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Dr. Mark Hausfeld formally inaugurated as president of AG Seminary

Published on Nov 14, 2015 by Evangel University News

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — “This is heavy so that you are reminded of the weight of your responsibility every time you have occasion to wear it,” said Dr. Carol Taylor, president of Evangel University, as she presented Dr. Mark Hausfeld with his presidential medallion on Friday morning.

With those words, Dr. Hausfeld accepted the challenge of leadership, and was formally inaugurated as the sixth president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary at Evangel University, on Nov. 13, 2015.

The Inauguration was the formal ceremony where faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends from around the world gathered for dedication and celebration.

Hausfeld had previously been appointed by the Evangel University Board of Trustees and actually assumed the seminary presidency on July 1, 2015.

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Dr. Carol Taylor presents Dr. Mark Hausfeld with his presidential medallion on the occasion of his inauguration as president of the AGTS at Evangel. // PHOTO BY: Megan White

The presidential medallion is a symbol of authority vested to the seminary president by the board of trustees and the president of the university. It is worn with academic robes during formal occasions.

On the back is a scripture, chosen by Hausfeld, to serve as a reminder of his responsibility to lead first with prayer — “… you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12.

Since the consolidation of AGTS with Evangel University in 2013, the president of AGTS reports to the Evangel president. He also serves as a member of the Cabinet of Evangel University.

In honoring and embracing the consolidation, Hausfeld said, “Our greatest days of influence as a seminary to cover the earth with the living waters of the gospel are not behind, but ahead. Today, we have the joy of doing so as part of Evangel University.”

Hausfeld succeeded Dr. Byron Klaus, who served as president of AGTS for 16 years.

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Dr. Mark Hausfeld was all smiles following his inauguration as president of AGTS. Shown (L-to-R) are his daughter, Kara Edson; President Hausfeld; wife, Lynda (Lestarjette ’82); daughter, Danae ’11, and her husband, Dr. Luke Van Kirk ’07. Missing was his son, Karl. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon

Mark & Lynda Hausfeld have more than 30 years of ministry and education experience, both in the United States and abroad. Their resume together ranges from planting churches and pastoring on the South Side of Chicago, to starting a Teen Challenge in Pakistan.

He has taught at AGTS since 2007 and has functioned as the seminary’s director of the Center for Islamic Studies since 2010. He holds the rank of professor.

Hausfeld earned his B.A. from Evangel University in 1980 and his M.Div. from AGTS in 1983. He also earned a D.Min. from Northern Seminary in 1992.

 

The seminary

The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary at Evangel is an accredited seminary for the graduate-level education of ministers, missionaries and chaplains. Alumni currently serve in all 50 states and 125 countries.

Located in Springfield, Mo., AGTS opened its doors in 1972 and awarded its first masters degrees in 1974. It is one of the world’s leading Pentecostal seminaries and has one of the largest doctor of ministry programs in the nation.

AGTS has a long history of training military chaplains. Currently, more than 180 alumni are serving as chaplains in the Armed Forces and Veterans Administration, and about 30 students are preparing for chaplaincy.

 

QUOTE FROM SPEECH: Five-year goals

MISSION STATEMENT — AGTS shapes servant leaders with knowledge, skill and passion to revitalize the church and evangelize the world in the power of the Spirit.

“As President of the AGTS, I affirm how our mission statement has contributed to a global inundation of women and men into pastoral ministry, global missions, military and institutional chaplaincy, and the marketplace. Our seminary must ready servant leaders without compromise, yet ever in the love of Christ Jesus engage the competing narratives of secular humanism and fundamentalist Islam. To effectively do this, our initial five-year goals are:

  • To see a racially and ethnically diverse campus in administration, faculty, and students that reflects our Assemblies of God movement and society;
  • To embrace a diversity of Evangelical students that desire to embrace the biblical theology AGTS holds of the Holy Spirit’s Person and work for life and ministry, as practiced in our Pentecostal tradition;
  • To come along side our veterans of the Armed Services to provide community, wholeness, healing, and the educational fulfillment of the call of God upon their lives;
  • To provide an ever-growing menu of online courses and locations to provide masters degree programs that enable AGTS to have a national and global campus; and
  • To provide the finest Islamic Studies program of any seminary in the United States to prepare the Church to engage Muslim peoples in love and with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

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This story was featured on in the Springfield News-Leader, a Gannett Newspaper, on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015 (Section A, top of page 3). http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/education/2015/11/14/mark-hausfeld-inaugurated-president-ag-seminary/75727996/