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Sara Wenger Shenk, Ed.D., associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, has been named president of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary(AMBS). She will begin the new assignment no later than October 1, 2010, following several months of orientation and preparation.

The AMBS board made the appointment at the October 22–24 meetings in Elkhart, Ind. The Mennonite Education Agency board and the Mennonite Church Canada Christian Formation Council gave their approval to Wenger Shenk as the candidate of choice prior to the decision by the AMBS board.

Wenger Shenk has been a member of the faculty and administration of EMS since 1995. In addition to serving as associate dean, she also is associate professor of Christian practices.

Randall Jacobs, chair of the presidential search committee and new chair of the AMBS board, said, “Dr. Wenger Shenk represents a unique combination of gifts and experiences, including teaching and administration in theological education, cross-cultural ministry, church planting, and writing for both scholarly and popular audiences. Perhaps more importantly, Dr. Wenger Shenk is grounded in Jesus, deeply respectful of the church, and passionate about Anabaptist theological education.”

Her scholarship and commitment to the church are evident in the wide range of books, chapters and articles she has written. This work includes Thank You for Asking: Conversing with Young Adults about the Future Church (Herald Press, 2005), Anabaptist Ways of Knowing: A Conversation about Tradition-Based Critical Education (Cascadia, 2003), Coming home: A thoughtful resource for fathers, mothers, and the rebirth of the family (Good Books, 1992) and Why Not Celebrate! (Good Books, 1987). Her dissertation is Toward An Anabaptist Educational Theory, presented to the faculty of Union Theological Seminary and The Presbyterian School of Christian Education in August 1998. Wenger Shenk has been a frequent contributor to The Mennonite and other publications, including Mennonite Quarterly Review, Leader Magazine, Vision, and Sojourners.

Wenger Shenk believes that worship, our “primary theology,” sustains and grounds all aspects of theological education. One evidence of this is the leadership she and Gerald Shenk, her husband, have given over the last three years to The Table, an emerging Mennonite congregation in Harrisonburg, Va.

In addition, Wenger Shenk is involved in the life of the church at denominational and conference levels. She serves as the Virginia Mennonite Conference representative to the Constituency Leaders Council of Mennonite Church USA, and has recently joined the MC USA Binational Worship Council. For eight years, 1993–2001, she was member-at-large for the Faith and Life Commission of Virginia Mennonite Conference.

“Sara Wenger Shenk’s scholarship, commitment to pastoral theological education, love and passion for the church, and deep spirituality are precious gifts that she brings to AMBS and the wider church,” Carlos Romero, executive director of Mennonite Education Agency, said. “Her experiences as teacher, writer, pastor, administrator, as well as conference involvement have served to prepare her for this calling from the church.”

Ray Friesen, chair of the AMBS board through the October meetings, said, “Sara Wenger Shenk has a passion for Jesus and the church and a vision for what that means in the 21st century that is informed by our history and shaped by our times. Her training and experience have prepared her to lead AMBS into new vistas of pedagogical creativity that are needed if AMBS is to be a seminary for the entire church, particularly for those parts of the church where growth is strongest. She comes with a history that has prepared her to help AMBS move toward being ever more diverse and inclusive.”

Having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Mennonite University, Wenger Shenk pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif., and completed a master’s degree in 1986 at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill. She received the Doctor of Education degree in 1999.

From 1977 to 1983 and again from 1986 to 1989, Wenger Shenk and her husband served on a study-service appointment with Eastern Mennonite Missions and Mennonite Central Committee in the former Yugoslavia. While there, she studied Croatian language at the University of Zagreb.

As president, Wenger Shenk will join the other four members of the AMBS administrative cabinet: Rebecca Slough, dean; Jeffrey L. Miller, chief financial officer; Ron Ringenberg, vice president; and Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, associate dean.

George R. Brunk III currently is serving as interim president and will continue until Wenger Shenk begins her new role. Nelson Kraybill had served as president for twelve and a half years, from January 1997 through July 2009.

by Laurie Oswald Robinson

Glen Guyton, the new denominational minister for Intercultural Relations for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership, is not afraid of the challenges waiting for him in a church that’s undergoing change in its leadership.

Grappling with change is second nature to Guyton, who for the past 11 years has served as director of student ministries for the 1000-member Calvary Community Church, a largely African-American congregation in Hampton, Va.

Born after the baby boomers, he and other Generation X children witnessed the boom of home computers, videogames and the Internet. Dot-com, the birth of MTV, Desert Storm and Hip Hop were their language. As they grew up, the world shifted from a modern to post-modern mindset—the world no longer seen as fixed, but fluid.

“I’m a Gen X baby, so I’ve always lived with flux, change, innovation and having to find new ways of doing things,” said Guyton, a former member of Mennonite Church USA’s Executive Board and its antiracism team. “So I’m really excited to be part of shaping how the denomination’s life will evolve.

“Anytime there are significant changes in executive leadership, it can be a challenging time. It is also a time to look at the church with fresh eyes and vision while holding fast to what has always remained the same—our commitment to following Christ and his ways.”

Guyton’s role as a Christ-follower within the Intercultural Relations ministry is to help the denomination to be a more antiracist church. He will strive to help growing numbers of racial-ethnic congregations and individuals to more freely offer their gifts to the wider church—and for the wider church to embrace more mutual exchange.

“Conrad Kanagy’s study tells us a growing edge of our church is the emerging racial ethnic groups,” Guyton says, referring to Kanagy’s “Road Signs for the Journey: A Profile of Mennonite Church USA.” “I look forward to helping those groups work together and having all parts of the church working in unison to strengthen one another.”

Guyton’s first steps toward that goal are planning for the next churchwide gathering of racial-ethnic people in August 2010 in Phoenix. At the gathering, people of color will explore topics focusing on their challenges and conduct business sessions and worship.

“As I plan this event, I feel the weight of addressing all the needs and issues,” he said. “They vary so much from group to group and even within each group. I need to be sensitive to each group’s needs and agenda and fair to everyone.

“But all groups need better access to the resources within the denomination as well as more empowerment to develop and share their own resources.”

Guyton’s upbringing and young adulthood taught him what it means to develop resourcefulness and flexibility in situations when he and others were on the margins.

“I grew up in an African-American community but also had lots of interaction with Hispanic and various Asian groups,” he said. “That’s when I developed a good perspective on needs of different racial-ethnic groups. My parents were not wealthy and I learned to appreciate the struggles of different socio-economic groups. Many times growing up in Houston, Texas, I had to find the resources I needed, even in the midst of the financial struggle.”

Guyton also came into Mennonite culture from a different religious and political background. He grew up Presbyterian and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. His first station of duty was in Hampton where he met his future wife, Cynthia, with whom he is raising two children, and, as a young military officer, began attending Calvary.

“Bishop Leslie Francisco III talked with me about the military, and he introduced me to Titus Peachey from Mennonite Central Committee,” he said. “After spending time with Titus and gaining a better understanding of the peace position, I got rebaptized and I eventually left the military.”

At Calvary he also served as a trustee for Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., and engaged with the college’s program, LEAP (Learning, Exploring, and Participating), geared for helping youth explore theological education. It was there he worked with Ervin Stutzman, vice president and seminary dean. Stutzman is the incoming executive director for Mennonite Church USA.

Guyton will work with Stutzman and other leaders, many whom he learned to know while serving on the Executive Board.

“Glen’s experience in so many parts of the church and his capacity to learn quickly on the job means that he has been able to serve as an advocate for racial-ethnic people in our churchwide system almost from his first day of work” said Ron Byler, acting executive director of Mennonite Church USA.

During his years at Calvary, he was also part of the denomination’s Youth Ministry Leadership Team, where Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, director of convention planning, kept telling him how great it was to work within the larger church. Though Generation X has also been called “the lost generation,” Guyton feels anything but lost as he embraces his new niche and responsibilities in God’s multiracial family.

“As I approached 40, I dreamt about what it might mean to make a change and to perhaps work for the denomination,” he said. “Calvary has always been part of resourcing the denomination on issues surrounding people of color, and now I get to do that in a more immediate and direct way. I am very excited about the opportunity to work with many great people more closely.

“What’s best about this is I can still keep my interest in young people at heart and help empower youth and young adults. I can help the church not only survive all its changes today but help young people thrive in the church’s future.”