Rudy-Froese appointed professor of Christian proclamation

Allan Rudy-Froese, Ph.D. candidate at Emmanuel College, Toronto (Ont.) School of Theology and a recent columnist for Canadian Mennonite, has been appointed professor of Christian proclamation at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, beginning July 1, 2011.

In this position, Rudy-Froese will teach preaching and public communication, including biblical storytelling and missional preaching. He will develop courses that address speaking and writing about faith in the public sphere, communication and media, spiritual disciplines and congregational practices of listening and speaking. He also will serve as the resource person for the AMBS Preaching Institute, a continuing education program for pastors who wish to continue developing their skills.

“I am thrilled with Allan Rudy-Froese’s appointment as AMBS’s Christian proclamation professor. Allan’s knowledge of Mennonite Church Canada will enhance our partnership with churches in Canada, for which we’re grateful,” Sara Wenger Shenk, AMBS president said. “I sense from Allan a deep love for the church and an eagerness to cultivate capacities in our students for public communication of the Gospel. I am encouraged by the ways this redesigned faculty role will move AMBS into a dynamic future—poised to equip our students for theologically grounded, interdisciplinary communication that will connect with diverse audiences. And Allan’s great sense of humor and broad preparation in the dramatic arts add delightful spice to the mix.”

 “AMBS is a special place for Mennonites and people from other traditions to gather around the scriptures, history and the practices of the church for the sake of God’s mission in the world,” Rudy-Froese said. “In this gathering we use words. But what words do we use, and how shall we use these words in the church and in God's larger mission in the world? These are the questions at the heart of my studies in preaching and the questions I bring to AMBS.” 

Rudy-Froese is currently completing his dissertation on the topic “Grace and ethics in preaching,” examining the relationship between Lutheran understanding of proclamation as a means of God’s grace and Anabaptist-Mennonite ethical teaching in the preached sermon. He served as pastor of Thompson Mennonite Church, Thompson, Man., from 1986–1989, and Rockway Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ont., from 1992–2000; and he served as associate pastor at Erb Street Mennonite Church (Waterloo, Ont.) from 2000–2004. He received a Master of Divinity degree from AMBS in 1992.

Rudy-Froese is married to Marilyn Rudy-Froese, who is on the pastoral team of Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ont. They are the parents of three children. 

--March 25, 2001