My Appointment to the Mantey Chair of New Testament (June 8, 2024)

My job promotion and the next era of Northern Seminary

Jun 18, 2024

On June 8, 2024, we the faculty, staff, and board of Northern Seminary, recognized and celebrated the graduation of our students—our largest graduating class ever. It was a joyous occasion for several reasons, not least the gratifying feeling that Northern Seminary—while not perfect—is on a better path than we were a year ago. We have all been through an exhausting journey of trauma, frustration, anger, hurt, disappointment, and sometimes even hopelessness.

For readers who don’t know what Northern has been through, the last year and a half has seen the removal of our former president, a board with internal strife, confused and angry students, plenty of harm done to plenty of people, numerous staff exits, and more. We haven’t made it to the other side of it all, but I think we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Righting the ship (to change the image) is tedious and long work. I am glad to be part of that, and I am so grateful to be in this work with great leaders that I trust.

Back to commencement. After a difficult year of rooting out unhealthiness and seeking graceful and generous leadership, this commencement felt like a breath of fresh air. Again, it is a process, but I sense Northern is entering a new era. Speaking of which…

This was a memorable occasion, because I was appointed to the Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament Studies at Northern Seminary. Mantey was an expert in Greek and also an ordained baptist minister. He was known for caring both about good scholarship and strengthening churches. That is my personal mission and why I love teaching seminary students. Below are some pictures from commencement that inspire me in my ongoing work at Northern. Please consider joining us if you are interested in diving deeper into Scripture, preaching, pastoral ministry, and leadership development.