Some graduates have taken service assignments or community- and church-related jobs. Over the last 30 years, about two-thirds of Bethel graduates and alumni in Bible and religion have gone on for graduate study at Mennonite, United Methodist, and other church-related seminaries, as well as widely known institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the University of Chicago.
Post-graduate careers include:
- bankruptcy law, environmental law
- director of international programs for the Mennonite Central Committee
- community organizing
- human rights work with Muslim women in Afghanistan
- pastoral ministry, including youth ministry
- director of a Mennonite relief and service program in the West Bank
- teaching religion at the college and university level
- principal of an international school in India
- conflict mediation
Notable Alumni:
Hannah Klaassen – ’06
Hannah was a refugee job placement specialist at Jewish Vocational Service in Kansas City for three years following graduation, working mainly with immigrants from East Africa. She has completed a dual master’s degree in theology (Chicago Theological Seminary) and social work (University of Chicago).
Joel Goering – ’05
After graduation, Joel worked for five years as a community organizer and program director in Kansas City, Kan. He spearheaded the effort to start a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School in his neighborhood and was the school’s first project director. In 2011, he completed a master’s in business administration, emphasizing nonprofit management, at the University of Texas at Austin and now works as a charter school finance specialist for EdOps. Based in Washington, D.C., this organization provides business management services to charter schools.
Samuel Voth Schrag – ’04
Samuel came into Bethel, not knowing what to study. He left Bethel prepared to go to seminary, choosing the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He currently leads the congregation at St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship.
Alan Stucky – ’03
Alan knew from early on that seminary was his calling. He graduated from Bethel with a degree in Bible and religion, then Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary with a master’s in divinity. Stucky currently works as the pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Wichita.