Welcoming Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Dec 6, 2021

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About Western Theological Seminary

Located in Holland, Michigan, WTS offers 16 graduate programs online, in residence, in English, and Spanish for women and men preparing for faithful Christian ministry. WTS was founded in 1866 when seven of the eight members of Hope College’s inaugural graduating class wished to become ministers and petitioned their denomination to allow them to complete their education in Holland. Since that time, WTS has been preparing women and men for a lifetime of ministry all around the world in many ministry and denominational contexts.

By Western Theological Seminary

Introducing Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst, renowned practitioner, teacher, and speaker will be joining the faculty of Western Theological Seminary beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year to serve as the Richard C. Oudersluys Associate Professor of World Christianity. 

“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst to Western Theological Seminary,” said Western Theological Seminary President, Dr. Felix Theonugraha.

“She is thoroughly committed to raising up leaders for the church and the world, both in the United States and around the world. Her worldwide experience will bring a much-welcomed perspective to the learning community. She is an invaluable addition to the Seminary as Western continues to form women and men for faithful Christian ministry and participation in the Triune God’s ongoing redemptive work in this age of World Christianity.

About Dr. Padilla DeBorst

Dr. Padilla DeBorst has decades of experience in ministry throughout Latin America. Having worked with organizations such as the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and Latin American Theological Fellowship, she is well equipped for her role here at Western. She has served the worldwide church through World Vision International, Resonate Global Mission (of the Christian Reformed Church of North America), and the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation, among others.

She has served on boards and councils ranging from the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization Latin America, A Rocha International, and the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies to the International Justice Mission and the American Society of Missiology.  

Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst has also served as president of the Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinarios (CETI), dedicated to providing theological education to pastors and lay Christians throughout Latin America. In addition to her academic leadership, she has taught numerous courses through CETI as well as for theological schools throughout North America. 

“We thank God for opening the way for Dr. Padilla DeBorst to join our seminary community,” said Dr. Kristen Deede Johnson, Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “Building on her decades of faithful leadership in ministry and mission throughout Latin America and the world, we are deeply grateful for the ways she will be able to teach, shape, and form students in all our academic programs, teaching classes in both English and Spanish. We are also eager to support her as a writer and scholar, knowing that the church needs the wisdom and knowledge she has to offer. 

She also has a range of articles, book chapters, and other publications. Her education includes, most recently, a Ph.D. in Theology with concentrations in Missiology and Social Ethics from Boston University (2016).

Learn more about courses offered through Western Theological Seminary, like World Christianity, here.

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