Nate Yoder

“In my teaching of church history, I am called to pay special attention to God’s initiative and to human response across the centuries. My invitation to students is to engage in critical analysis and to bring considered commitment and worshipful wonder into their reflection on the incarnate Word, the embodied Spirit, and the renewed church.”

Alongside his teaching and administrative responsibilities, Dr. Yoder continues work on a history of the Conservative Mennonite Conference, often better known by her Bible college and missions program, both named for the village of Rosedale, Ohio, where they are located. He is particularly interested in how this group, which is hardly distinctive by way of outward cultural markers, has interfaced Anabaptism and Evangelicalism. An ordained minister, he brings both pastoral and historical perspectives to that question.

• Ph.D., Department of History, University of Notre Dame, IN, 1999.
  Dissertation title: “Mennonite Fundamentalism: Shaping An Identity For An American Context.”
  Dissertation director: Philip Gleason; readers: Nathan Hatch, George Marsden, and Walter Nugent.
  
• M.A., Department of History, University of Notre Dame, IN, 1989.
  
• B.A., Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, 1984.
  
• A.A., Jefferson Community College, Louisville, KY, 1982.

• “Introduction,” and co-editor with Carol Scheppard. Exiles in the Empire: Believers Church Perspectives on Politics. Vol. 5, Studies in the Believers Church Tradition. Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora Press, 2006.
• “Mennonite Scholars and Mennonite Fundamentalism.” Journal of Mennonite Studies 23 (2005): 111-22.
• “Mennonite Fundamentalism: Shaping An Identity For An American Context.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Notre Dame, 1999.

• “Looking Back,” keynote address, Evangelical Anabaptist Symposium 2007 – Knowing Christ: Renewing an Evangelical Foundation, Rosedale Bible College, Irwin, Ohio, 15 November 2007.
• “The History of Preaching in the Conservative Mennonite Conference,” workshop at the Ministers Fellowship, Conservative Mennonite Conference, Hicksville Mennonite Church, Hicksville, Ohio, 2008 February 20.
• “The Eastern Mennonite School as Experienced by one of her First Graduates [Mary Nafziger],” presentation to Faculty Luncheon, Eastern Mennonite University, 25 March 2008.
• “Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts and The Conservative Mennonite Conference: Evangelical Teaching for Traditionalist Families in Transition,” paper presented at the Conference on Mennonites, Family, and Sexuality in Historical Perspective, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont., 12 October 2007.
• “The Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference: A Case Study in Appropriating an Amish Heritage.” Paper presented at The Amish in America: New Identities & Diversities – An International Conference, The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, 9 June 2007.
• “The Mennonites.” Interviewed live with Nancy Heisey by Tom Graham for Insight on WMRA, Harrisonburg, VA, 7 June 2006.
• “The Rule of Christ: A Sacrament for Anabaptists.” Anabaptist Seminar, Eastern Mennonite University, 8 April 2006.
• “Church and School: Called to Connect and Let Go.” Presented at conference on Cultivating a Culture of Calling: Mennonite Perspectives on Vocation, Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana, 21 October 2005.

• “Knowing Who Knows (Psalm 139).” Baccalaureate address, Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 31 May 2008.
• “The Word, the Spirit, the Church, and the Bible (John 16:12-28).” Sermon at Mt. Clinton (Virginia) Mennonite Church, 4 May 2008.
• “Sources of Our Common Faith.” Panel participant, conference on Bridging Divides: Uniting The Church For Peacemaking, hosted by the Anabaptist Peace Center, Washington, DC, 11 April 2008.
• “How Long? (Matthew 17:14-18).” Chapel talk, Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 3 March 2008.
• “Looking Forward.” Concluding sermon, Evangelical Anabaptist Symposium 2007 – Knowing Christ: Renewing an Evangelical Foundation, Rosedale Bible College, Irwin, Ohio, 17 November 2007.
• “A Stream of Mentoring and Discipling.” Meditation in closing worship, LEAP 365, mentee-mentor retreat, Black Rock Retreat Center, Quarryville, Pennsylvania., 26-28 October 2007.
• “Discernment: Agreeing with God.” Revival meetings, Chambersburg (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Church, 18-21 March 2007.
• “When it’s not working the way it’s supposed to.” Chapel talk, Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 15 March 2007.
• “God’s Glory and Us (Ezekiel 11:14-21).” Sermon at Shiloh Mennonite Church, Resaca, Ohio, 11 March 2007.
• “A Psalm for Wacky Times (Psalm 77).” Sermon at Shiloh Mennonite Church, Resaca, Ohio, 4 February 2007.
• “Shepherds, Midwives, Coaches, and a Youth Pastor.” Sermon at ordination service for Jason Gerlach, Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 14 January 2007.
• “Love Produces Growth.” Sermon at Mt. Clinton (Virginia) Mennonite Church, 31 December 2006.
• “The Messiah is Coming OR Waiting for the Messiah (Micah 4:1-4).” Sermon at Riverside Mennonite Church, Harmon, West Virginia, 10 December 2006.
• “Telling Our Story as God’s Story (Nehemiah 9).” Sermon in Sunday morning worship, National Yoder Reunion, House of Yoder, Grantsville, Maryland, 22 October 2006.
• “I Will Build my Church (Matthew 16:13-20).” Sermon at installation service for Brenda Benner, St. Francis Episcopal Church, Somerset, Pennsylvania, 24 September 2006.
• “Feed My Sheep (John 21:15-19).” Sermon at licensing service for Brenda Benner, New Life Mennonite Church, Somerset, Pennsylvania, 24 September 2006.
• “Causes of the Revolutionary War.” Lecture to the annual meeting of the Casselman River Area Amish and Mennonite Historians, Grantsville, Maryland, 15 September 2006.
  Published as “The Causes of the American Revolution,” The Historian [of the Casselman River Area Amish and Mennonite Historians, Grantsville, Maryland], October 2006, 1-5.
• “Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.” Discussion with the Faith and Issues Sunday School Class, Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 3 & 10 September 2006.
• “The Psalms We Pray and the Lives We Live.” Sermon at Riverside Mennonite Church, Harmon, West Virginia, 25 June 2006.
• “Using what we’ve got to get where we want to go (Luke 16:1-12).” Sermon, Baccalaureate Service, West Indies Theological College, Trinidad, 21 May 2006.
• “Strategic Hospitality.” Opening worship, Mid-Winter Faculty Conference, Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 23 February 2006.
• “Making a Difference in History.” Sermon, Ridgeview Mennonite Church, Intercourse, Pennsylvania, 5 February 2006.
• Bible study. Reunion for alumni of LEAP program, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, hosted by Calvary Community Church, Hampton, Virginia, 28 January 2006.
• “Resolutions for Eternity (Colossians 3:1-17).” Sermon, Trissels Mennonite Church, Broadway, Virginia, 1 January 2006.

• Consultant. Strategic Planning Retreat, Board of Directors, House of Yoder, Grantsville, Maryland, 31 March 2007.
• Board of Directors. Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Secretary, 1999-2000; Program Development Coordinator, 2001-2003; Vice-President, 2003-2005; Chair, Program Committee, 2003-2005.
• “Programmatic Site Concept: CrossRoads.” Board of Directors, Valley Brethren Mennonite Heritage Center, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 2004.
• Partners in Mission team leader. To Trinidad, Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions, 30 July-11 August 2004.
• Co-chair, Program Committee. With Tuyen Nguyen of the Vietnamese Mennonite Church, Philadelphia. “Philadelphia Stories: Kingdom Building in the City,” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 4-6 April 2003.
• Historical Committee of the Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church USA, 1995-2003; chair, 2000-2003.
• Pastor, Dayton (Virginia) Mennonite Church, 1993-1999.
• Ordained minister, Virginia Mennonite Conference.

• American Society of Church History
• American Historical Association
• Conference on Faith and History

• Annual meetings of the American Society of Church History and American Historical Association, Washington, DC, 4-6 January 2008.
  
• In-service on ARTstor: Images for Education & Scholarship, Hartzler Library, Eastern Mennonite University, 1 May 2008.
  
• Shenandoah Valley Regional Studies Seminar, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia., 18 January 2008, 18 April 2008.
  
• “Personnel Records: What to Keep, What to Toss,” audio-conference sponsored by Human Resources, Eastern Mennonite University, 5 December 2007.
  
• “The Online Course for Theological School Faculty Teaching Online.” Sponsored by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, hosted by The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Distance Education Certificate Program, June-July 2007.
  
• “Syllabus Review and Re-design.” Wabash Center Seminar on Pedagogy, with Faith Kirkham Hawkins, Staunton, Virginia, 13-14 April 2007.
  
• “Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Teaching, Learning, and Leading.” Workshop with Pam Robbins, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 30 March 2007.
  
• “Church History and the Visual Generation.” On-line workshop, sponsored by the Exemplary Practices in Theological Education project of the Association of Theological Schools, October 2006.
  
• Bi-annual meeting of the Southeastern Colloquium for American Religious Studies, meeting at Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, September 29, 2006.
  
• Annual meetings of the American Society of Church History and the American Historical Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania., January 5-7, 2006.
  
• Modern Archives Institute, National Archives, College Park, Maryland, 2-13 June 2003.
  
• “Gestalt Pastoral Care,” taught by Tilda Norberg, September 1999 through January 2001.

• Coordinator, teaching faculty, LEAP (Learning, Exploring, and Participating) summer program for high school students, 2005–2007.
  
• Professor-pastor. LEAP cross-cultural trip to Trinidad, 2007.
  
• Professor-pastor. LEAP cross-cultural trip to Jamaica, 2006.
  
• “Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism,” summer 2005.
  
• Integrated the previously freestanding “Methods of Research” into “The Christian Tradition I” as a supporting component, fall 2005.

• Senator, University Faculty Senate, 2008-
• Faculty Senate representative, Presidents Cabinet, 2008-
• University Centennial Planning Task Force, 2008-
• University Writing Committee, 2007-
• LEAP Advisory Council. 2006-
• Archivist, University Archives, 2005-
• Menno Simons Historical Library Committee, 1995-
• Director, Master of Arts in Religion program, 1995-
• Seminary Academic Committee, 2007-2008
• Seminary Admissions Committee. 2007-2008
• Search Committee, Director of Libraries, 2005-2006
• University Faculty Leadership Group, 2005-2006
• Processing Archivist, University Archives, 2002-2005
  
• “Reflecting theologically about God’s call,” workshop at LEAP 365 mentee and mentor retreat, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 17 May 2008.
• “An Administrative Assistant’s Guide to the Menno Simons Archives,” presentation to luncheon meeting of administrative assistants, Eastern Mennonite University, 22 April 2008.
• EMS representative, ordination of Peter Eberly, Harrisonburg (Virginia) Mennonite Church, 27 April 2008.
• “An Administrative Assistant’s Guide to the Menno Simons Archives – Managing Your Records: Guidelines for Departments, Offices and Committees,” brochure, April 2008.
• “A Report of Selected Findings Regarding Institutional Histories – Using Certain of EMU’s Peer Institutions as Case Studies,” report to Loren Swartzendruber, president, Eastern Mennonite University, 10 March 2008.
• EMS representative, installation and licensure of William Eberly, Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Hydro, Oklahoma, 10 February 2008.
• “Archival Moments,” presentation to luncheon meeting of administrative assistants, Eastern Mennonite University, 5 December 2007.
• EMS representative, installation and licensure of Phil Wiechart, Kidron (Ohio) Mennonite Church, 18 November 2007.
• Resource staff, LEAP 365 mentee-mentor retreat, Black Rock Retreat Center, Quarryville, Pennsylvania, 26-28 October 2007.
• Chair, Planning Committee, “God, Democracy, and U.S. Power,” the 15th in the Believers Church Conference Series, co-hosted with Bridgewater College, 2004