Seminary Investor Impact Winter 2014

INVESTORIMPACT Winter 2014 | www.bethel.edu/seminary

The Ripple Effect of Your Gifts soldier far from home.

They help a struggling couple put their marriage back together.

They lead a congregation with maturity and wisdom.

They share the good news and a warm meal with those who are hungry for both.

“One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian is that I don’t ever get up in the morning and wonder if what I do matters. I live every day to the fullest because I can live it through Christ and I know no matter what I do today, and it may just be in my prayer time, I’m going to do something to advance the Kingdom of God. Now does that make you fulfilled?

You bet it does! And it gives you joy about living.”

—Charles Colson (from Born Again, p. 34) Fulfillment and joy.

We hope that as you read this edition of Bethel Seminary Investor Impact, you’ll feel a great deal of satisfaction.

Like the ripples that emanate from a stone dropped into the lake, your gifts to Bethel Seminary ripple out into a world desperate to know God’s love.

They plant churches.

They speak peace and comfort to a

Your gifts are leveraged and multiplied as you send well-equipped kingdom leaders into their places of calling around the world.

You aren’t just giving to Bethel Seminary. You’re giving through Bethel Seminary to advance the kingdom of God.

That’s legacy. That’s joy. We’re thrilled to partner with you.

—David K. Clark Vice President and Dean

Sem Strategic Planning Process Opens Door to the Future Bethel Seminary is planning for the future through a Strategic Process. The vision at the heart of this process is to serve the Church by developing leaders, both those who work full-time in churches and ministries, and those who serve Christ and build His kingdom as they fulfill all sorts of other callings. Bethel Seminary will serve the Church gathered (what happens on Sunday) and scattered (what happens the rest of the week).

The Seminary Strategic Process is working under a larger, Bethel University-wide initiative called the Strategic Coalition. These are two different but connected processes.

The university process is pointed at —1—

a 10-year horizon. What does Bethel University need to do now to prepare for the next decade? Under this larger effort, and in alignment with it, the seminary’s planning process is preserving the seminary’s strengths and building on these strengths for the future.

The seminary faculty and staff are well aware that “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). So seeking God’s wisdom and strength, the Seminary faculty and staff invite sustained prayer on behalf of this important work. Please pray that the Seminary will succeed in its passion to stay 100% committed to God’s will and work in the world.

INVESTOR IMPACT

Kingdom Expansion, One Story at a Time Independence, Missouri achieved notoriety in 1998 when Rolling Stone magazine dubbed it the “Meth Capital of America.” Several New York Times stories over the last 10 years have reported the damage and decay in Independence, including its drug reputation.

The economy of western Independence is depressed, with average annual household incomes below $30,000, and median home prices hovering between $50,000-$60,000.

Bethel Seminary student Jake Eyler describes the “de-churching” of Independence. “Several large brick churches around the town square alone sit nearly empty. They struggle to keep their doors open.”

High drug use, related high crime rates, a stressed school system and the subsequent economic impact of these realities have driven employers, services, and churches from the community.

Jake and his wife, Andrea, are moving to Missouri in January to be the hands and feet of Christ in that community. Jake will join two other staff members to launch Revive Church in February with a core team of approximately 40 people, who will meet in the Van Horn High School auditorium.

Revive Church will seek to serve the community of Independence, by, as Jake says, “reviving neighborhoods, one block at a time” finding ways to serve and invite families into the church.

While he reflects that accepting this invitation is well outside the boundaries of his usual tolerance for risk, Jake describes the equipping from his Bethel Seminary M.Div. studies as having laid the foundation necessary for the rigors of this ministry calling.

Jake and Andrea Eyler

He notes that biblical and theological studies have grounded him in God’s Word, taught him to think well about God’s work in reviving lives, and built his preaching craft.

He values Bethel Seminary’s use of various assessment tools and continuous customized coaching.

The personal and spiritual formation courses have built his spiritual discipline and relational skills.

The leadership curriculum has provided tools for big-picture thinking and practical leadership principles.

And the ecumenical makeup of the Bethel Seminary student body has prepared him for working respectfully and thoughtfully with Christians from many denominational backgrounds.

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It all boils down to this: Your investment in Bethel Seminary equips and inspires students like Jake and Andrea Eyler to bring the message of the gospel and the love of Christ to people, families, and communities in need of transformation.

Your support touches their lives and ripples, in turn, into the lives of all those to whom they minister. That’s leverage. That’s impact.

—Meg Thorson, Seminary Operations Manager Find out more about the Eylers’ church plant story.

INVESTOR IMPACT

NEWS AND NOTES INVESTORS CRUSH ANNUAL FUND GOAL Sem supporters seized the opportunity to double the impact of their fiscal year end Bethel Seminary St. Paul (BSSP) annual fund gifts. They met the $25,000 challenge match and pushed beyond the $200,000 BSSP annual fund goal by $26,604. Combined with BSSP restricted gifts of $338,222, the 2014 fiscal year ended with a total of $564,825 in support for BSSP. Thank you for believing in the mission of Bethel Seminary and investing so generously in tomorrow’s kingdom leaders.

STRAUSS HONORED AS “UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR” Bethel Seminary professor Mark Strauss has been named University Professor of New Testament. The University Professor award recognizes fulltime faculty members for sustained excellence in scholarship, teaching, research, or creative activity in their field.

Since joining the Bethel Seminary San Diego faculty in 1994, Strauss has had a strong influence on the fields of Bible translation and hermeneutics, as well as in the lives of countless students. Read the full story online.

KERN FAMILY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS “WORK WITH PURPOSE” YEAR II: $350k The church physically gathers on a typical Sunday for worship, service, and community. Then the church scatters to invest 30, 40, or many more hours of the week in the work of overseeing a business, managing a home, stocking warehouse shelves, and so on. But how are the ministry of Sunday mornings preparing the church for the ministry of everyday work throughout the week? And how can the ministry of our everyday work bless and shape the ministry of Sunday mornings?

“Work with Purpose,” an initiative of Bethel Seminary funded by the Kern Family Foundation, is creating a strategic dialogue among faculty, students, pastors, lay church leaders, and Christian business people. Its goal is to reintegrate faith with work, vocation, and economics, integrating the “secular” and “sacred.” Justin Irving directs the initiative. Read more about Work with Purpose.

NEW AUTOMATIC GIVING OPTION SAVES MONEY AND TIME Convenient. Safe. Simple.

Now Seminary investors can maximize their impact and simplify their stewardship commitments by using Bethel’s new recurring gift option. Automatic gifts cost less to process, so more of each gift goes to support students.

Efficient. Effective. E-giving.

Find out more about e-giving options.

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LARSON-BETHEL BAGHDAD TORAH DISPLAY UNVEILED The Larson-Bethel Baghdad Torah, a gift to Bethel Seminary from Ken and Barbara Larson, is now on permanent display in Faculty Hall at Bethel Seminary St. Paul. University of Minnesota art faculty member and Whitney Biennial honoree Chris Larson ’90 designed the structure that allows guests to view the non-kosher scroll that dates to the early 17th century.

Forest Lewis ’04 constructed it. A nearby digital Torah study station creates further opportunity to examine closely this rare scroll, preserved by an ancient Jewish community in Baghdad across 400 years. Visit the Torah webpage.

NUMBERS OF NOTE • Combined spring 2014 Seminary graduates: 177 BSSP 136 BSSD 41 • Combined fall 2014 Seminary enrollment: 688 BSSP 458 BSSD 200 BSOE 30

INVESTOR IMPACT

A Church for People Who Gave Up on Church On September 12 and 13, Journey Community Church in De Pere, Wisconsin (just south of Green Bay), celebrated its 10th birthday. Pastor Mark and Becky Schmechel planted Journey with a strong desire to reach people who had given up on church with the gospel. Journey meets in a brick building in the heart of town in what was once a furniture store.

The birthday celebration began with a dinner on Saturday night in the same space used for two packed worship services on Sunday morning. People who obviously loved each other--­­­­and happy, energetic children­ filled the room with a joyful and expectant spirit.

After the meal, Pastor Mark asked everyone to stand who had become a Christ-follower and been baptized for the first time as a result of the ministry of Journey. Nearly half of those in the room stood to testify that their life had been transformed by Jesus Christ through the ministry of Journey.

Later a video of other church members who couldn’t be there that night gave testimony to God’s Spirit at work through Pastor Mark and Journey. Robin and Mary Berg testified in the video that at a time when their

3900 Bethel Drive St. Paul, MN 55112-6999 Address Service Requested

marriage was in crisis and they had lost all hope, it was Pastor Mark who “brought them to Jesus” and their lives were transformed.

The celebration continued on Sunday morning with a combined worship service in the movie theater next door to the church. Others who had come to know and follow Jesus Christ as a result of the Spirit’s work through Journey shared their stories.

A community picnic in the street next to the church for everyone and anyone who wanted to join in the celebration wrapped up the morning.

It was one more way in which Journey could reach out to people who had given up on church.

Pastor Mark credits Bethel Seminary for equipping him with the leadership skills, ministry tools, and biblical understanding that helped him plant and now pastor Journey Church.

He’s grateful for the quality education and training he received at Bethel and for those who help support the Seminary. He readily acknowledges it is only by God’s Spirit and the prayers of believers that Journey has become a place of hope, joy, salvation, and transformation for many people.

Pastor Mark and Becky Schmechel

He’s trusting God to continue the lifechanging, redemptive work that He began 10 years ago.

As the Spirit leads you, please pray for Pastor Mark, his wife Becky, and the Christ-followers at Journey Community Church. As an investor in Bethel Seminary, you have helped make this Journey possible.

–Rev. Ralph Gustafson, Executive Minister for Church Relations

Read more about the Schmechels’ church.

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