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Hastings Named Executive Director


Tom and Carol Hastings

Tom and Carol Hastings

Intercultural pastoral educator Rev. Dr. Thomas John Hastings of Princeton, NJ, has been named executive director of OMSC, beginning August 1.

Board of Trustees president Dr. Edith L. Blumhofer, professor of history at Wheaton College, made the announcement on May 4.

Dr. Hastings was senior research fellow at the Japan International Christian University Foundation in New York City and associate director at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton.

While serving with his wife, Carol, as Presbyterian Church (USA) mission co-workers in Japan (1988–2008), he was professor of practical theology at Tokyo Union Theological Seminary.

In addition to many publications in Japanese and English, he is author of Seeing All Things Whole: The Scientific Mysticism and Art of Kagawa Toyohiko 1888–1960 (Pickwick, 2015) and Practical Theology and the One Body of Christ: Toward a Missional-Ecumenical Model (Eerdmans, 2007).

He received a BA from Boston College, an MA from Wheaton College Graduate School, and a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Hastings is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). 

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hastings as the new executive director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center,” said Dr. Blumhofer. “He brings to OMSC a rich mix of experience, vision, and purpose that will invigorate OMSC’s mission as it approaches its centennial. His experience in mission, education, administration, and scholarship—along with his pastor’s heart—make him the right choice for OMSC,” she added.

Dr. Hastings will also be the editor of OMSC’s journal, the International Bulletin of Mission Research.

He succeeds interim Executive Director and Editor Dr. Darrell Whiteman, of Norcross, GA, who completes his term of service as a board member and as the interim executive director on June 30.

“We are grateful for Dr. Whiteman’s years of service to OMSC. In his year as interim director, he worked effectively to promote OMSC’s programs and prospects,” said Dr. Blumhofer.

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