Matthew Regier
Henderson, Nebraska
Master of Arts New Testament student

How were you called to seminary?
Before coming to seminary, Tia (my wife) and I were in South Africa serving with Mennonite Missions Network. The beautiful and heroic country of South Africa taught us many things, and the African people inspired us with their dynamic joy and sorrow. But this was also a deeply troubling time—surrounded by the godless injustice and oppression that plagues those whom God treasures most: the poor, the widow, the fatherless. We felt something of the “long loneliness” that Dorothy Day talks about.
After ending our term in South Africa we spent some time helping on the family farm in Nebraska and then came out to Fresno to begin studies. I guess we came to MBBS for discipleship and spiritual direction. Without a concrete calling or plan from God, we came here to seek God in our brokenness.
What I know is that I felt an urge and a responsibility to pursue a deeper understanding of God. This call never seemed to narrow as much as I would have liked. Before I entered seminary people always asked me if I was going into the pastorate? Teaching? Missions? After a year and a half of studies, I am still “arguing it out” (Isaiah 1:18) with God.

Why did you come to MB Biblical Seminary’s Fresno Campus?
We knew a few of the students that were attending MBBS at the time and the testimonies they gave of their education and spiritual growth were exciting. It seemed everyone we talked to was gifted by MBBS in very significant but unique ways. We also came because we value our theological heritage as Anabaptists and believe that this seminary offers a theological perspective that holds hope for tomorrow’s church in a time when the American church has often sold out to consumerism and nationalism—two of the great idols of our age.

What is the greatest thing you have gotten from MBBS so far?
I consider myself a lifelong student and I love to read and research. I am a little afraid to admit that one of the most rewarding things I have gained is a growing knowledge of the Greek language and a consequent ability to read the New Testament in its original language. This technical knowledge is not what the seminary considers most important. The health of the church, the salvation of the lost, and compassion for the lowly—these are the things this seminary values most. Still, the cultivation of academic disciplines is important to serve these ends. Careful reading of the Word of God helps to challenge our sometimes self-motivated interpretations of the Bible and to teach us new things about ourselves and the mysterious working of God in the world.

What do you value most about MBBS?
Certainly, I value the people here even more than the material. As an Anabaptist seminary, MBBS has long had a strong emphasis on community. In our turbulent and hyper-individualized society, community sometimes seems more like a dream than a virtue of the church. Some churches claim that they can produce community with a projector screen and sixteen services in eight locations and some schools think they can provide an academic community through classes of 200 students. Maybe they can, but I think it is easier with a small group of people getting to know each other on an intimate level, with the courage and humility to admit their brokenness. MBBS is far from perfect; it is a made up of people suffering from pride and complacency, fear and loneliness. It is necessary to admit this in order to build each other up, in order to be formed into a new creation.

How has studying in a biblically focused anabaptist/evangelical environment impacted you?
As I indicated before, Tia and I think that an anabaptist/evangelical perspective offers hope for tomorrow’s church by following the examples of the earliest Christian communities that sought to follow the Way of Christ (the book of Acts talks about the followers of “the way"). This tradition sees Jesus' teachings, and in particular the Sermon on the Mount, as the "politics” of the Kingdom of God. The teachings of Jesus are ultimately made concrete in Jesus' willingness to be crucified as an act of divine self-giving. As members of God’s covenant community we worship a crucified God! I suspect I will never fully understand how truly peculiar this is. As people who worship this God, we are called to take up our cross, to be the least and the last, and to share in the unbelievable love of Christ which is stark generosity.

How do you feel you are being equipped to serve and lead in the church and in the world?
I think I already admitted that I am still a bit in the dark as to my future path. I can say that I want to serve God by learning to love His people. Seeing as I have trouble loving more than one person at a time (myself usually), I have quite a long way to go. I have a desire to teach others about the mysterious presence of God and the world-changing love of Jesus, the Christ. I think this could possibly lead me to teach in a classroom setting or to get involved in community transformation in some way.

What would you say to someone interested in seminary about the option of studying here?
MBBS is not the largest or most renowned seminary in the country. However, I believe that many of the instructors here are world-class scholars with as much knowledge and ability as many more renowned professors in larger institutions. Many of the people who have made this place their ministry have made sacrifices because they believe in this seminary’s vocation to transform lives and create radical disciples of Jesus Christ. This is a place that is intent on blending excellent academics with meaningful and concrete concern for the life of the church.