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Rich and Marilyn Hansen
Professor of Systematic Theology
Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST)
P.O. Box 24934 Code 1000
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: Marilyn
Email: Rich
Blog: Meskel Musings
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The needs of the world and the nudge of the Holy Spirit are sending Rich and Marilyn Hansen into mission service in Ethiopia.
“Serving in international mission has been in the back of my mind for a long time, but it recently became more and more of a call,” Marilyn says. “Our exposure to living and serving in a different culture increased greatly recently through visiting our church’s mission activities abroad and by visiting two of our children when they lived abroad. This stirred in us the sense that God was calling us for service outside the United States.”
Rich is excited to pursue a teaching vocation outside the United States. As a seminarian, he thought he would spend his ministry as a college or seminary professor. “The Lord redirected me during a ‘break’ from academia, and I ended up spending 30 years as pastor,” he says. He senses it’s time for another redirection, and he will bring rich experience in pastoral ministry to the classroom. “It is the right time in our lives to pursue a new adventure, and our many positive experiences outside the United States prompted us to seek to serve the worldwide church,” Rich explains.
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The Hansens began looking toward international mission with an openness to serve anywhere God might lead. Nevertheless, they are eager to experience the life and ministry that awaits them in Ethiopia. “I value the faith of the Ethiopian Christians amid the poverty and other problems they face,” Marilyn says.
Rich says his initial attraction to Ethiopia was the opportunity to teach systematic theology. “The more we learned about Ethiopia and the role of the Evangelical Graduate School of Theology within the Ethiopian Church and nation, the more excited I am about the possibilities to make a significant impact in such a pivotal region in Africa,” he shares. “Many EGST graduates take up influential positions as leaders of denominations, secondary schools and other Christian institutions.”
The Hansens’ life in a developing country will be a drastic change from life in the Central Valley of California, where Rich served for 22 years as senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Visalia. Still, they look forward to developing relationships with students and faculty members at EGST and learning from them. “I am also excited about seeing God at work in a totally different setting than the one with which I am familiar,” Marilyn notes.
Rich sees these relationships as providing a foundation for spiritual and personal growth. Says Rich: “I’m excited about slowly becoming immersed in a very different culture from my own and look forward to seeing my own culture, viewpoints and life in fresh ways as a result of these friendships.”
In addition to his pastoral ministry, Rich has been an adjunct professor at Mennonite-Brethren Theological Seminary in Fresno, California, where for 10 years he has taught contemporary theology, Reformed theology and helped prepare Presbyterian students for their ordination exams. Prior to his pastorate in Visalia, he was senior pastor at Palos Park Presbyterian Community Church in Palos Park, Illinois, and associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, Pennsylvania.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University, a Master of Divinity degree from Bethel Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Marilyn has most recently been an English and math tutor for students at Sylvan Learning Center in Visalia. Previously, she taught marketing and worked in marketing research. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State and a Master of Business Administration degree in marketing from Youngstown State University.
Rich and Marilyn have three grown children, Nathan, Megan and Lauren. Their older children lived overseas for a considerable time after college graduation. Nathan and his wife spent a year in Cairo, Egypt, working for a Christian social service group, and Megan taught English at Chiang Mai University in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
While the Hansens have developed deep roots in California’s Central Valley over the past two decades, both Rich and Marilyn are native Midwesterners. Marilyn is from Iowa and Rich is from Nebraska.