 2022). He has also published several essays, both academic and popular.
Dave has been married to Elsie since 1998, and they have four kids.
MEET
Jennifer Knott
ACADEMIC SERVICES COORDINATOR
I am the Academic Services Coordinator in the Academic Office at Calvin Theological Seminary. My journey here includes a B.A. in English/ Secondary Education, an M.Ed. in Curriculum, teaching for 18 years, working as a writer and editor for a church denomination, and working in accounting (with my English degree!) at a trucking company.
I love being back in academia (but without the grading!). I enjoy getting to know the students and helping them enroll in courses. I have loved the challenge of learning how to make the course schedule, run reports, or do any of the other many tasks I get to do. Mostly, I have loved the community of Calvin Theological Seminary.
My favorite part of this position is that I am part of Calvin Theological Seminary’s mission, where we “form church leaders who cultivate communities of disciples of Jesus Christ.” Knowing that I have a small part in that mission, even just enrolling students and performing other Academic Office tasks, makes my work less like “work” and more of a joy-filled calling.
Phillip Palacios
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Though I’m a West Michigan native, I have a global heart. I’m so thankful I’ve been afforded the experiences to match. My path to serving as the Communications Director at Calvin Theological Seminary originated 22 years ago on the Big Island of Hawaii, where my wife, Allison, worked at Haili Christian School. We followed her call to be a 2nd grade teacher, and as a result, I had the opportunity to build a video production agency focused on marketing and campaign development.
After our time in Hawaii, we returned home to West Michigan, and knowing I wanted to engage more in the local film community, I went through the program at Compass Film Academy and built many professional relationships that continue to this day.
As a long-time photographer, I initially gravitated to the camera department but became increasingly engaged as a director, writer, and producer. After over a decade of experience as an independent contractor, including work for national brands, local non-profits, and PBS documentaries, I was called to lead the media team at Our Daily Bread as Creative Director and Executive Producer, with a particular emphasis on storytelling.
In this role, I was responsible for developing projects, processes, people, and systems. I had the opportunity to help create and lead projects that demanded increasing cooperation and coordination between departments and teams, all while keeping the element of story within all that we did and our brand voice central. This role took me all over the globe, growing my understanding of and storytelling skills for a global audience.
I left Our Daily Bread Ministries after six years, returning to the commercial realm with an opportunity to work as a contract Creative Director for IDEOLOGY, a video agency based in Ada, Michigan. At IDEOLOGY, I used my story and strategic skills to work for global brands. I had the privilege to be at the forefront of merging technology and storytelling.
I am excited to join Calvin Theological Seminary. The basis for all good communication is storytelling, and what a great story is stewarded here. I hope to bring a streamlined process and unified voice across our resources and publications as a Seminary.
Outside of work, I have a passion for bluewater ocean sailing, having spent much of my time in the Caribbean captaining a monohull sailboat. I love music and art, with a very broad appreciation across genres. My wife and I have four children who are enthusiastic runners, climbers, sailors, and artists.
MEET Scott De Young
DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC SERVICES AND REGISTRAR
I love the church, places of education, and the formative work that comes from both areas. It has been a delight and privilege to be engaged in that sort of formative work for the past couple of decades, and I am excited to continue that work at Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS).
For 14 years, I was a high school teacher at Calvin Christian High School in Grandville, Michigan, where I delighted in forming the hearts, souls, and minds of students through English education. For the past eight years, I have served as the Director of Outdoor Education at Camp Roger in Rockford, Michigan, where I delighted in the good work of helping young people encounter and celebrate God’s love for his children through relationships and experiences in creation. Through all of this, I have looked at education as one of the graces of sanctification, where through formative experiences, we are drawn nearer to God while developing a greater capacity to better love and serve God and neighbor.
My wife Erin, a musician and teacher, and I have been married for 22 years. We have three sons: Samuel, John, and Luke. Together, we enjoy being active outdoors (trail running, cycling, hiking, camping), reading (all sorts of genres and styles, but especially Lewis and Tolkien), and playing music (mostly classical, folk, and bluegrass). For the past 16 years, we have attended the Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we regularly contribute in areas of worship.
I am grateful to now serve as the Director of Academic Services and Registrar at CTS. I look forward to getting to know the students, faculty, and staff, the programs and partnerships, and the larger CTS community. I have deeply appreciated the warmth of welcome I have received, and I am eager to continue learning how I can serve CTS effectively in this role.
Deb Johnson
ACCOUNTING CLERK
In June, Deb Johnson retired from her role as Accounting Clerk after 12 years of serving at Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS). Before her time at CTS, Deb worked at a bank, as a stay-at-home mother, and at a medical billing company. Deb’s initial connection to CTS came through Executive Assistant Carolyn DeNeut, a coworker from the medical billing company she worked at. Deb spent several years serving alongside Carolyn at LaGrave Avenue CRC’s GEMS Girls’ Club, lending her artistic abilities to the crafts and activities portion of each meeting. Eventually, the position of Accounting Clerk was available, and Carolyn encouraged Deb to apply. In 2012, Deb joined the staff at CTS!
Over Deb’s 12 years at CTS, aspects of her role have changed, while others have remained the same. Some of these changes include different managers over the years and the Seminary adopting new student information systems to make the student experience more seamless, especially for paying tuition and rent. During this transition time, Deb worked tirelessly to learn these systems and make them more user-friendly for the students of CTS.
One of Deb’s favorite aspects of her time at CTS is the relationships she developed with faculty, staff, and students. As the Seminary’s accountant, Deb had the opportunity to develop relationships with many students as they approached her with payments and questions about their bills. Many of these students have kept in contact with Deb even after graduation! Deb contributed to the Seminary community by helping with the faculty and staff annual retreat, craft nights, the end-of-year picnic, and other fellowship events. Looking back on her time at the Seminary, Deb cites the end-of-year picnic and ping pong tournament as one of her favorite events, as it reminds her of her childhood days spent playing ping pong with her parents and siblings.
As Deb retires, it’s a bittersweet transition but one she’s looking forward to, as she’ll be traveling, spending time with her family, and pursuing creative hobbies. Deb and her husband, Jeff, are proud parents of two adult sons and daughters-in-law, Ryan and Melissa, and Kyle and Sara, as well as five young, energetic grandchildren, all ages five and younger: Avery, Jordy, Peyton, Taylor, and Cooper. Deb and Jeff are anticipating a family vacation to Disney World in 2028 and more time at their cottage on the Muskegon River. Deb is an avid card maker and puzzle enthusiast, two hobbies she’s excited to spend more time pursuing in her retirement.
The entire CTS community is grateful for Deb’s 12 years of service and will miss her as she begins this new chapter.
Alumni News
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
When I started working at Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) more than 27 years ago, our students generally fell into one of three vocational categories: ordained pulpit ministry, international missions, or theological education. Compared to today, we had fewer degree programs and fewer electives, and most internships were done in a congregational setting.
Since then, theological education and ministry have changed significantly. Calvin Seminary now has 10 degree programs—including two doctoral programs—that prepare students for a host of different kinds of ministry, such as ordained congregational ministry, domestic and international missions, Christian leadership, theological teaching, academic research, and clinical mental health counseling.
It is exciting to see how the training students receive while at CTS prepares them for ministry in the 21st century. We have alumni worldwide who are using their degrees in unexpected and unique ways. Those in congregational ministry have learned to use technology to stream the Sunday morning service around the globe. Others are starting churches that meet only online and are learning about building community with people separated by distance and screens. Some alumni are leading house churches, using coffee shops as home bases for their ministry, and providing spiritual respite through online podcasts. The future of ministry seems boundless.
As we develop a strategic plan for Calvin Seminary’s future, we are excited to see how we can creatively partner with those who are breaking the mold and using new and innovative ways to spread the good news of Jesus.
In the following pages, you will hear more about Willemina Zwart, Matt Mulder, and Cari Fydirchuck’s ministries. Their stories are a small sample of the wonderful work being done by CTS alums around the world.
If you would like to share more about your ministry, please send your information to alumni@calvinseminary.edu. We would love to hear from you.
Serving with you,
Jennifer Settergren Director of Alumni Engagement
Ministry in the 21st Century
The journey of ministry carves unique pathways, especially in the 21st Century. From the beaches of the south coast of Ontario, through the cityscape of Columbus, Ohio, and into the digital world, our alumni serve in different and unique ways along their own ministry journeys. In the following vignettes, read how three of our alumni are serving in ministry, making an impact in their churches and communities, and be encouraged within your own ministry journey.
Willemina Zwart
SOCO Beach Project
2005 EPMC Alum
Over 25 years ago, Willemina Zwart was a staff mentor at the Ocean City Beach Project, a summer discipleship and leadership initiative of the Coalition for Christian Outreach. Little did she know that decades later, God would call her to launch a beach project on the south coast of Ontario in Port Dover!
Willemina followed this call, and God—by his grace and by the generosity of his people—provided a permanent house and property for the South Coast Beach Project (SOCO).
The SOCO Beach Project is an ecumenical partner initiative with Resonate Global Mission. The primary aim is equipping young adults with a Christ-centered kingdom imagination through:
• intentional Christian community living
• speakers who integrate faith and vocation
• meaningful connection to a local congregation
• local seasonal employment
• one-on-one mentoring and spiritual cozaching
With many young adults leaving the church and walking away from faith, a Canadian study known as Hemorrhaging Faith was conducted to determine underlying factors for this phenomenon. A follow-up study, Renegotiating Faith, focused on young adults who retain and cultivate their personal faith commitment. Young adulthood is a common time when individuals “renegotiate” their values and identity, including faith. According to the Renegotiating Faith findings, young adults who experience a formational Christian leadership summer opportunity are more likely to integrate and practice a lifestyle of faith. Another pivotal factor for young adults who continue to identify as Christ’s disciples are adult Christian
mentors who walk alongside these young adults through their emerging adulthood.
SOCO runs from early May to late August for young adults ages 18–29. Through the SOCO experience, young adults learn skills and have space to discern where God is working in their lives. They have time to explore what living out God’s kingdom means in everything they do. This happens within a supportive Christian community while experiencing intentional discipleship in the regular rhythms of life. They learn practical skills like cooking together for groups, budgeting, shopping for food, and life skills like balancing time and responsibility in work, play, and community. Young adults experientially learn how to navigate conflict in ways that lead to more profound friendship, understanding, and connection.
A key factor in making the program affordable is that participants can hold summer jobs and keep their earnings while participating in SOCO. They “pay” for the summer through fundraising, which covers a portion of their expenses. The whole ministry relies on the generosity and support of churches, donors, and grants. It provides a critical opportunity for the larger Christian community to invest in young adult faith formation and demonstrate our love for them.
The community can house up to seven young adults. In addition, an annual summer camping retreat is hosted the third weekend in July to extend SOCO’s impact beyond the core summer participants. Having a house and a property opens up further possibilities for young adult discipleship and leadership formation throughout the rest of the calendar year—an avenue for further ministry exploration!
Matt Mulder
AV Coordinator and Brewer 2019 MDiv Alum
So far, my vocational journey has not been a traditional one. After graduating from Calvin Seminary in 2019, I worked for one year in Chicagoland, splitting my time between two churches. This was a relatively short-term arrangement; I knew my wife and I would move wherever her academic career took us in the fall. Sure enough, we moved to Ohio the following year, which meant I would likely not participate in traditional pastoral ministry for a while. Frankly, it was a relief to have some of the stress of ministry taken off of me, especially since my first post-graduation church job unfolded amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As it turns out, I have found unexpected opportunities to use my theological training in my new community in Ohio.
One such place is behind the scenes at Bethel Presbyterian Church, where I worship. My wife and I serve as the church’s audio-visual coordinators. This role allows me to scratch my vocational itch by contributing theological insight and enrichment to something as seemingly non-theological as running a live stream. I have also developed a good working relationship with our senior pastor, so I occasionally provide insights or reflections on a sermon, series, or event. I even get to preach on occasion. However, most of my seminary training comes out in less obvious ways, such as how the sanctuary decor that I helped design points towards the cross metaphorically and literally.
While a church is a fairly typical place to use one’s theological training, my sense of calling also manifests itself in less typical settings. A few months after we moved to Ohio, I got a job at a local brewery. At first, I did not see this job as a direct connection to my calling or training other than the standard neo-Kuyperian “every square inch.” I struggled with my lack of “real” ministry output. Fortunately, my therapist and some close friends helped me realize that bartending fulfilled my calling to ministry. For instance, I once spent three hours discussing the intersection of science and faith from a Reformed perspective with an agnostic coworker. He later told me the conversation allowed him to understand both my perspective and broader Christian perspectives in a more comprehensive and nuanced way. I have also had the privilege of helping my “token atheist regular” (his words, not mine) become more curious about the community at our church, even if he’s not ready to reassess his belief in God.
Living out my call to ministry from behind an AV booth or a bar is not necessarily how I thought I would be fulfilling my vocation, but for now, I believe this is where God has called me.
Cari Fydirchuk Reclaim-App 2017 MDiv Alum
In the summer of 2021, while the world was attempting to return to normal after COVID-19, I was also seeking a sense of normalcy following my journey with cancer. Feeling deeply connected to humanity’s yearning for things to go back to the way they were—as both pastor and patient—Jesus’s words stirred my heart.
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7–8 NIV) Biblically, “to the ends of the earth” refers to as far as God extends under the heavens—a vast vision!
Jesus first asked me to participate in this vision 12 years ago when I answered the call to ministry as part of the first cohort for Calvin Theological Seminary’s Distance Learning Program. Today, Calvin Seminary is offering the M.Div. Program and additional distance learning degrees as a hybrid of online and inperson learning. This is just one example as we consider our present reality and the invitation from Jesus to travel with him to the ends of the earth—in this case, pursuing theological education virtually, alongside peers from many different countries and cultures.
Today, Jesus followers are still invited to reflect Christ in various spaces, including new hybrid communities that are now commonplace in our schools,
work, healthcare, and other institutions we engage with regularly. We also find ourselves living in a disrupted and divided world, with many seeking “spirituality” and safe spaces for connection. However, the world struggles to see the church as a relatable place. In the past, it was common for people to go to church in person to find guidance and help in times of searching or crisis. Now, people are more likely to check out a church online first.
Recent research indicates that over a quarter of people now attend church online or use apps and websites to engage with Scripture and their faith. These real people behind the screens moved me to answer Jesus’s call to witness to the ends of the earth by starting an online/hybrid ministry called Reclaim-App. Reclaim-App offers safe spaces of calm and connection with God, our neighbors, and ourselves through weekly practices that integrate Christian spirituality with holistic wellness exercises such as yoga, meditation, prayer, and conversation through our Reclaim-App podcast. We are also excited to be taking these practices into the neighborhoods (i.e., chair yoga for seniors, yoga in the park, and group retreats).
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI: CLIFFORD CHRISTIANS
Dr. Clifford Christians was born in Hull, Iowa in December 1939. Clifford, the son of a Christian high school educator, was surrounded by family members, teachers, and mentors who were committed followers of Jesus Christ. At a young age, Clifford felt a strong call from God to engage in overseas ministry and language training—this sense of calling deepened when he was a high school student at Edgerton Christian School. There, a teacher named Mrs. Hoogwerf encouraged Clifford and his fellow students to prayerfully consider mission work in Nigeria, which would allow them to engage in the work of church planting, education, agriculture, and medicine.
With this calling on his heart, Clifford pursued an education in linguistics. He received a B.A. in Greek Classics from Calvin College in 1961 and a B.D. in Greek from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1964. His studies of the Greek language continued at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he received his Th.M. in 1966 and completed a thesis on urban culture in Antioch. When Clifford arrived at Fuller Seminary, they had recently opened the School of World Mission, which included an Arabic-speaking linguist on the faculty. While at Fuller Seminary, Clifford simultaneously pursued an M.A. in Linguistics at the University of Southern
California, which he completed in 1968. During his time in California, Clifford was a member of Crenshaw CRC in Los Angeles, California, where he served as stated supply for one year. Following this year, he was Assistant Minister of Evangelism in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Clifford worked on a number of writing and editorial projects, such as The Way, The Discipleship Series, and Who in the World.
After completing his studies at Fuller Seminary and the University of Southern California, Clifford began his Ph.D. in Communications at the University of Illinois, finishing in 1974. After completing his Ph.D., the University of Illinois offered him a position in the Communications Research department. For 35 years, Clifford held positions as department chair, head of the Ph.D. in Communications program, and director of the Institute of Communications Research. Over those 35 years, Clifford was awarded two honorary doctorates from Marquette University (Litt.D.) and Emerson College (Doctor of Humane Letters). He spent sabbaticals at Princeton University, the University of Oxford, the University of Chicago, and the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship, along with three Fulbright Faculty terms in Finland, Tanzania, and Ukraine.
During his tenure at the University of Illinois, Clifford made the university his mission field, seeking to be a Gospel witness to those he worked with in a research-centered university. Throughout his career, his ministry was centered on communicating the Gospel to faculty and doctoral students at the university as they engaged in scholarly work. In the classroom, his role as a professor and program director allowed him to equip students with rigorous scholarship, educational leadership, and creative teaching skills in their research specialty and field. He sought to model how to be a distinct Christ follower in academic, administrative, and home contexts. He was also a faithful supporter of campus pastors and student ministry organizations, such as InterVarsity, Cru, the Navigators, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Throughout his career, Clifford’s scholarship focused on truth in media ethics, moral realism and relativism, worldviews in philosophical anthropology, and hermeneutics in literary theory. As the author of a book on media ethics, he included sections on theological ethics and moral philosophy. In addition, Clifford served on journal editorial boards in ten countries, and much of his written work has been translated into nine languages. Clifford’s appreciation of communityshaped faith began in the homes and halls of Calvin Seminary, where conversations and debates helped strengthen Clifford’s faith in Christ and love for community. This continued throughout his graduate studies and into his time at the University of Illinois, where he surrounded himself with fellow believers and ministry leaders who would edify, encourage, and strengthen one another in faith.
In his retirement, Clifford and his wife, Priscilla, enjoy opportunities to support and encourage their children and grandchildren in their vocations and callings. Their son, Glenn, worked as an architect in New York and Chicago, and his wife, Allison, is a professor of international tax law at McGill University. Their son, Ted, leads a Chicago-based non-profit organization that focuses on education for formerly incarcerated individuals, and his wife, Marisa, serves as vice president of Chicago Community Trust, a philanthropic organization. Their youngest son, Paul, works in archaeological research, with projects currently focused in the Middle East, and his wife, Grace, teaches at an engineering and technology university in Lima, Peru. Clifford and Priscilla are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren ranging from age two to 21.
“Clifford’s appreciation of community-shaped faith began in the homes and halls of Calvin Seminary, where conversations and debates helped strengthen Clifford’s faith in Christ and love for community.”
Watch Dr. Clifford Christians’ Distinguished Alumni Award video on our Forum YouTube playlist.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI: WILBERT (BILL) VAN DYK
Wilbert (Bill) Van Dyk has tirelessly served the Christian Reformed Church as a pastor and administrator for over 40 years, serving at three churches and Calvin Theological Seminary.
Born in April 1930 in New Jersey, Bill attended Christian schools for his entire educational career. At the age of 16, on the way home from a youth convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bill felt God’s call to go into pastoral ministry. The words of Isaiah 6:8 echoed in Bill’s mind: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” His response? “Here am I. Send me!” Throughout his ministry, this call was something Bill would return to regularly, reminding himself that God would grant him strength and courage to obey His call.
After this early call to ministry and graduating from high school, Bill began his studies at Calvin College in 1948, graduating in 1952. He continued his education at Calvin Theological Seminary, graduating in 1955 and again in 1976. Shortly before graduating from seminary, Bill married the love of his life, Elaine, in 1953, with whom he would have five children, including Leanne Van Dyk, president of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. One of his grandchildren, Rebecca Jordan Heys, is the minister of worship and pastoral care at Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Reflecting on his time at Calvin Theological Seminary, Bill notes that despite the transitional period the seminary was walking through, his years at Calvin Theological Seminary were deeply formative, mainly due to the learning he engaged in with his peers. However, like many pastors, Bill’s theological and practical training wouldn’t be fully implemented until he began his ministry. Bill was ordained to ministry in the Christian Reformed Church in September 1955. Over the next forty years, Bill would serve at churches in Illinois, Florida, and Michigan before returning to Calvin Seminary to serve as Academic Dean.
Each church Bill served marked a new phase of learning and personal growth. While at Fourth Roseland CRC in Chicago, Illinois (1955–1959), Bill benefited from an established, thriving congregation that graciously aided him in developing his preaching and administrative talents, implementing the tools he’d received while in seminary. Bill’s tenure at Lake Worth CRC in Lake Worth, Florida (1959–1964) marked a season of learning how to live out 1 Corinthians 12 in the life of the church, helping a transitioning, innovative congregation work and think in a united way. His 22 years of ministry at Plymouth Heights CRC (1964–1986) marked a continued nurturing of his gifts in preaching and administration, both within the church and outside,
serving on the board of trustees at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary. During his tenure at Plymouth Heights CRC, the then-president of Calvin Seminary—Jim DeJong—approached Bill about a possible position as academic dean of the seminary. Until then, many people held the academic dean role part-time, but the seminary knew they needed someone in that role full-time. From 1986 to 1995, Bill further employed his administrative skills as academic dean of Calvin Seminary, providing structure, organization, and systems to the academic operations of the seminary. Bill retired in 1995, having served God’s people for 40 years across four pastoral and administrative positions.
Throughout his ministry, Bill actively served on a variety of denominational boards. He was a board member of World Mission and World Renew (previously known as the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, or CRWRC) and board president of the Calvin Theological Seminary board of trustees. He also served as a delegate to Synod several times, chairing study committees on topics such as marriage and divorce.
For Bill, retirement didn’t signify the end of ministry. Instead, it opened doors for parttime teaching positions at Calvin Seminary, Reformed Theological College in Australia, and numerous contexts across East Africa and Mexico. Bill instructed students in homiletics, pastoral care, and preaching in these teaching contexts. Both before and after retirement, Bill actively contributed to scholarly and denominational conversation, publishing Belonging: An Introduction to the Faith and Life of the Christian Reformed Church in 1982 and then Reading in the Books of the Apocrypha in 2014, along with several monographs on topics such as infant baptism and stewardship.
Reflecting on his years in ministry and service to the church, Bill notes the role of the Holy Spirit in leading the church and each congregation. In a world where immediate answers, conflict, and disagreement are predominant, the Holy Spirit’s presence demands that congregations wait, pray, hope, listen, and explore different issues together. Instead of leaving a church at the first sign of conflict, there is great value in seeking God’s will together. Bill’s life is marked by this same instruction—listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit’s guidance and call in life and ministry and trusting Him to give strength, courage, and grace to obey in abundant and difficult seasons, all to the glory of God.
“In a world where immediate answers, conflict, and disagreement are predominant, the Holy Spirit’s presence demands that congregations wait, pray, hope, listen, and explore different issues together.”
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playlist.
Rev. Bill Van Dyk’s Distinguished Alumni Award video on our Forum YouTube
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