The new professors include Stephen Chester, associate professor of New Testament; Max J. Lee, assistant professor of New Testament; Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom, assistant professor in Theology and Ethics; and Michael A. Van Horn, associate professor of Theology and Worship.
Chester is currently a lecturer in New Testament and Greek at International Christian College (ICC) in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as an honorary lecturer in the Department of Divinity and Religious Studies of the University of Aberdeen.
He earned his doctoral degree at the University of Glasgow. Ordained in the Church of Scotland, he has been active in urban ministry in Glasgow since 1988. He led a team at ICC to develop a Master of Theology program in Urban Ministry.
Chester was on staff at the Ruchazie Parish Church in 1988-89 working with youth and the community. He has been an active member of the church since then. He also has served as assistant minister at Burnside Parish Church. He is married with two children.
Lee currently is a visiting assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. He previously has taught at Westmont College and Fuller Theological Seminary.
He earned his doctoral degree at Fuller. He has been active in diverse ministries since 1989. Currently he is preaching regularly at the Chinese Christian Mandarin Church of Willowbrook and the Evangelical Free Church of Naperville outside Chicago.
Lee was a short-term missionary in Tokyo, Japan, on staff at campus ministries at the University of California-Berkeley, San Francisco State University, UCLA, USC, U.C. Irvine, Caltech and U.C. Riverside. He also served as a youth pastor and leader of Bible studies and discipleship groups at Berkland Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Lee is married with two children.
Clifton-Soderstrom is the new assistant professor of theology and ethics. She has been teaching at the seminary, though not on a tenure track.
She earned her doctoral degree at Loyola University in Chicago, where she also has been a guest lecturer. She also has given talks in the areas of politics, medicine and justice.
Clifton-Soderstrom has extensive experience in the health care field, including working with seniors and persons with disabilities. She also has done short-term work at a women’s clinic in Ghana.
She has been an active member of North Park Covenant Church and currently serves as a deacon. Clifton-Soderstrom also has been involved in youth, children and family ministries at numerous Evangelical Covenant Churches and camps. She is married with two children.
Van Horn currently is senior pastor at Trinity Church (Evangelical Covenant) in Livonia, Michigan, where he has served since 1995. He also has taught full-time at Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has taught part-time at William Tyndale College and done adjunct work at Ashland Theological Seminary.
He serves on the Church Music and Worship Commission for the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Ordained in the Baptist church, Van Horn has been active in ministry since 1988. He was pastor of a United Methodist congregation in Twin Lake, Michigan from 1988-1990.
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