Mennonite Weekly Review

ELKHART, Ind. — Sara Weng­er Shenk, associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, Va. has been named president of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

Sara Weng­er Shenk

She will begin serving no later than Oct. 1, 2010, after several months of orientation and preparation.

The AMBS board made the appointment at its Oct. 22-24 meetings in Elkhart.

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 of Goshen, chair of the presidential search committee and new chair of the AMBS board, said 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… . [She] is grounded in Jesus, deeply respectful of the church and passionate about Anabaptist theological education.”

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 to The Table, an emerging Mennonite congregation in Harrisonburg.

Wenger Shenk is a Virginia Mennonite Conference representative to the Constituency Leaders Council of Mennonite Church USA and recently joined the MC USA Binational Worship Council. From 1993 to 2001 she was a member of Virginia Conference’s Faith and Life Commission.

“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,” said Carlos Romero, executive director of Mennonite Education Agency.

Ray Friesen of Swift Current, Sask., chair of the AMBS board through the October meetings, said Wenger Shenk’s “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.”

Wenger Shenk has a bachelor of arts degree from Eastern Mennonite University, a master’s degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evan­ston, Ill., and a doctor of education degree from Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va.