Missionary-in-Residence Teaching at Seminary

Albert Strydhorst knows what it’s like to be a missionary. For nearly 20 years he and his family served in Nigeria with Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM).

Now, as Calvin Theological Seminary’s missionary-in-residence, he’s challenging others to consider missionary work.

Calvin Seminary’s missionary-in-residence position first opened up in 2010. Paul Bergsma, a former CRWM missionary in Costa Rica, held the position for two years. Albert followed him in 2012. Through their roles they’ve sought to raise awareness of missions and advise and teach students on serving God in missions.

Some of Strydhorst’s’s key tasks have been teaching and keeping the conversation going about missions. He’s taught courses on missions, global Christianity, and cross-cultural ministry and been part of campus clubs focused on church planting and social justice.

He’s hosted international visitors who’ve opened students’ eyes to the ministry opportunities available. Additionally, he has spoken in many churches about missions and helped organize several missions-related conferences.

Strydhorst says he has noticed a range of attitudes in North America toward missions. “Many North Americans are so busy pursuing the American dream of happiness and security that they haven’t thought much about missions,” he notes.

Some churches are actively engaged in local and global missions by sending out teams and giving generously. Others still view missions as something that happens “in Africa,” not realizing that today “missions is from everywhere to everywhere.”

Still others are uncomfortable with evangelism, believing it to harbor intolerance of people of other faiths.

Strydhorst’s goal is to help student and churches view missions afresh.

“God is doing amazing things around the world,” he says. “Some of these things appear strange to us. [Yet,] it’s to God’s glory and our health—maybe even our survival—for us to associate with these majority world churches in missions partnerships, discussions, reciprocal learning, and more.”

Additionally, Strydhorst notes, missionaries are still urgently needed. “There are vast areas around the world of people who have never heard the Good News . . . We must use our considerable resources in prayer and partnership with others to go into these places.”

In light of these realities, he encourages seminary students to consider an international internship.

One student, Grant Hofman, will do his seminary internship in Sierra Leone with CRWM this summer. Last year two seminary graduates, Justin Van Zee and Tony Westrate, became partner missionaries with CRWM in Cambodia and Cameroon respectively. Seminary graduate Micah Schuurman will be going to Costa Rica this year.

Strydhorst cannot yet know what conversation or lecture will stick with a student years down the road. But if nothing else, he hopes students will remember to “invest their lives in what lasts.”