Identity and Vocation
In every generation God's spirit emboldens God's people to ask anew what we are called to in this time and this place. As Eastern Mennonite Seminary, we deepen our search with the following questions: What saving work is God initiating in the world that summons our wholehearted participation as a community of learning? How do our lives become an offering of praise and gratitude for God's initiative toward us in Jesus Christ? How do we make known the goodness of God's salvation in a world burdened by economic, social, environmental and personal degradation? Amidst cultures flooded by fear, what does it mean to call people to devote their primary allegiance to the reign of God that transcends national boundaries, as revealed to us in Jesus Christ?
As a seminary embedded within a small Christian liberal arts university we also ask, "Who are we?" What is our identity as a learning community within this network of learning communities? What is our particular vocation in the broader university, within the Mennonite communities of the eastern United States, and among the various other denominations seeking to serve God's mission in our region?
As students and minister within communities of worship and mission beyond as well as within EMU, we cultivate perspectives that are life-giving and thought-provoking as we study and serve. We seek to model a way of being in the world that show forth God's shalom. We desire that our life and work will be noteworthy because we are Christians who covenant together to proclaim that God is love, to live justly, to love our enemies, to tell the truth, and to care for creation.
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of those who trust in the Lord: "They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out it roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit." (17:8)
Engagement in God's mission is core to our vocation as a seminary. Our capacity to engage and be fruitful will grow as we attend to our root system. The roots nurture our ability to interpret the Bible, to discern our context, and to grow as Christian disciples. They give us confidence to know that Jesus' promise is for us: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." (John 21:21)
In our time the Anabaptist stream of convictions and practices has branched out in many directions. We engage core elements of this history, gladly sharing it with Christian siblings with other historical roots. The Anabaptist commitment to following Christ in life provides us with a continual source of renewal. We also give thanks to God that as our roots intertwine with those of other believers, our vitality as a seminary now experiences the dynamic generativity visible in the tree's broad branches and green vibrant leaves. We commit to producing fruitful and critically engaged leaders in the churches and the world.