Academics People
Director of Campus Ministries; Admissions Associate; Development Associate; Alumni Director; Core Adjunct Faculty
Janeen Bertsche Johnson brings to her ministry a passion for worship, music, community,...
Retired Professor of Theology and Anabaptist Studies
About Lois The nature of the church has been a long-standing interest for Dr. Lois B...
Sessional Faculty
Luke Beck Kreider, MA, works on religious environmental thought and practice, focusing on Christian environmental ethics as they intersect with issues of justice, conflict, and peace.
Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics
Malinda Elizabeth Berry, PhD, is an educator-activist-doer. In addition to teaching, writing, and editing, she has served as interim pastor in New York City, and worked as a peace and social justice activist in Washington, D.C.
President
David W. Boshart, PhD, brings a variety of administrative and leadership experiences to his role as AMBS’s fourth President, which he began in January 2020.
Sessional Faculty
Jo-Ann A. Brant is Professor Emerita of Bible and Religion at Goshen (Indiana) College.
Sessional Faculty
Laura L. Brenneman is a hospital chaplain and visiting religion professor at AMBS, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Eastern Mennonite Seminary.
Sessional Faculty
Heather Bunce, MA, is the professor of Hebrew and Director of Library Services at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, Michigan.
Sessional Faculty
Matthew Chandler is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications at the University of Notre Dame.
Managing Editor, Institute of Mennonite Studies; Core Adjunct Faculty
David Cramer is the teaching pastor at Keller Park Church, an urban congregation in South Bend. In addition to teaching courses in theology, he serves as Managing Editor of the Institute of Mennonite Studies at AMBS.
Professor Emeritus of New Testament
Jacob Elias served as pastor in Vancouver, British Columbia (1968–74), before com...
Core Adjunct Faculty
Katerina Friesen lives on Yokut land in Fresno, California. Her work centers around healing from the violence of structural sin.
Adjunct Faculty
Al Fuertes, PhD, specializes in community-based trauma healing as an integral component in peacebuilding and conflict transformation.
Sessional Faculty
Luke Gascho is the director of the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, where he also serves as Professor of Sustainability/Environmental Education.
Instructor
Katie Graber is an ethnomusicologist who studies race and ethnicity in a variety of contexts, including Mennonite music, American music and European opera. Katie is the Intercultural Worship Editor for the Voices Together project and the U.S. director of the Anabaptist Worship Network.
Core Adjunct Faculty
Jacqueline Hoover is a freelance lecturer in Islamic Studies who teaches regularly in Germany and Egypt and at the University of Nottingham in the UK.
Associate Professor of Peace Studies and Christian Social Ethics
Janna Hunter-Bowman, PhD, brings experience as a peace and justice worker in different settings to her academic study and teaching role. She has worked with Witness for Peace and with Justapaz in Colombia in the areas of documentation, education and advocacy.
Associate Professor of Congregational Formation
Rachel Miller Jacobs has a love for the church that leads her into many forms of ministry. She is a spiritual director and was the resources coordinator for Leader, a magazine of Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.
Assistant Dean and Registrar; Director of Retention; Primary Designated School Official (PDSO)
Scott Janzen began serving as registrar just a few months after graduating from AMBS in...
Retired Professor of New Testament
Loren Johns is passionate about studying and teaching the Bible. His primary areas of research include the role of the Bible in the church, New Testament Greek, the letters of Paul, the Johannine literature, the development of the biblical canon, and eschatology.
Associate Professor of Christian Formation and Culture
Andy Brubacher Kaethler, PhD, has been committed to Christian formation for more than 25 years, working in educational, conference, congregational, and camp settings. He teaches in areas of theology, culture, and philosophy.
Visiting Professor and Bible Department Chair (2021–22)
Paul Keim is professor of Bible and Religion at Goshen (Indiana) College and regularly teaches Greek and Hebrew courses at AMBS.
Professor Emerita of Theology and Ethics
Gayle Gerber Koontz joined the AMBS faculty in 1982 and served as dean for five years. ...
Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Peace Studies
Before coming to AMBS in 1982, Ted taught at Goshen College and Notre Dame. He also was...
Core Adjunct Faculty
James R. Krabill has recently retired as Senior Executive for Global Ministries for Mennonite Mission Network.
President Emeritus
Nelson Kraybill began as president of AMBS in 1997, following significant experience as...
Professor Emeritus of Church History and Mission
Alan Kreider, PhD, combined a lifetime of academic study in the early church with decad...
Associate Professor Emerita in Spiritual Formation and Worship
Marlene Kropf was associate professor in spiritual formation and worship for 25 years, ...
Vice President and Academic Dean; Title lX Coordinator
Beverly Lapp brings more than two decades of experience in academic affairs, teacher development, curriculum design and intercultural exchange to her work at AMBS.
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies
Susannah Larry, PhD, brings to her role a contagious passion for the Hebrew Bible and a commitment to Christ’s church.
Sessional Faculty
Mary Lehman Yoder is a retired pastor and active spiritual director.
Instructor
Anneli Loepp Thiessen is an active song leader, classical musician and music educator across Ontario. She is the Canadian director of the Anabaptist Worship Network and is passionate about empowering congregations to create vibrant worship.
Associate Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Safwat Marzouk, PhD, grew up where interfaith dialogue among Christians, Jews and Muslims influences daily life. As a Christian in Egypt, he focused on studying the Old Testament to better understand God’s vision of shalom.
Administrative Assistant to the Registrar
Sessional Faculty
Breanna J. Nickel is a postdoctoral lecturer at the University of Notre Dame.
Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology
Ben Ollenburger is a storyteller. This gift often inspires both laughter and new insight. He also pursues the work of theology with passion and discipline.
Associate Professor of Anabaptist Studies; Director, Institute of Mennonite Studies; Editor, Anabaptist Witness journal
Jamie Pitts, PhD, seeks to join the Spirit's work of bringing healing, justice, and joy through teaching and research on global Anabaptist-Mennonite theology and history, participation in local congregational life and community organizing.
Sessional Faculty, Instructor
Betty Pries has worked as a mediator, trainer and consultant on conflict resolution and conflict management issues since 1993 nationally and internationally. She has developed expertise in managing faith community conflict, particularly within the church.
Retired Professor of Theology and Anabaptist Studies
Through his work as a chaplain, as a pastor and with Mennonite Central Committee's ...
Associate Professor of Christian Proclamation
Allan Rudy-Froese blends a heart for the church, preparation in communicating the Good News of the gospel, and infectious humor with the ministry of teaching students how to communicate with diverse audiences in the church and in current culture.
Professor Emeritus of Church History and Mission
Sawatsky was professor of church history and mission and director of the Mission Studie...
Professor Emerita of New Testament
Prior to joining the AMBS faculty in 1988, Mary taught at Goshen College for one year; ...
Daniel S. Schipani, DrPsy, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Prior to coming to AMBS in 1985, Daniel was associate professor of pastoral care and co...
Core Adjunct Faculty
Dan Schrock is co-editor (with Marlene Kropf) of An Open Place: The Ministry of Group Spiritual Direction (Morehouse, 2012) and author of The Dark Night: A Gift of God (Herald, 2009).
Sessional Faculty
Jason Shenk is a community organizer who was the founding coordinator of the People's History of Elkhart project from 2009-2017.
Academic Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita of Worship and the Arts; Affiliate Faculty
Rebecca Slough retired from her AMBS leadership and teaching roles in 2018. She continues to use her administrative skills and other gifts as Affiliate Faculty.
Sessional Faculty
Carli Steelman, MA, is a social movement scholar with a focus on studying religious movements, including US civil rights and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
Instructor
Rick Stiffney, PhD, is the retired President/CEO of MHS Alliance. MHS Alliance represents over 70 not-for-profit providers including community mental health organizations, developmental disabilities providers and numerous nursing homes and retirement communities.
Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins
Drew Strait, PhD, brings a contagious enthusiasm for the world of the earliest Christians to his work as a theological animator of Scripture, seeking to connect the dots between early Christians’ radical discipleship and the ways contemporary assemblies of Jesus followers can embody God’s future just world now.
Willard Swartley, PhD (1936-2019)
Professor Emeritus of New Testament
Willard Swartley served at AMBS from 1978 to 2004. In addition to teaching, he served a...
Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education
Leah Thomas, PhD, brings to her new role an academic focus on pastoral care and Christian social ethics; commitment to undoing racism and intercultural learning; and professional experience in hospital chaplaincy, pastoring and nonprofit management.
Sessional Faculty
Linda Lehman Thomas is a Gestalt Pastoral Care minister and trainer. She also serves as co-director of Pathways Retreat, a contemplative retreat center in Goshen, Indiana.
President Emerita
Sara Wenger Shenk retired as president of AMBS in June 2019 after serving in this role since fall 2010. She was named President Emerita by the AMBS Board of Directors in April 2020.
Sessional faculty
Gary Yamasaki is a faculty member at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and has scholarly interests in New Testament Greek and cultural studies of the New Testament era.
Professor Emerita of Preaching and Communication
June Alliman Yoder, who retired in 2009, taught preaching at AMBS for 27 years. She als...
Professor Emeritus of Old Testament
Perry Yoder's key interests were the Old Testament, particularly the Psalms; ecolog...