Briercrest leader returns to his roots
Michael B. Pawelke takes the reins as school's sixth president
CARONPORT, SK—When he walked through the doors of a growing Bible college as a young student, Michael Pawelke had no idea he would one day return as the school's sixth president. He was there to prepare for vocational Christian ministry, which would include more than three decades as a pastor and an eventual reconnection with the school where his leadership journey began.
Newly appointed as the sixth president of Briercrest College and Seminary in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Pawelke says the school gave him a biblical foundation that was "pivotal" in his pastoral career.
"Briercrest also encouraged me to grow in confidence—something I wasn't expecting," he says. "The student life experience, the opportunities to develop leadership qualities—they were instrumental in helping me grow as a leader. The whole Briercrest experience is more than just education, it is a whole environment that shapes a whole person."
Just a few months into his new job, Pawelke has a positive outlook. "Briercrest's vision fits so nicely with my own sense of call," says Pawelke. "Many years ago, in my role as a pastor, I sculpted a vision statement for my own life, which was to love, lead, feed, and seed.
"When I think of the mission of Briercrest—to be in community, to seek the Kingdom of God and to be formed by the truths of Scripture for lives of service—I see perfect alignment with what I've always felt God calling me to do."
A Briercrest board member since 2002, Pawelke was also an instructor since 2010, commuting from his home in Ontario, where he served as senior pastor for Brant/Compass Point Bible
Church.
"It was something that I had to wrestle with because of my deep love for the church I was serving at the time, but I really believed in what Briercrest was doing, what Briercrest stood for, and what Briercrest was seeking to accomplish with its mission. It was a tough decision to leave, but it was not a tough decision to come."
Pawelke's first tasks are to absorb and understand his role, reaffirm Briercrest's roots, and recalibrate the school for the changing context Canadians live in. Along these lines, one of Briercrest's recent initiatives was achieving university status for its BA Humanities degree.
"My greatest objective," Pawelkesays, "is to promote [the school] and encourage people to consider Briercrest as a possible place to come for education. I think over the last number of years we have really worked hard at our standards of education and our quality of staff and faculty. I anticipate our influence will spread in the Canadian context."
Followers of Jesus should value education, says Pawelke. "A disciple is a learner," he says, "and you never graduate from the school of discipleship; you are always learning."
What particularly excites Pawelke about Briercrest's offerings is that they are seeking to equip students for many occupations, not just for vocational ministry or service in the church.
"We want to equip students who are who are going into professional settings, who are continuing on with their education elsewhere, who are going into research. We want to give them the very best training so they look at their world from a Christian perspective.
"To that end, we want to be an institution of influence. We want to train students to be effective in their critical thinking skills and their ability to handle biblical truth and theological frameworks as they interact with our changing world."
The students' ambition to take what they've learned and apply it is energizing.
"When you see students walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas, degrees, certificates, or honours, it is so inspiring because those students are going to change their world for the purposes of God," says Pawelke.
"[Graduation] just ignites and catalyzes excitement throughout the whole campus," he adds. "The ceremony is, in many ways, the climax of the students' experience, but also exciting for the faculty and staff as they see the end result of their efforts."
Pawelke looks to the coming days with anticipation. "I'm looking forward to this season of stewarding and the opportunity to serve."
View a full-page PDF of this story: SOM Briercrest 07-2013
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