Tabor College will begin offering courses in Graduate Studies in Ministry (GSM) in fall 2025 thanks to a dedicated partnership between Tabor College and the Central and Southern district conferences.
The courses will run over eight-week modules in a hybrid learning model and provide essential skills in preaching, pastoral care, spiritual formation, church administration and cultural engagement. Additionally, pastors can utilize these courses to equip future ministry leaders in their congregations and build a sustainable model for leadership development in Mennonite Brethren churches.
Pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the district-selected steering team of seven pastors and Tabor faculty anticipates launching a master’s degree for the 2026-27 academic year.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Tabor College to serve its member churches,” says Tabor Provost Frank Johnson. “Elements of this initiative have existed for some time, but in God’s timing, the door has now opened. While a formal degree will not be available this fall, we intend for credits to transfer to the degree upon full HLC approval.”
GSM Steering Team Members
Aaron Garza, Ph.D. Candidate (g’14)
Senior Pastor, Bethesda Church (Huron, S.D.)
Aaron Halvorsen, M.Div.
Lead Pastor, Community Bible Church (Olathe, Kan.)
Brian Harris, D.Min.
Southern District Minister (Owasso, Okla.)
Daniel Rodriguez, M.Div.
Central District Minister (Omaha, Neb.)
Frank Johnson, Ph.D.
Provost, Tabor College
Wendell Loewen, D.Min.
Special Assistant To The President, Tabor College
Eric Foster-Whiddon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Tabor College
Born out of the goal to see more Mennonite Brethren-trained church planters, missionaries, pastors and other leaders, these graduate-level courses will equip students to serve their local church and beyond.
“An individual church could not possibly pull off an initiative of this magnitude,” says Brian Harris, Southern District Conference minister. “It requires the expertise that Tabor offers and the experience and relationships from our churches. It will be key for our pastors to look and say, ‘I see these people and they are the harvest workers we’re looking for.’ We’re asking the pastors to recruit this next wave of students. It’s bringing those two pieces together.”
Wendell Loewen is one of the college’s three steering team representatives. Loewen says pastoral buy-in has been a critical component in the infancy of these courses.
“The way this is structured is we’ll utilize pastors with appropriate degrees to be involved as instructors or cohort facilitators,” Loewen says. “They could be a go-between between the instructor and the student. We will also have mentors who are seasoned pastors who may not have a terminal degree but can also walk with the student through two years of courses.”
As a Tabor graduate and now pastor at Bethesda Church in Huron, S.D., Aaron Garza (g’14) is thrilled to know fellow alumni will have the opportunity to serve alongside him with a Tabor undergraduate degree or graduate-level certification.
“I’m excited that the same school that I went to and prepared me for ministry can be more intentional at a larger scale,” Garza says. “In opening these courses and this program, we’re creating that relational funnel where camaraderie among leaders is developed and sent out through our denomination. We’re helping facilitate relationships with shared convictions and having new leaders born out of this, prepared for the work before them.”
New to Tabor’s biblical studies faculty in 2024-25, Eric Foster-Whiddon has quickly built an appreciation for the conference’s vision for theological education.
“We’re thinking about theological education from an Anabaptist, MB perspective at a graduate level,” Foster-Whiddon says. “It’s looking at things like church history, but with an Anabaptist lens. We will use the MB Confession of Faith as a foundational element in theology classes. As we’re thinking through systematic theology, the touchpoint is this document, what it is, how it works, and how it integrates.”
In his 10th year as lead pastor at Community Bible Church in Olathe, Kan., Aaron Halvorsen says the broad nature of the courses may help someone involved in a non-pastoral role or short or long-term missions.
“If some of my church elders wanted to do something like these courses, I’d be really encouraged by that,” Halvorsen says. “Even if it’s not a primary teaching pastor, I think there is a space for that person and for someone who hasn’t gone to formal seminary but wants to improve their skills in ministry.”
While the program continues to take shape, Rodriguez says the steering team will play a vital role in the full curriculum and leadership development.
“Two things that pastors are really liking about this are that Tabor is allowing pastors to be part of it and the role the steering team is taking in vetting curriculum, faculty, and making sure everything aligns with our Confession of Faith,” Rodriguez says. “They’re thrilled to be in a relationship with future students and pastors.”
To learn more about Tabor’s Graduate Studies in Ministry Courses visit www.tabor.edu/gsm. Read about other graduate offerings at www.tabor.edu/online.
Tabor College is the Mennonite Brethren college located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The mission of Tabor College, founded in 1908, is to prepare people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his kingdom.
