Rempel gives 33 seminary grads tips for 鈥渄riving in the fog鈥�
Published: May 8, 2025
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� During 鈥檚 (香蕉影视) May 3 Commencement Service, , PhD, of Fresno, California, gave the Class of 2025 counsel for navigating challenging seasons of ministry.
The commencement speaker addressed an audience of approximately 175 people at the service 鈥� including the 33 members of the graduating class, 17 of whom were present in person. The event was held in the Elkhart, Indiana, seminary鈥檚 Chapel of the Sermon on the Mount and livestreamed.
Rempel, who is Director of Accreditation for The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada聽and was formerly Vice President and Dean of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary, spoke of a season in her life in which she faced leadership challenges that she likened to the 鈥渢hick darkness鈥� referenced in 1 Kings 8:12. Expanding on the image, she described a type of fog that is common in her region. Known as tule fog, it鈥檚 a thick blanket of fog that settles near the ground after rainfall, often in late fall.聽
鈥淕iven the likelihood that you all may experience your own season of thick darkness now or sometime in the future, let me suggest that learning to drive in the fog can be an essential skill for effective leadership,鈥� she said, offering these tips:
1. Slow down, but keep moving at a slow and steady pace.
鈥淲hen the fog is deeply settled in, a slow and steady pace helps you avoid road hazards and keeps you moving forward,鈥� Rempel said. 鈥淔its and starts put you at risk for collisions.鈥�
She encouraged the graduates to attend to their physical, spiritual and emotional health in all seasons: 鈥淐rises tend to bring everything to a stop, and our tendency in those circumstances might be to simply quit. Keep nurturing the habits and disciplines of a Christ-centered faith, as they will help carry you through if or when you are tempted to abandon the road.鈥�
2. Dim your brights.
When drivers use their high beams, the fog reflects the light back, effectively blinding them, she said.
鈥淏e careful about only surrounding yourself with people who share your views,鈥� she noted, adding that social media algorithms can distort one鈥檚 sense of reality and ability to minister effectively. Leaders can easily become isolated and even protected from difficult truths. It鈥檚 important to 鈥渞oll down your windows and listen鈥� to other perspectives and to learn from them, she said.
3. Use your windshield wipers.
鈥淕raduates, be sure to keep wiping away the things that impair your vision 鈥� the biases that guide your reactions to people and situations and the habits of the mind and heart that make it even more difficult to discern the landscape you are traversing,鈥� Rempel said.
She advised them to scan the horizon for landmarks or hazards: 鈥淪canning the horizon is an essential task of effective and visionary leadership. Keep looking ahead so that you do not miss opportunities for prophetic witness to the saving reign of God.鈥�
4. Follow the fog line.
For believers in any season, following the white line at the edge of the road can be thought of as 鈥渢he Jesus Way,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e are all called to love our enemies, care for the vulnerable, resist the lie that violence is an effective means of resolving differences, walk the extra mile, and be peacemakers in a world that so desperately needs to be reconciled to God and each other,鈥� she noted. 鈥淐ommit yourself to following the way of Jesus as if your life and ministry depends on it. It does.鈥�
Rempel reminded the graduates of the reassurances of Psalm 139:1-12, which four graduates had read in multiple languages earlier in the service.
鈥淭he Lord鈥檚 hand can be trusted to guide you and hold you fast,鈥� she told them. 鈥淎nd if you, too, find yourself in the thick darkness and must learn to drive in the fog, remember that even the darkness is not dark to God, and the night will shine like the day.鈥�
After the graduates received their degrees and certificates, Jamie Pitts, PhD, Professor of Anabaptist Studies, gave a prayer of blessing for the graduating class. Using the refrain, 鈥淕od of peace, you are making all things new,鈥� he spoke of God鈥檚 steadfast presence with the graduates throughout their lives, their years of study, and moments of both uncertainty and celebration.
鈥淚n the footsteps of Jesus, these graduates will teach, heal, liberate and make peace,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey will face hardship and opposition with courage and creativity. They will walk in the way of the cross but refuse to let death have the last word, placing their hope in your gracious provision of new, resurrection life. Along the way they will return repeatedly to their source, your Spirit, your whisper 鈥� 鈥榶ou are my beloved.鈥� You will be there. And we will give you thanks.鈥�
Following the service, a reception was held in the 香蕉影视 courtyard and Waltner Hall Lounge for the seminary community, the graduates and their guests.
The 2025 graduating class
Of the 33 graduates honored during the service, 13 graduates earned a ; nine earned a ; five earned a ; and two earned a . Three students earned a , and one student earned a .
Nine of the graduates who received the MA: Theology and Global Anabaptism made up the third cohort of Ethiopian students to complete the program entirely from Ethiopia through a partnership between 香蕉影视 and Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu/Debre Zeit that began in 2019.
The graduating class comprised 15 women and 18 men from eight countries (Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand and the United States); two Canadian provinces; and eight U.S. states. Nineteen of the graduates completed part or all of their seminary studies from a distance.
Ten of the graduates are serving in pastoral ministry roles; eight are seeking an assignment in mission, service or pastoral ministry or discerning next steps; seven are serving in education; two are serving a denomination or church district; two are involved with campus ministry; and two will complete a one-year term of Optional Practical Training. One each is working in a nongovernmental organization; involved in community engagement work; serving as a chaplain; offering spiritual direction; serving as a regular guest preacher; or working in freelance graphic design, photography and copyediting. Nine plan to pursue further graduate studies in the future. (Some graduates have multiple roles.)
Thirty-one of the graduates are affiliated with these member churches of Mennonite World Conference: 12 with Meserete Kristos Church (Ethiopian Mennonite Church); 11 with Mennonite Church USA; two with LMC 鈥� A fellowship of Anabaptist churches; two with Mennonite Church Canada; one with Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI, or Muria Christian Church of Indonesia); one with Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI, or Indonesian Christian Congregation); one with Kenya Mennonite Church; and one with Mennonite Brethren Church of Congo.
Other affiliations include the African Independent Church; Church of the Brethren (U.S.); Church of Christ in Thailand; the Evana Network; Full Gospel Church in Ethiopia; the Reformed Church in America; Sunshine Gelgela International Church; and a nondenominational church. (Some graduates are connected with multiple denominations.) 香蕉影视 serves Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada as a binational seminary.
Anabaptist-Mennonite colleges and universities with graduates in 香蕉影视鈥檚 Class of 2025 include Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; Goshen (Indiana) College; Hesston (Kansas) College; Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana; Mennonite Theological College of East Africa in Musomo, Tanzania; Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu/Debre Zeit, Ethiopia; and Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas.
A recording of the Commencement Service is available at .
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world.
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