Where faith & learning connect: Alumni

What sets Goshen College apart from almost all of the other thousands of colleges and universities? One needs only to look as far as our mission statement for the answer: “Shaped by Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, we integrate academic excellence and real-world experience with active love for God and neighbor.”

This is a place where faith and learning connect, and where each profoundly informs the other. In a broken world that longs for better questions and new answers, we believe that graduating students prepared to go out and to engage the complexity with both wisdom and wonder is just what is needed.

You might wonder: What does that look like? How does it happen? How does that impact our graduates? Hear from a few of our alumni for a glimpse of their experiences.

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Ryan Ahlgrim ’79
Richmond, Virginia
MAJOR: English
Pastor, First Mennonite Church of Richmond

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

GC helped me develop a philosophy that integrated science, sociology, history, art, literature, biblical studies and theology into a coherent vision for serving the world. I have brought this powerful integration into my ministry.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

Communicating Jesus’ message and ministry in creative and effective ways, bringing about healing, meaning and vision for the congregation.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

The church needs leaders who are emotionally mature, self-starters, compassionate, creative and crazy about God. Don’t try to save people; just serve them and rest in God.

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Marilyn Rudy-Froese ’85
Kitchener, Ontario
MAJOR: social work
Church leadership minister, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

Both my major in social work and the integration of faith and service in the world prepared me to hear a call to ministry. I’m grateful for my social work degree and how it provided a good foundation for my ministry.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

I have the privilege of walking with people exploring their call to ministry and discerning vocational transitions. Being in leadership at the denominational level is also energizing as I envision what it means to lead the church today.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Use every opportunity to test your call and your gifts. Get to know your area conference/regional church minister, so that they know you, and you have a sense of any opportunities for ministry.

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Richard Wineland ’90
Nashville, Tennessee
MAJOR: music
Episcopal priest, Christ Church Cathedral and St. Augustine’s Chapel at Vanderbilt University

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

At Goshen College I was introduced, for the first time, to the history and theology of the Radical Reformation. I learned about the churches of the Historic Peace Church tradition, and was challenged by their commitment to radical discipleship.

What gives you the most s atisfaction in your work?

The arts have always been a significant part of my priestly ministry, and I enjoy finding new and authentic musical expressions that compliment the ancient liturgy.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Volunteer in your local congregation! True pastoral ministry occurs only in the context of caring relationships and in humbly serving others. Listen carefully to people’s faith stories, and to the voice of God in your heart. Then follow your passion.

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Douglas Kaufman ’89
Goshen, Indiana
MAJOR: history
Pastor, Benton Mennonite Church; director of pastoral ecology, Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

My history classes brought a richness of understanding the depths and heights of the human condition. Theology and peace classes, along with time in a Nicaraguan refugee camp on Study-Service Term in Costa Rica, tuned my heart to social justice.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

Bringing our spiritual and Biblical traditions into a living relationship with our lives, where we see some of the frailty and strength of humans relating to Spirit, one another and the earth.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Take in a variety of experiences and especially challenge yourself to find leadership opportunities, which may have little to do with what classes you take or what your major is. Pay attention to good leadership and find leadership mentors.

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John David Thacker ’95
Charleston, West Virginia
MAJORS: chemistry; Bible and religion
Church planter with Virginia Mennonite Missions

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and or approach to ministry?

My Bible and religion classes started me on my course to seminary and then Christian ministry. The Ministry Inquiry Program helped me test my sense of calling, and Study-Service Term gave me confidence to minister in new cultures.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

Studying scripture, theology and church history, and then applying that to our corporate lives as the church.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Start now with you fellow students. Start a small group where you encourage one another weekly with prayer, Bible study, fellowship and service to others. Don’t wait.

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Malinda Berry ’96
Elkhart, Indiana
MAJORS: history, English
Associate professor of theology and ethics, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

Attending GC was very instrumental in shaping my work in theological education. Experiences both inside and outside the classroom expanded my understanding of violence raising important questions about how we are and aren’t “people of God peace.”

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

I approach scholarship as a form of what we Mennonites call “discipleship,” so I’m interested in how Christian faith makes it possible for us to live meaningful lives because it’s an interesting topic AND my scholarship helps me do my personal work.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

We think of ministry as something we do to help others, but it’s really a dialogue between me (and my stuff), those I “minister to” and how we’re all trying to meet our needs for connection. So, be as curious about yourself as you are about others!

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Shawn Gerber ’99
Bloomington, Indiana
MAJOR: Bible and religion
Director of spiritual care and chaplaincy services, Indiana University Health- South Central Region

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

I am deeply grateful for professors that were not only interested in academic education, but they took an interest in me as a person. My Study-Service Term experience in Costa Rica helped shape my worldview in how God was experienced and faith was practiced.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

To see how God provides hope, meaning and wholeness to people who are facing the pain and challenges of illness, and even suffering. I am also blessed in developing meaningful pastoral relationships with employees of all disciplines and walks of life.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Take advantage of the opportunities to serve and explore your calling through ministry experiences: all-campus worship, drama/worship teams, Ministry Inquiry Program, etc.

Develop various prayer practices that sustain you and help you discern.

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Mandy Yoder ’99
Goshen, Indiana
MAJORS: Bible and religion, psychology
Pastor, Belmont Mennonite Church

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

Doing the Ministry Inquiry Program during the summer after my junior year is what made me consider becoming a pastor. I loved every part of that experience, and when the summer was over, I decided to go to seminary to continue exploring my call.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

I love the variety of tasks that are part of my job. Every day is a little different. I love getting to know people deeply over years of life together. It is also an incredible honor to walk with people through times of great joy and deep pain.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Do something concrete to explore your interest. Do the Ministry Inquiry Program. Shadow a local pastor. Go to seminary. Get a spiritual director. Talk to people who know you well. Pay attention to how you feel when you are engaging in ministry tasks.

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Jeff Hochstetler ’08
Berlin, Ohio
MAJORS: business, history
Lead pastor at Berlin Mennonite Church

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

Goshen College provided opportunities for me to test the call to ministry through the Ministry Inquiry Program, campus worship night and participating in Morning Song, a student outreach of College Mennonite Church.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

I am satisfied to know that the church exists to proclaim God’s reign; the world as many see it isn’t the world as it was created to be. I enjoy the variety of the work, whether visiting church members or teaching a class on Jesus’ way of peace.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Listen when others acknowledge your ministerial gifts. Pay attention to what God says to you. Explore the variety of ministry opportunities available to see what might interest you, then volunteer at that organization.

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Hillary Watson ’09
Ypsilanti, Michigan
MAJORS: Bible, religion & philosophy
Pastor, Shalom Community Church; Program consultant, Nonprofit Enterprise at Work

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

Goshen allowed me to explore the breadth of the Anabaptist tent and find my place in it. Goshen also supported me with opportunity, funding, connections and learning opportunities over my four years.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

I’ll be honest, it’s not always satisfying, and satisfaction won’t sustain you for the long haul. But I love watching people change — their minds, their behaviors, their vocations — because of the way they’ve encountered God in community.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

Make sure you are well-funded! It is too easy to enter ministry with a heavy debt load or end up struggling financially because you’re being underpaid. Negotiate your salary, ask for funding for seminary and advocate for yourself!

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Quinn Brenneke ’14
Elkhart, Indiana
MAJORS: communication, interdisciplinary studies
Co-pastor, Prairie Street Mennonite Church

How did your experience at Goshen College inform your vocational calling and/or approach to ministry?

I encountered Anabaptism for the first time at Goshen College. You can read about it in books, but you really don’t know Anabaptism until you feel it. I felt it at Goshen. It’s alive in the community — knowing, being and doing faith all at once.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

God’s kingdom is breaking into the world in surprising and unexpected ways. The church today gets to be witness to the new thing that God is doing and it may be different than what we’ve ever seen. Understanding it all can be hard work, but holy.

What advice would you have for GC students interested in ministry?

The church benefits from all kinds of gifts. Anything God gives you can be used in ministry. Take time to explore and develop gifts, and be aware of how God might use them for the kingdom.

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