Pastoral Ministries
- Faculty Profile - David Greiser
David Greiser
Director, Pastoral Ministries program
620-327-8295
davidbg@hesston.edu
B.A., Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.), 1977
M.Div., Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, Calif.), 1980
D.Min., Westminster Theological Seminary (Glenside, Pa.), 1990
Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky.), 1996
What do you love about your job?
Pretty much everything! I've always enjoyed keeping one foot in the congregation and one foot in the classroom, and my role at Hesston lets me maintain that balance. Here at Hesston I get to walk with people who have pulled up stakes, like Abraham and Sarah, and followed God's call. I love classroom conversations about real life in real churches, and I relish the chance to shape students as preachers, teachers, leaders, shepherds, and visionaries for congregations.
How do your experiences as a preacher and teacher shape your approach to teaching at Hesston?
I've had the privilege of pastoring small and large churches in cities, small towns, and the suburbs. I often use my pastoral experience as a case study in the classroom, and I encourage my students to view their supervised ministry assignments as "learning labs." My urban experience in a college setting gave me an early glimpse of postmodern thinking. When I went on to serve a large suburban congregation, there were pressures on families to succeed financially in an overscheduled world. I think that pastors must know the Bible, the history of the church and its theology, but everything they learn in the classroom needs to be "road tested" in the life of a real congregation. That's where some of our best classroom conversations happen!
How do you connect with students in the program?
The "PM" program is small and very intimate, so I have lots of "face time" with the students. We have small classes, and I love the open and freewheeling discussion. I eat dinner with students and their families every week. In the weekly formation groups, I am a fellow learner with them, sharing my own story and struggles even as I encourage them to do the same. Formation groups are a good model for small group ministry in a congregation. We get pretty close to each other.
How do students adjust to being back in the classroom—some of them after many years away?
They do surprisingly well! Everyone comes into the program with anxiety—will I be able to do this? They discover advantages to being mature adults in college. As people grow older, they have more self discipline and a better ability to focus than a typical freshman is able to do. Our PMers also are highly motivated to learn—they know that soon they will be applying this in a real church! Nearly all of my students are pleased to find themselves doing better in this program than they did in high school.
What do prospective students need to know about Hesston College's learning environment?
They need to know that they will be in class with traditional 19- and 20-year-old students in some classes. That makes for some good interaction, but it might come as a surprise for some students—Hesston feels like a college! They also need to know that the professors here are all student-oriented. As committed Christians, the professors want you to succeed and will go the second mile to make it possible for you to do your best.
You’ve spent most of your life in urban areas. What surprised you most about coming to live in Hesston?
A couple of things surprised me. I haven't been in a traffic jam since I left Pennsylvania! Seriously, I was surprised by how quickly Hesston felt like home. I'm learning to love the sunny days and wide open spaces. Maybe it's because this is a college town, but people in the community and the churches were very quick to make my family and me feel at home. Congregations are used to including newcomers.
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