August 10, 2010

Grand Rapids Theological Seminary is expanding.

With five cohorts in four cities, the urban ministry leadership education program has led to an increased need for Bible faculty.

Wendy Widder, a GRTS graduate (M.Div., ‘04) in a doctoral program at the University Wisconsin at Madison, will help to fill the need. She will teach Old Testament.

 “We have a lot of confidence in her capability, and this is a great opportunity for her continued development,” said John Verberkmoes, vice president and academic dean. “In addition, GRTS faculty and administration recognize our need to become more diverse (gender and race/ethnicity), and this is an opportunity to make some progress in this important area.”

Widder will be the seminary’s first full-time female faculty member in Bible. She will teach classes on the book of Daniel, Old Testament biblical theology and biblical hermeneutics.

She has written two books about Christians living “full lives” as single adults: “Living Whole Without a Better Half” and “A Match Made in Heaven: How Singles and the Church Can Live Happily Ever After.” She has also coauthored “The Forest and the Trees: Helping Christian Teachers Integrate a Biblical Worldview Across the Curriculum” with her father, Richard, a longtime educator.

“I’m excited to be back at GRTS,” she said. “I found it a wonderful place to thrive as a student, and partnering with myprofessors to create the same kind of learning environment for current students is really an immense privilege. It’s also so nice to have a job in a place I know, working with people I respect and teaching things I love.”

For more information about Wendy Widder, take a look at her faculty profile. To find out more about GRTS visit http://grts.cornerstone.edu