WINTER 2024 A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
THE EUGENE PETERSON CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN IMAGINATION
Pages 3-12
2023-2024 IMPACT REPORT
Pages 15-20
ON THE COVER
The Commons is published twice each year for alumni/ae and friends of Western Theological Seminary, 101 E 13th Street, Holland, MI 49423. Reproduction in whole or in part with permission only.
Have a question or idea for a future article or story? Contact us at info@westernsem.edu
The Commons Editorial Board: Anne Schmidt, Sydney Huizenga, Brent LaVigne, Felix Theonugraha, Lindsay Porter
Special thanks to... Rayetta Perez and the many contributing authors in this issue.
@westernsem
@westerntheologicalseminary westernsem.edu
In a world overrun by ego and animosity, The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination seeks to help nurture faithful, contemplative, joyful, holy, and deeply human ways of being. Read more about the Peterson Center in this issue of The Commons beginning on page three.
FEATURES
3
Stewarding the pastoral vision and spiritual theology of Eugene Peterson
5
On Reading and Pastoring: Doug Basler, D.Min. ‘24, shares an excerpt from his Doctor of Ministry project
7
The Miracle of Leftovers: Kelly Key, D.Min. ‘24, tells an artful story about the beauty of simple wonders
9
A Feast of Doubts: Sara Billups, D.Min. ‘24, reflects on her experience in the Sacred Art of Writing cohort
11
What is a Doctor of Ministry? Nathan Hoff, D.Min. ‘24, highlights how the Holy Presence cohort shaped his understanding of how to care for the body of Christ DEPARTMENTS
13 Semester Highlights 15 Impact Report 21 AlumLine News 22 On to Glory
Dear Friends,
A study of 1,677 pastors from over 40 denominations conducted by the Hartford Institute of Religion Research suggests that pastor discontentment is rising. In fall 2023, 53% of pastors considered leaving ministry. In fall 2021, this number was only 37%. While a multitude of factors contribute to a sense of discontentment, the study suggests that one of the leading causes is the loneliness that pastors often experience.
Western Theological Seminary is actively working to address this challenge. In this issue of The Commons, you will read about The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination. Since establishing the Peterson Center in 2021, 37 graduates have found renewal through its Doctor of Ministry cohorts. In its third year, the Doxology gathering continues to be a space for pastors and Christians of every vocation to renew a shared vision, practice caring for their congregations, live prayerful lives, and embody an unhurried pastoral life.
Following Doxology this September, we launched our first Order of the Kingfisher groups: small gatherings of pastors seeking to live out their pastoral vocation by committing to a shared vision (Common Rule) and forging circles of friendship, prayer, and encouragement. At the Peterson Center, we’re prayerfully asking God to help us nurture a community of pastors who embody a faithful, contemplative, joyful, holy, and profoundly human way of being.
Come and see for yourself! Over the next pages of this issue of The Commons, you will see how Western Theological Seminary forms and supports pastors and ministry leaders through their long obedience in the same direction, faithfully following our Triune God and sacrificially loving the Church.
After all, as our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Our mission at Western Theological Seminary is to form faithful workers for this plentiful harvest!
Blessings,
FELIX THEONUGRAHA, PH.D. President
The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination
Who Was Eugene Peterson?
Eugene Peterson (1932–2018) was an American pastor, theologian, and author best known for his contemporary Bible translation, The Message. He wrote over 30 books on spirituality, Christian living, and pastoral ministry, emphasizing personal transformation and a deep relationship with God.
The Mission of the Eugene Peterson Center
The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination seeks to nurture a faithful, contemplative, joyful, and holy way of living. In a fast-paced, ego-driven world, we aim to resist the pressures of constant achievement and instead foster a deeper, more meaningful connection with God.
Continuing Eugene’s Legacy: The Peterson Center’s Impact
Through retreats, theological reflection, art, and conversations, the Peterson Center aims to continue the conversation that Eugene encouraged, pondering the questions that shaped his Christian imagination.
The Peterson Center’s first three years have overflowed with pastors finding renewal through Doctor of Ministry programs, Kingfisher groups and retreats, and church-wide dialogues.
How does the Peterson Center Foster Formation and Christian Imagination?
Order of the Kingfisher 60 pastors are meeting regularly across the country.
Doxology
This three-day gathering has exceeded participation expectations and has sold out with 240 participants in each of the last two years.
Stories from Doctor of Ministry Graduates
In this issue of The Commons, we explore how our approach to reading shapes how we see the world, influencing how we think and, ultimately, how we minister.
Through four insightful pieces written by recent WTS graduates, we explore this transformative process. Doug Basler’s On Reading and Pastoring, Kelly Key’s The Miracle of Leftovers, Sara Billups’ A Feast of Doubts, and Nathan Hoff’s What is a Doctor of Ministry? offer a glimpse into the journeys of four recent Sacred Art of Writing and Holy Presence Doctor of Ministry cohort graduates. Their writing is
ON READING AND PASTORING
Sacred Art of Writing Cohort Reading Differently
Doug
Basler,
D.Min. ‘24
This is an excerpt from the opening essay, “On Reading and Pastoring,” from the D.Min. project entitled Novelists as Friends: Reading Literature for Pastoral Formation
I first read Eugene Peterson’s Working the Angles in my initial years of ministry. At the time, I struggled because most of the metaphors used to describe pastors and churches were drawn from the business and technology worlds. Church life seemed to be framed in terms of boards, committees, and monthly profit-and-loss reports from QuickBooks. The typical “how-to-bea-pastor” books focused on things like vision casting, networking, adaptive change, family systems, and conflict management. While some of these concepts are necessary and useful, they didn’t seem to align with the deeper spiritual work we were trying to do as a congregation.
My first call was to a church in a town with only one hundred permanent residents. Having a flashy graphic for the next sermon series wasn’t a top priority. As I read the New Testament letters to the churches and the teachings and trajectory of Jesus’ life, our purpose seemed straightforward: the local church is a group of people learning to follow Jesus together. However, the conditions of our culture and our hearts make following difficult. I needed a better metaphor.
Eugene Peterson kept using the word “personal.” He assumed that if pastors were going to help members follow Jesus, they needed to know what was going on in the specific lives of their congregation.
People don’t follow Jesus in general; they follow Jesus in the details. Peterson’s vision for the pastoral life resonated. But where did he find this alternative vision of ministry? Reading Peterson, it didn’t take long to discover he wasn’t reading how-to-be-apastor books either. He was reading novels.
In an essay entitled On Novels and Pastors, Peterson explains his rationale for being a pastor-reader:
I am setting out vocational, not personal, reasons for pastors to read novels, reasons that have to do with the kind of work we do and the conditions in which we do it. Pastors proclaim the story of God’s salvation in Christ to specific people in a particular place.
Anyone serious about the distinctive conditions of the pastoral calling, story, person, place, will welcome these novelists as friends and spend time in their company...1
Pastors and writers care about the same things. Our lives are spent with unique people in specific places, and our primary calling is to proclaim the story of God and help others pay attention to how their stories connect to Jesus’ story. Reading Peterson’s thoughts on the connections between pastors and novelists felt like an invitation to begin reading literature again.
1 Eugene Peterson, “Pastors and Novels,” in Subversive Spirituality (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1994), 186.
This past May, I read the short story Small Things Like These by Irish writer Claire Keegan. Keegan manages to open up more of the world in a few sentences than most of us can in a thousand words, giving voice to the women and lost children of the Magdalen laundries of Ireland during the 20th century. In her acknowledgments, she notes that as many as 30,000 girls may have been incarcerated and forced into labor in these convents “run and financed by the Catholic Church in concert with the Irish State.”2 It is a story about another unspeakable failure of the church, the complicity of an entire town, and the latent compassion emerging out of the depths of the local coal merchant, Bill Furlong. Near the end of the story, Furlong asks himself, “Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?”3 How can reading such a sentence not shape me as a pastor? As a person?
Russell Moore, Editor in Chief of Christianity Today, once remarked in a lecture, “It is one thing to say, ‘I believe in the forgiveness of sins.’ And it is another thing to say, ‘There was a man who had two sons...’”4 What we declare in the Apostles’ Creed is true: I do believe in the forgiveness of sins. But Jesus knows how our hearts work. We need more than propositional truths. Jesus’ story of the prodigal sons and the waiting father in Luke 15 does something that the creed, by itself, cannot do: it grips the imagination and the heart. Keegan’s Small Things Like These does the same.
2 Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (New York: Grove Press, 2021), 116.
3 Keegan, Small Things Like These, 113.
4 Russell Moore, “Why We need Fiction for Spiritual Formation,” February 1, 2021 in The Hutchmoot Podcast, produced by The Rabbit Room Podcast Network.
“If being a pastor is learning how to be a human amongst other humans with Jesus, reading literature has helped me remember what it is to be human.”
She shows the horrors of the Magdalene laundries and the inertia of indifference that allowed such horrors to occur through the awakening conscience of Bill Furlong.
Fiction can do things that nonfiction cannot. I still read thick tomes of theology. I even pick up a howto-be-a-pastor book every now and then. But when it comes to learning the art of pastoring5, novelists have been my greatest allies. Somehow, though fiction, novels keep me closer to real life. As Nial Williams says, “Books… are not life, can never be as full, rich, complex, surprising or beautiful, but the best of them can catch an echo of that, can turn you back to look out the window, go out the door aware that you’ve been enriched, that you have been in the company of something alive that has caused you to realize once again how astonishing life is.”6 If being a pastor is learning how to be a human amongst other humans with Jesus, reading literature has helped me remember what it is to be human.
5 Early in ministry I was greatly encouraged by a how-to-pastor book by David Hansen entitled, The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers (Downers Grove: IVP, 1994). I am indebted to Hansen for the phrase “art of pastoring” and much more. As seen in the subtitle, his posture is different than most how-to-be-a-pastor books.
6 Nial Williams, This Is Happiness (New York: Bloomsbury, 2019), 73.
THE MIRACLE OF LEFTOVERS
Seeing Differently
Kelly Key, D.Min. ‘24
Sacred Art of Writing Cohort
School has begun again, and each morning starts the same way for me: caffeine first, lunches for my preteen girls next. The transition seems simple, but what seems straightforward is often fraught with turbulence, as is the case here.
When the oven glows at 6:15am, before anyone else is awake, steaming coffee in hand, I throw open the refrigerator door only to find that I cannot locate the generally-appeasing strawberry jelly. Sighing commences. I have to put the coffee down. Soon, both hands push aside the fresh container of Duke’s, a half-full jar of spicy pickles, and three bowls of garden vegetables.
I spot the mega-sized jelly jar behind the fluted lavender bowl.
After a month, my friends insist they don’t want any more Ziploc bags stuffed with produce. Subversively, as Southerners will do, they send me recipes for things like jalapeño drip jam so I will cease foisting the peppers on others.
After the kids and their hard-won lunches have been delivered to school, and after I am allowed to retrieve my cup of coffee, I holler from the front room across the foyer to my husband, who is preparing his sermon at the dining table. “Hey, does it say what the disciples did with the leftover bread and fish after feeding the five thousand?”
Lack of imagination, appreciation, and perhaps time were my problems, not a lack of options.
More sighing. With my left hand, I grab the fluted bowl and send a dozen cherry tomatoes free-wheeling around my bare feet. If I had gotten to drink any coffee, I would be stabbing at the miniature tomatoes with a poignant slurry of curses. As it is, I sink to my arthritic knees and gather them back up with a final sigh.
Each morning, in a hollow I create with the bottom of my pajama shirt, I carry about two dozen cherry tomatoes, eight okra, three green peppers, and five jalapeños from my garden. After five days, the joy is still palpable. After fifteen, it slumps toward anemic.
He smirks, searching my face for signs of sincerity. “No,” he says, keeping his eyes on me, waiting to see what reckless thought will take the conversation captive.
“Just checking,” I mumble. “Leftover fish. Eeek,” I grimace. But before he has time to reenter his work, I yell again, “Bread pudding!” “What?” he says, with confusion and hesitancy. “That’s what we do with leftover, staling bread: make bread pudding! Doesn’t that sound so good right now? Ooooh, or panzanella!”
Ah, yes, panzanella. If only I had some tomatoes around. Suddenly, the swift and concise blade of truth falls. Bowls of provision are not the problem. I am the problem.
When I have an attitude problem and need a swift kick and my mother is otherwise occupied or avoiding my phone calls, I turn to Robert Farrar Capon, which usually does the trick. Ever trustworthy, here he is again to set me straight. He says of the world, “It is a gorgeous old place, full of clownish graces and beautiful drolleries, and it has enough textures, tastes, and smells to keep us intrigued for more time than we have.”1 He is right. Lack of imagination, appreciation, and perhaps time were my problems, not a lack of options.
In the first week of garden harvests, I ate most of the tomatoes walking barefoot through the dewy grass back to the house. I marveled at the shapes and colors. They were not all merely tomatoes, but I remembered their kind: Sungold, Tiny Tim, Super Sweet 100, Green Grape. I had been flabbergasted, in awe of each one of these coin-sized miracles.
Now? Leftover fish. Bowls of it. Grimace
In honor of Capon’s wisdom and my mother’s, who, if she hadn’t been ducking my calls would have said the same thing, tonight I am making tomato sauce.
I manage to sink two of the three bowls of veggies loitering in my fridge and the last bottle of red wine into the pan. It almost cannot go wrong. Capon says, “It is the finish to end all finishes.”2 Indeed, tonight we are celebrating the fact that it is not quite finished, for there are a hundred more tiny, green orbs on the vines.
Tomorrow morning at six, after I pad barefoot out to the garden with fresh coffee, I will return with a shirt pouch full of more okra, tomatoes, and peppers. I will put them in a fluted navy bowl and hide the easiest route to the strawberry jelly jar. Mid sandwich making, I will slosh coffee on myself as I spill half a bowl of tomatoes to the floor. They will roll like marbles, finding the tricky spots under the fridge. I will sigh, inhale all the lingering scent of tonight’s sauce, and remember, again, the miracle of leftovers.
1 Robert
2 Capon, The Supper, 43.
3.
INTRODUCING
A NEW PODCAST BY THE PETERSON
CENTER
Low in the Water: A Good Word for Pastors and Everyone Who Needs a Good Word from God is a new podcast by The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination. Hosted by Nathan Hoff ‘24, this podcast offers weekly reflections and benedictions for pastors, church supporters, and anyone who longs for a good word from God. Each month, we’ll also explore emerging themes in pastoral ministry.
Featured voices include Dr. Winn Collier, Director of the Eugene Peterson Center and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology; Eric Peterson, Washingtonbased pastor and son of Eugene Peterson; and Mandy Smith, Australianbased pastor and Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology.
Low in the Water is available wherever you get your podcasts. Scan to listen or visit: petersoncenter.org/ lowin-the-water-podcast/
Farrar Capon, The Supper of the Lamb (New York: Modern Library, 2002),
A FEAST OF DOUBTS
Reflecting Differently
Sara Billups, D.Min. ‘24
Sacred Art of Writing Cohort
Throughout my three years at Western Theological Seminary, I hovered around a few ideas for the half-book-length final project, trying to write about things I feared. One of the cohort’s core books was Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir. In it, Karr asks: What would you write if you weren’t afraid?
“I’d write about my need to be remembered, but equal desire to be totally obscure,” I jotted in my journal at the prompt. “I’d write about the end of a life-long friendship. I’d write about desire, a holy hunger. I’d write about parenting my kid and caring for my parents. I’d write about the unforgivable sin and the name of God.”
If you have a list of what you’d write about if you were unafraid, what’s on it? What rings true for you?
I have been writing about desire, the body, caring for, and taking care. But in an overarching sense, I see my writing and thinking continuing toward what true Christian practice looks like today.
I came to the point where I realized, with some real clarity, that if the Christian story is true: a virgin birth, a resurrection, all the miracles— and we are created to praise God, to love God and be loved back, and to love each other—then it was time for me to live like it is. It was time to become well-grounded.
Christianity has been used in horrific ways across history. There are plenty of reasons to talk about, lament, speak against, and not repeat these things. There is truth in all of them, but that does not mean the practice of Christianity itself is inadequate or false. Instead, there is an invitation to explore what can be kept and what can be set aside. My time at Western marked a season of moving closer to Jesus than I had before, and to find refuge under his wing.
“My time at Western marked a season of moving closer to Jesus than I had before, and to find refuge under his wing.”
When a fruit tree is covered in snails, you do not uproot the tree. You pluck off the predators and maintain healthy soil. You root down.
You practice fidelity, grounded faithfulness, and stability, staying instead of leaving.
Under the table, where I have laid out the feast of my doubt, is a crumb, a bitter scroll. Pick it up. Put it in your mouth. It is more bitter than sweet, like honey: God’s word, creation, and promise in the life and person of Jesus. I believe because where else would I go? I believe because I long to be right where I am.
DOXOLOGY 2024
From September 30-October 2, the Peterson Center hosted its third annual Doxology gathering. Over 240 participants–many pastors, artists, teachers, and ministry leaders–joined together to humbly fix their attention and hope on God. Doxology continues to be a gathering for participants to renew a shared vision and practice to care for their congregations, live lives of prayer, and embody an unhurried and unbusy life.
During Doxology 2024, participants were joined by speakers Cherith Fee Nordling, a theologian and writer focused on biblical studies and Christian formation, and Ellen Davis, Professor of Biblical and Practical Theology at Duke University Divinity School. Daniel Nayeri, award-winning author of Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story), also joined the gathering for an evening of storytelling and conversation.
GREG LOOKERSE ART OPENING
On Thursday, October 10, the Peterson Center hosted an art opening at Western Theological Seminary with artist Greg Lookerse. It was a wonderful time of conversation as we learned about his artwork and engaged in conversation on the power of art to transform the way we see.
Lookerse is an interdisciplinary artist, author, and an Assistant Professor of Art at Hope College. He creates mixed-media drawings, installations, and performances. This fall, WTS is hosting two large installations and several smaller pieces of artwork at Western Theological Seminary and Pillar Church.
Artist Greg Lookerse in front of his piece, Floating Up and In
Greg Lookerse artwork in the Cook Library
Doxology participants gathered for times of reflection
Doxology participants enjoy meals together
WHAT IS A DOCTOR OF MINISTRY DEGREE?
Practicing Ministry Differently
Nathan Hoff, D.Min. ‘24 Holy Presence Cohort
When most people hear the word “doctor,” they think about medical doctors. However, lawyers are Juris Doctors or Doctors of the Law, Ph.D.s are Doctors of Philosophy, and Th.D.s are Doctors of Theology. So what is a Doctor of Ministry? Unlike their Ph.D. or Th.D. counterparts, who are called to be professors in philosophy or theology, D.Min. graduates may be good teachers but do not necessarily have expansive mastery in broad areas of philosophy or even theology. And, a Doctor of Ministry is for sure not a medical doctor. You wouldn’t want medical advice from me. I would prescribe Tums and Aloe vera or some combination of the two for everything— ask my kids. If a Doctor of Ministry can’t help you with a legal or medical issue and might not even know all the details of philosophy or theology, what good is a D.Min. degree anyway?
After three significant years in the Holy Presence D.Min. program, Dr. Winn Collier helped us consider what would be commencing in our graduation and transition after our cohort ended. He reminded us that we would become stewards of a holy and ancient way of pastoring, different from what so many call pastoring
As Dr. Collier spoke of an integrated, whole, and healthy way of pastoring, I recalled the Douay-Rheims translation of Ephesians 4:11-13:
And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.
“It takes time and patience to practice medicine, law, or philosophy. It also takes time to practice ministry.”
This is the only translation I know of that translates the Greek didaskalous as “doctor” instead of the more common “teacher.”
The reason I like this translation is probably a stretch. Paul tells the Ephesian congregations that God gave these gifts to the Church “to equip the saints” (Ephesians 4:12). The word for “equip” is katartismon, where we get the word catharsis. Among other uses, the word translated “equip” is a medical term used for binding up wounded limbs, setting bones, fixing teeth, and applying salve. But in Ephesians, the patient needing this cathartic healing is the human body of Christ—members who are not functioning, or are wounded, inflexible, or traumatized.
The body of Christ needs Pastor-Doctors.
Pastor-Doctors who look you in the eyes. Curious Pastor-Doctors who ask diagnostic questions for the sake of healing—and who pay attention. Pastor-Doctors who are present when they are with you. Pastor-Doctors who know that the soul is as real as the body and that the soul greatly impacts the body.
The body of Christ needs Priest-Doctors who are good at referring everything to the Great Physician. Priest-Doctors who diagnose, intercede, and prescribe the balm of grace to the brokenhearted. Priest-Doctors who feed Christ’s precious flock a diet of the healing gospel.
The prophet Jeremiah speaks disparagingly about pastors who “have healed the wound of my people lightly” (Jeremiah 6:14).
Doctors practice. I love the grace of that word. It takes time and patience to practice medicine, law, or philosophy. It also takes time to practice ministry. We don’t always get it right, but we want to. We want to get better.
Maybe a good way to think about a Doctor of Ministry is more like a Doctor of the Parish Church (Doctor Ecclesiae Parochialis) or a Doctor of Souls or Soul Care (Doctor Animarum or, better, Seelsorger).
I want to practice this kind of medicine. Not a Doctor of the Universal Church, but a ParishDoctor, which is good and right because it is what I am called to do at Blessed Trinity Church in San Pedro, CA.
SEMESTER HIGHLIGHTS
Faith and Illness Initiative
The Faith and Illness Initiative (FII) hosted its second-annual colloquy in September. Participants gathered for conversation, lectures, and exploration around the topic of chronic pain and discipleship. The Faith and Illness Initiative is an interdisciplinary ‘think tank’ hosted by the Girod Chair at WTS. Each fall, the FII brings together scholars, pastors, medical professionals, and students to discover a theology of vocation and virtue for Christians living with chronic illness.
Learn more and discover resources by visiting fii.westernsem.edu.
M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Welcomes First Cohort
We are thrilled to have 17 students in the first cohort of the M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program! Applications are now being accepted for the second cohort, beginning classes in the fall of 2025.
To learn more or to apply today, visit counseling.westernsem.edu.
Fall Abbey Retreat
At the fall Abbey Retreat, in-residence and distance learning students gathered to explore the beauty of new beginnings and the hope they bring. We posed the question: “How do you begin well?” and engaged in meaningful discussions with faculty, staff, and fellow students. The retreat was a transformative experience, filled with worship, prayer, and a deep sense of community.
Installation of Dr. Han-luen Kantzer Komline
On Monday, September 16, Rev. Dr. Han-luen Kantzer Komline was installed into the Marvin and Jerene DeWitt Chair of Theology and Church History at Western Theological Seminary. For her inaugural lecture as the DeWitt Chair, Dr. Kantzer Komline presented Making All Things
New: Innovation in Early Christianity, which also served as the annual Osterhaven Lecture.
“Creativity requires the Creator. Only God can do a truly new thing, making something where there was nothing.
To make something truly other than what already exists, we need energy from a source that is beyond the created order.”
– Dr. Han-luen Kantzer Komline
To watch a recording of the installation lecture, visit wtsem.info/DeWittChair.
NEW FACULTY PUBLICATIONS
The Art of Biblical Performance: Biblical Performance and the Drama of Old Testament Narratives
Dr. Travis West
Available Now
Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself–and to God–When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering
Dr. Chuck DeGroat
Available Now
Reading the Bible Latinamente: Latino/a Interpretation for the Life of the Church
Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst
Available Now
The Church Speaks: Papers of the Commission on Theology Reformed Church in America 2001–2020
Dr. David Komline
Available Now
Easter: The Season of the Resurrection of Jesus
Dr. Wesley Hill
Available for Pre-Order
2023–2024
July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
Dear Friends,
By God’s grace, Western Theological Seminary forms women and men for faithful Christian ministry, joining in the Triune God’s ongoing redemptive work in the world. This past year, Western has continued this mission, training and supporting leaders for ministry—a profound gift as we reflect on what God has accomplished. For a mission as grand as this, we must seek God, work faithfully, and rely entirely on His blessing
My name is Brent LaVigne, and I recently joined the Development team here at Western Theological Seminary. Over the past few months, it has been a blessing to learn the story of Western—a legacy of God’s provision and guidance that continues today.
As I arrived in Holland, I sought to understand this place by seeing it through the eyes of others. One of my first visits was to Windmill Island, a beautiful spot just north of campus overlooking the Macatawa River. Here stands a windmill, shipped from the Netherlands and reconstructed in Holland, Michigan, in 1965.
Reflecting on Western’s work, I keep returning to this image of the windmill—a human-made tool designed for a purpose, yet utterly dependent on the wind to fulfill it. For all its design and beauty, it only functions when the wind blows. Likewise, Western is a place of dedicated faculty and staff who work tirelessly to prepare, teach, and support our students and alums in their callings. Yet, like the windmill, we, too, must wait for God’s Spirit to move. Only through His power does our work bear fruit.
This year, we’ve seen God move powerfully, blessing new programs, faculty accomplishments, and many graduating students. We give all glory to God for these milestones. Another way we’ve seen God move is through your support—through your giving, prayers, and volunteer efforts. You are tangible reminders of His faithfulness, enabling Western’s mission of “forming women and men” for Christian ministry.
Thank you for being part of this journey, which is evidence of God’s movement here at Western Theological Seminary. I look forward to meeting many of you and would love to hear your stories of how God has guided you to be part of His work at Western.
Gratefully,
BRENT LAVIGNE, PH.D. Vice President of Development
IMPACT REPORT
REVENUE
SEMINARY FUND GIVING
Operation gifts from alumni, churches, corporations, foundations, and individuals
424 Total student body fall 2023
$732,5322 Tuition support by
$1,598,9769 Tuition paid by students 2023-2024 AT
On behalf of the students you supported in 2023-2024, thank you to the following churches:
Dear Friends,
We are deeply grateful to the many churches, denominational bodies, networks, and organizations that partner with Western Theological Seminary in our mission to equip women and men for faithful Christian ministry. Many contribute sacrificially, while countless others support our students through their home churches, internship sites, and ongoing prayers. We could not fulfill this mission without each and every one of you.
Gratefully,
ANDY BAST Director of Development and Church Partnerships
ABUNDANT LIFE REFORMED CHURCH Wyckoff, NJ
AMERICAN REFORMED CHURCH Hull, IA
AMERICAN REFORMED CHURCH Orange City, IA
AMERICAN REFORMED CHURCH Luverne, MN
AMERICAN REFORMED CHURCH Worthington, MN
BETHANY REFORMED CHURCH Kalamazoo, MI
BETHEL REFORMED CHURCH Sterling, IL
BETHEL REFORMED CHURCH Lester, IA
BRONXVILLE REFORMED CHURCH Bronxville, NY
CARMEL REFORMED CHURCH Rock Valley, IA
CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH Springfield, IL
CHANCELLOR REFORMED CHURCH Chancellor, SD
CHRIST ANGLICAN CHURCH Orange, VA
CHRIST MEMORIAL REFORMED CHURCH Holland, MI
CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST Fullerton, CA
CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY Cleveland, TN
CHURCH OF THE COMFORTER Kingston, NY
COMMUNITY CHURCH Harrington Park, NJ
COMMUNITY REFORMED CHURCH Charlevoix, MI
COMMUNITY REFORMED CHURCH Zeeland, MI
CONVERGE COMMUNITY Portage, MI
CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY CHURCH Chowchilla, CA
CROSSROADS REFORMED CHURCH Overland Park, KS
CROSSVIEW CHURCH Fulton, IL
DAWSON MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH Birmingham, AL
DRAYTON REFORMED CHURCH Drayton, ON
EBENEZER REFORMED CHURCH Morrison, IL
ELIM REFORMED CHURCH Kings, IL
ELMBROOK CHURCH
Brookfield, WI
FAIR LAWN COMMUNITY CHURCH
Fair Lawn, NJ
FAITH CHURCH
Dyer, IN
FAITH REFORMED CHURCH Zeeland, MI
FAITH REFORMED CHURCH
Slate Hill, NY
FAMILY OF FAITH CHURCH Kennewick, WA
FAMILY OF GOD COMMUNITY CHURCH Newaygo, MI
FELLOWSHIP REFORMED CHURCH Holland, MI
FIFTH REFORMED CHURCH Grand Rapids, MI
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Appleton, WI
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Bonita Springs, FL
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Leesburg, FL
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Naples, FL
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH North Palm Beach, FL
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Grimes, IA
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Grand Haven, MI
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Scottsbluff, NE
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Nashville, TN
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH South Holland, IL
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Buffalo Center, IA
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Melvin, IA
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Orange City, IA
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Rock Rapids, IA
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Grandville, MI
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Holland, MI
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Athens, NY
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Platte, SD
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Oak Harbor, WA
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Oostburg, WI
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Waupun, WI
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH OF CARY Cary, NC
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH OF SCOTIA Scotia, NY
GROVE REFORMED CHURCH North Bergen, NJ
HAMILTON REFORMED CHURCH Hamilton, MI
HARBOR CHURCHES Hudsonville, MI
HOPE CHURCH Holland, MI
HOPE REFORMED CHURCH George, IA
HOPEWELL REFORMED CHURCH Hopewell Junction, NY
IMMANUEL REFORMED CHURCH Belmond, IA
JOHNSTOWN REFORMED CHURCH Johnstown, NY
LAKE ALFRED MINISTRY, INC. Grand Rapids, MI
LONG ISLAND TAIWANESE CHURCH Williston Park, NY
MASSAPEQUA REFORMED CHURCH Massapequa, NY
MIDDLEBUSH REFORMED CHURCH Somerset, NJ
MOUNT CARMEL MINISTRIES Alexandria, MN
NEW HOPE REFORMED CHURCH Powell, OH
NORTH HOLLAND REFORMED CHURCH Holland, MI
NORTH PARK REFORMED CHURCH Kalamazoo, MI
ONESQUETHAW REFORMED CHURCH Feura Bush, NY
OTTAWA REFORMED CHURCH West Olive, MI
PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Holland, MI
PELLA REFORMED CHURCH Adams, NE
PEQUANNOCK REFORMED CHURCH Wayne, NJ
PILLAR CHURCH Holland, MI
PRAIRIE VIEW REFORMED CHURCH Prairie View, KS
PREAKNESS REFORMED CHURCH Wayne, NJ
PROVIDENCE CHURCH Holland, MI
RARITAN REFORMED CHURCH Raritan, IL
REFORMED CHURCH OF CANAJOHARIE Canajoharie, NY
ROSE PARK REFORMED CHURCH Holland, MI
ROSELAND REFORMED CHURCH Blomkest, MN
ROSEWOOD REFORMED CHURCH Jenison, MI
SERVANTS COMMUNITY CHURCH Grand Rapids, MI
SHALOM CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Sioux Falls, SD
SONRISE CHURCH Fort Wayne, IN
SPRING VALLEY REFORMED CHURCH Fulton, IL
ST. MARK’S CHURCH Burlington, NC
THE BRIDGE Portage, MI
THIRD CHURCH Pella, IA
THIRD REFORMED CHURCH Holland, MI
THORNAPPLE COMMUNITY CHURCH Grand Rapids, MI
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH San Pedro, CA
TRINITY REFORMED CHURCH Orange City, IA
TULARE COMMUNITY CHURCH Tulare, CA
TWIN FALLS REFORMED CHURCH Twin Falls, ID
UNION PARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Des Moines, IA
UNIONVILLE REFORMED CHURCH Delmar, NY
UNITY REFORMED CHURCH Norton Shores, MI
VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Paradise Valley, AZ
VRIESLAND REFORMED CHURCH Zeeland, MI
WESTDALE REFORMED CHURCH Hamilton, ON
WESTVIEW CHURCH Waukee, IA
WESTWOOD COMMUNITY CHURCH Omaha, NE
WYCKOFF REFORMED CHURCH Wyckoff, NJ
ZION REFORMED CHURCH Amherst, SD
The Bast Center for Christian Proclamation is a joint effort to cultivate a culture that equips current and future preachers to communicate the gospel in a way that will be compelling in this secular age.
Cohorts led by Western Theological Seminary alumni and pastors around the United States will participate in transformative learning experiences, create meaningful community connections, and access resources designed to encourage the interiorizing of scripture and the communication practices of orality. Over the next four years, cohort meetings will culminate in the spring annual Behold the Word gathering in West Michigan.
The program is being funded through the Compelling Preaching Initiative grant, awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc.
To learn more about the Bast Center, visit preaching.center.
ALUMLINE NEWS
Wendell Karsen ‘63 and his wife, Renske, found themselves back in Bangkok, Thailand, in August of 2023 to establish a bilingual church on the premises of the Bangkok Chicago Christian International School. The new Trinity Community Church Bangkok is “up and running.” Most of the church’s members are refugees from China because their churches and Christian schools were closed by the government.
George Boerigter ‘66 shared that the Boerigter family business, SoundOff Signal, which George founded in 1992, continues its pattern of significant growth and is in the middle of a two-phased, $25 million project to double the size of the company’s facilities.
Robert VanVoorst ‘77, WTS Professor Emeritus of New Testament and M.Div. graduate, published his book Jesus Outside the New Testament in Portuguese in Brazil. The English version was the subject of a recent podcast by the Weststar Institute and is now available on YouTube.
Bradley Veenendaal ‘01 and his wife, Tonja, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and Bradley’s 30th year in ministry, as well as the start of his 20th year at First Reformed Church in Sheboygan Falls, WI.
David LaChonce ‘02 graduated in May 2024 from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago with a Ph.D. in World Christianity in Mission. He and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Jordan in August 2024 to serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land.
Jeff Kroondyk ‘12 accepted a call as the Campus Minister for Cornerstone Protestant Ministries on the campus of the University at Albany.
Hannah Barker Nickolay ‘19 was ordained to the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament and commissioned to her work as Worship Life Assistant at Western Theological Seminary on September 29, 2024.
Rev. Dr. Thelma Herrera Flores ‘23 recently published La Mesa Campesina: A Congregational Resource for Ministry with Migrant and Agricultural Farmworkers. This book is based on her doctoral research and ministry with migrant and immigrant farmworkers in Michigan and Texas.
A summary description and endorsements are available here: wtsem.info/campesina.
Peter Wilkinson ‘23 was ordained to the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament on Saturday, September 7, 2024. Peter has accepted a call to serve as pastor of Oakview Community Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
Annika Chante ‘24 is starting her coursework at WTS for a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Larry Figeuroa ‘24 is starting his first year of Ph.D. coursework at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
Dr. Mark Grapengater ‘24 is transitioning from a traditional pastoral ministry to that of a “domestic missionary,” pastoring those without a pastor. The Table Project will be a ministry that equips local churches, pastors, and staff to reach their neighbors through the ministry of hospitality.
Reghan Harms ‘24 accepted a call from First Presbyterian Church of Charlottesville, VA, to be Director of Children and Youth Ministries. She plans to be ordained in the summer of 2025.
Josiah Huisman ‘24 was ordained on September 15, 2024 at First Reformed Church in Zeeland, MI, where he serves as Director of Student Ministries and Spiritual Formation.
Katy Kroondyk ‘24 accepted a call at Lisha’s Kill Reformed Church in Colonie, NY.
Barry Lucas ‘24 recently celebrated his eighth anniversary as Executive Director for Love INC. of Allegan County, MI.
Donald Reynolds ‘24 is applying what he learned through his Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Ministry by offering care to members of his community.
David Spalding ‘24 is currently serving as Interim Lead Pastor at Blaine Christian Church in Northern Michigan.
LaCosta VanDyk ‘24 accepted the call of Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Marshalltown, IA.
ON TO GLORY
Rev. Leon Dykstra ‘53
b. December 1, 1923 MI
d. January 14, 2024 MI
Hope College; WTS ‘53
Dykstra pastored four RCA churches, and was a WWII veteran.
Stanley Vugteveen ‘66
b. October 19, 1940 Zeeland, MI
d. September 5, 2024 Grand Rapids, MI
WTS ‘66
Vugteveen faithfully served as a pastor in the RCA for over 40 years at churches in Michigan, Illinois, and California.
Smith served as a minister in the Methodist church and United Church of Christ (UCC), and was serving at St. Peter’s UCC in New Haven, MO, at the time of his death.
Christopher DeHaan ‘16
b. June 18, 1977 Battle Creek, MI
d. September 21, 2024
Bowling Green State University ‘98; WMU; WTS ‘16
DeHaan was a technology education teacher at East Lansing schools for 25 years and Director of Technological Services at Columbia Vehicle Group.
Norman J. Kansfield ‘65
b. March 24, 1940 New York City, NY
d. Jan. 27, 2024 Grand Rapids, MI
Etta Hesselink
b. January 12, 1931 Waupun, WI
d. July 23, 2024 Holland, MI
Etta was the beloved wife of Dr. I. John Hesselink, Jr., Theology Professor and President of Western Theological Seminary from 1973-1985. She was a devoted wife, mother, missionary, musician, and world traveler whose life was marked by her deep faith, boundless curiosity, and tireless dedication to others. Over her remarkable 93 years, she inspired countless lives across continents, leaving a legacy of generosity, passion for Japan, and a love for music and art. We thank her for her years of service to WTS and the Church.
