Academic coaches provide added support for WBS students

WBS is growing in two ways as we pursue our mission to develop trusted leaders for faithful churches: first, we are growing numerically; and second, we are growing in the diversity of academic backgrounds of our students. The addition of a team of Academic Coaches to our staff is helping to ensure that, as we grow, our students continue to succeed.

Numerically, student headcount has more than tripled since 2022. As class sizes grow, we are committed to ensuring every student gets personal attention. “WBS has always prided itself on the relationships students form with their professors,” says Academic VP Chris Lohrstorfer. “Our students often say their instructors pastored them and discipled them as well as teaching them. Now, our TA’s and Academic Coaches are adding another layer of that personal touch.”

Academically, an increasing number of pastors come from non-traditional paths. They may answer a call to ministry later in life, and/or serve the church co-vocationally. Many have not been in a formal educational setting for many years, and it can feel intimidating. Academic Coaches help to bridge that gap, providing practical guidance for navigating the system and tutoring in skills like academic writing. “Academic Coaches provide support in the ‘how’ of schooling, allowing professors to focus on questions about theological content,” explains Lohrstorfer.

Meet the Coaches

Todd Sullivan: A Project Manager Leans into the Gaps

Todd Sullivan pastors two churches in the suburbs north of Houston, Texas. He came to WBS as a student in the Global Methodist Course of Study and then converted to the Master of Divinity degree program. He has a degree in business and has worked for over 30 years as a Project Manager. Dr. Lohrstorfer saw his potential and invited him to work as a TA, helping to grade papers. Todd found himself doing coaching organically in that role, so it was natural for him to apply when the Academic Coach positions were announced.

“Over half our classes are new students getting their first taste of seminary,” explains Todd. “Many just need some encouragement that it’s not too hard for them. I give them tips, tools, and templates. As they practice those skills, they gain confidence.”

Todd sees his business experience as one way that God prepared him for this ministry. “As a project manager, you learn to recognize gaps and lean in, not just assume everyone will always know what to do,” he says. “In the same way, I’m excited to come alongside students empathically and help them overcome any gaps they have to succeed.”

Tracy Gibson: An Educator Answers the Call

Tracy Gibson is an associate pastor at a church near Cincinnati, Ohio, and a retired language arts teacher with over 30 years of experience. She holds master’s degrees in administration from the University of Dayton and in Evangelism and Leadership from Wheaton College. She came to WBS through the GMC Course of Study and enjoyed her classes so much that she has continued to take more even after fulfilling her ordination requirements.

Tracy came to Christ at age 16 and found that she often desired to study and understand things more deeply than many around her. In 2017, she began to respond to call to ministry by signing up for a new program at Wheaton led by well-known speaker and activist Christine Caine. However, Tracy became afraid she did not have what it took to be a pastor and backed out of the program.

All that summer, Tracy wrestled with God and was convicted that she had been disobedient to the Spirit. However, by the time she reapplied, all the spots had been filled. In God’s gracious providence, though, an additional cohort was added, Tracy started the program, and resolved never again to be deliberately disobedient in that way. God has opened many doors of ministry for her since then as an effective preacher, teacher, and mentor.

Her ministry experience, along with her years in education, make Tracy a perfect fit to come alongside students to both encourage them in their calling and equip them in their writing.

Elizabeth West: A Dream to Pastor and Teach Pastors

Elizabeth West is co-pastor of First Methodist of Corinth, Mississippi. She received an MDiv from Liberty University and is currently working on a DMin through Asbury Theological Seminary. Her undergraduate degree is in education. She became connected to WBS through Course of Study classes while working toward ordination as an Elder in the GMC. She says she loved her classes so much that she talked her co-pastor, Kim Ratliff, into becoming a student as well.

When she met President Andy Miller, she asked for an opportunity to serve as a Teaching Assistant. The door opened for her to serve in that role with Dr. Brian Yeich. Elizabeth says her dream is to be both a pastor and a teacher of pastors, so it was a logical next step to apply when the position of Academic Coach was announced.

Much of her role involves encouraging students. Classes can be overwhelming at the start of a semester, she says, and people need to hear, “Don’t quit, you can do this.” More than one student has told her how uplifting she has been. “As a coach, it’s tempting to do things for students,” Elizabeth says. “But instead, I try to focus on pointing the way and encouraging them to try things for themselves. As they discover that they really can do it, they gain confidence.”

Elizabeth was drawn to Christ as an adult after her first child was born. “I knew my little girl deserved a better life,” she recalls, “and I recognized I needed God in my life for that to happen.” She became good friends with a Methodist pastor in Texas who mentored her in the faith. She also saw the calling on Elizabeth’s life and encouraged her to pursue ministry and theological education.

It took many years and the influence of several more mentors for her to gradually move from resisting that call to embracing it. But Elizabeth says she knows she is in exactly the right place now. “I think some things are hard-wired into you,” she says. “You can get better at them, or leave them dormant, but they aren’t going away.”

The gentle, but challenging coaching she received along the way is bearing fruit in her ability to offer the same kind of encouragement to WBS students today. “I can’t think of a better legacy of ministry than to preach the gospel on Sunday morning and support other pastors through the week,” she says.

That is a legacy each of these academic coaches will share.