Forming women and men for ministry

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fall Preview Day

09:30 AM - 04:00 PM

Around the Seminary: Admissions Info Nights

07:00 PM - 08:00 PM

Tuesday

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Online Info Session

07:30 PM - 08:30 PM

Thanksgiving Break

Nov 24 - Nov 28 ,All Day

Dec

Christmas Break

Dec 15 - Jan 09 ,All Day

Jan

Online Orientation: Spring Semester

Jan 05 - Jan 14 ,All Day

Jan

Spring Semester Begins

All Day

Feb

Spring Abbey Retreat

Feb 23 - Feb 24 ,All Day

Wednesday

Feb

Distance Learning Course Intensive

Feb 25 - Feb 27 ,All Day

Thursday

Mar

Western Showcase

03:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Friday

Mar

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Spring Preview Day

09:30 AM - 04:00 PM

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Apr

Spring Break

Apr 06 - Apr 10 ,All Day

Saturday

May

Commencement 2026

All Day

Saturday

Jul

Symposium on Disability and Ministry 2026

08:30 AM - 03:00 PM

SEE ALL

The Commons Online

News, stories, and resources from the WTS community to the Church.

Cultivate: A Letter from Dr. Brent LaVigne, Vice President of Development

The Enduring Impact of Rev. Dr. Carol Bechtel: 2025 Distinguished Alumna

Shattering Illusions and Shaping Intimacy: A Vision for Couples and Families

11 Tips from the Student Life Team for the New Academic Year

Rev. Dr. Ron Rienstra Appointed Director of Church Partnerships at A Rocha USA

Nurturing Children with Disabilities Initiative: Journeying with Children

From the Commons

DO WE STILL NEED SEMINARY?

In the age of Google, where seemingly endless content is at our fingertips, why is formal theological education still important?

READ: WHY SEMINARY

WHY SEMINARY?

The Commons Online

WHO WE ARE

MEET THE FACULTY

WTS faculty are always available to guide and support students as they pursue their education. As importantly, our professors are deeply involved in congregational ministry and several offer the unique perspectives of having served as pastors.

Dr. Felix Theonugraha

President

Dr. Tim Basselin

Director of Field Education and Student Life

Dr. J. Todd Billings

Gordon H. Girod Research Professor of Reformed Theology

Dr. John Brogan

Dean of Faculty

Dr. Winn Collier

Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination

Dr. Benjamin T. Conner

Professor of Practical Theology

Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Richard C. Oudersluys Associate Professor of World Christianity

Dr. Chuck DeGroat

Professor of Pastoral Care and Christian Spirituality

Dr. Wesley Hill

Associate Professor of New Testament

Dr. Han-luen Kantzer Komline

Marvin and Jerene DeWitt Professor of Theology and Church History

Dr. David Komline

Associate Academic Dean

Dr. Julie Land

Nouwen Fellow

Dr. Suzanne McDonald

Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology

Dr. Elizabeth Pennock

Director of the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Dr. Ron Rienstra

Professor of Preaching and Worship Arts

Dr. Alberto La Rosa Rojas

Director of the Hispanic Ministries Program

Dr. Sue A. Rozeboom

Professor of Liturgical Theology

Dr. Keith Starkenburg

Interim Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Jessica Stovall

Assistant Professor-in-Residence of Counseling

Dr. David L. Stubbs

Professor of Ethics and Theology

Dr. L.S. Carlos A. Thompson

Assistant Professor of Christian Ministry and Disability Theology

Dr. Travis West

Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament

@WesternTheologicalSeminary

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As part of the Great Lakes Theology and Preaching Conference taking place this week, November 6–7, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Jonathan Moo, Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair in Theology and Professor of New Testament and Environmental Studies at Whitworth University.

Dr. Moo will deliver a lecture titled “Worshipping God and Cherishing the Earth in the Apocalypse” in Mulder Chapel on November 6 at 7:00 PM. He will also lead Friday morning chapel on November 7 at 9:55 AM.

All are welcome to attend the Great Lakes Theology and Preaching Conference—no presentation or paper submission is required. Learn more by visiting westernsem.edu/gltpc (link in bio). ...

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Follow along with Par Dim, a first-year dual-track Master of Divinity and Master of Social Work student, as she shows us her day in the life! 📚

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🍁 Fall has arrived on campus, and the views couldn’t be more beautiful!

Discover what it’s like to be a student at Western Theological Seminary—learn more through the link in our bio.

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Snapshots from the Fall 2025 Abbey Retreat! 📸

Last week, our students explored the practices of feasting that call us to consider care and justice in a broken world. Together, we reflected on what it means to live out these values as individuals and communities, participating in the “already” of the Kingdom still yet to come.

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Follow along with Sophia Godfrey, a second-year Master of Divinity student, as she shows us a glimpse into her life as a student at Western Theological Seminary!

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Thanks be to God for another wonderful Doxology gathering hosted by the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination (@eugenepetersoncenter) at Western Theological Seminary. At this year’s Doxology gathering, we were joined by gifted voices such as novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson.

Doxology is an in-person gathering where we fix our attention on God—a space of wonder, gratitude, and awe that invites us to cultivate humility, joy, and contemplation amid a chaotic world. ...

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You are invited to join us on Thursday, October 16, as Western Theological Seminary celebrates the successful completion of the Cultivating Our Call campaign! Our joyful program will begin in the WTS library at 3:00 pm, and the celebration will continue in the atrium with a reception of food & music until 5:00 pm.

While it is not required, you may visit the link in our bio to RSVP and help with our planning. Everyone is invited, and we hope you can join!

To learn more about the campaign or to make a gift, please visit westernsem.edu/cultivate (link in bio). ...

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We’re nearing the halfway mark of the semester! As you reflect on the fall semester so far, which class has been especially meaningful to you?

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We are delighted to celebrate two recent publications from WTS alumni of the Sacred Art of Writing Doctor of Ministry cohort!

📖 Dr. Christy Berghoef ’24 has authored “Rooted: A Spiritual Memoir of Homecoming,” a story of exploring the world, coming home, and learning to bloom where we are planted.

📖 Rev. Dr. Jared Ayers ’24 has released “You Can Trust a God with Scars: Faith (and Doubt) for the Searching Soul,” an invitation into a conversation about embracing doubt, mystery, and a God who understands suffering intimately. ...

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Curious about seminary? Join us for Around the Seminary, a series of live Zoom sessions designed to give prospective students an inside look at Western Theological Seminary. Each session features a different department sharing who they are, what they do, and the unique opportunities offered to WTS students.

📍 Tuesday, October 28th, from 7:00-8:00 pm - “Missiology” with Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Associate Professor of World Christianity, and Dr. Ben Conner, Professor of Practical Theology

📍 Monday, November 17th, from 7:00-8:00 pm - “Student Life at WTS” with Kate Bareman, Director of Student Care and Engagement

Visit the link in our bio to learn more or to register today! ...

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This week, the Faith and Illness Initiative (FII) held its third and final colloquy at Western Theological Seminary. A core group of pastors, scholars, medical professionals, and students gathered for a focused reading of chapter drafts from Dr. Todd Billings’s upcoming book, as well as discussions on chronic illness and eschatology.

The Faith and Illness Initiative is an interdisciplinary ‘think tank’ hosted by the Girod Chair at WTS. The FII brings together participants to discover a theology of vocation and virtue for Christians living with chronic illness. Learn more by visiting fii.westernsem.edu. ...

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A few highlights from the first few weeks of the fall semester!

By God’s grace, Western Theological Seminary is celebrating its second-highest enrollment ever with 431 students. In fact, the past six years have been the strongest enrollment in our history. Thanks be to God!