By Joshua Carpenter ('24)
Today, Dec. 1, Houghton administration announced that Dr. Wayne Schmidt was selected as the commencement speaker for the senior class of spring 2024.
President Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. met Schmidt early in his presidency and has been working closely with him ever since. When the time came to select a commencement speaker for the Class of 2024, there was more that stood out to Lewis than Schmidt’s experience in pastoral ministry and higher education.
“In addition to being the capable leader of our Wesleyan movement in North America,” says Lewis, “[Schmidt] is a trusted friend and mentor … I thank God for his continued guidance and encouragement as a Christian leader, husband, and father.”
Serving as General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church since 2016, Schmidt has attended various Board Meetings over the years, which is how he met Provost David Davies.
“While we’ve not had extensive interaction,” says Davies, “I’ve found him to be a humble, Godly man with a clear heart for the students of Houghton University.”
Before he was elected General Superintendent, Schmidt served as the chief administrative officer of Wesley Seminary at Indiana University from 2010-2016. In 1979, he co-founded Kentwood Community Church (KCC) in the Grand Rapids, Michigan Area, first serving as a co-founding pastor and then as a senior pastor until 2009. His contributions to KCC include leadership in planting the church, as well as 10 other daughter churches across his tenure.
“With a career in both academic and church environments,” says Davies, “and a lifetime commitment to our sponsoring denomination, he is well suited to serve as Houghton’s commencement speaker.”
When asked what he would like to say to the senior class, Schmidt says, “I believe God honors a heart of humility with abundant measures of His grace. Being humble and hungry (lifelong learner) leads to fullness of life.”
For more information on Dr. Schmidt, visit his blog on the Wesleyan Church’s official website where he discusses what he has learned from 40 years of ministry. ★