New Academic Dean - Dr. Jonathan Numada

Northwest is pleased to announce that Dr. Jonathan Numada has been selected as our new Academic Dean. “Dr. Numada is a mature young man with a fine breadth of experience. He has a fine God-honoring spirit, is not afraid to ask penetrating questions, and knows the value of building trust. I am more than pleased with his appointment to the Deanship of Northwest,” remarked Dr. Howard Andersen, our retiring and outgoing Academic Dean.

 

Jonathan joined Northwest as an adjunct faculty member in 2015, and then as Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies in 2019. Over the years, Jonathan has developed a reputation for strong scholarship, solid teaching, wise decision making, thoughtful listening, and quality administration and management.

 

He was recently asked to comment on his new role at Northwest, by responding to the simple questions below. We present to you his unedited answers, so that you can clearly see his heart and passion for the work, ministry, and people of Northwest.

 

What do you look forward to? I look forward to serving my colleagues by working to improve their ability to fulfill their vocational callings. We have a skilled and gifted team of people who I believe God will use to do great things for his kingdom in our generation. It is my dream to see them succeed as they walk in obedience to Jesus and teach others to do the same.

 

Why did you want this role? I have always loved working as a faculty member. Frankly, for me there is nothing more enjoyable. It is a rewarding outlet for creativity in teaching, and the relational aspects of being a teacher are a real privilege and joy. I also get a lot of satisfaction from research. But about a year ago I started to feel "the itch" that I should be directly contributing to the big picture, or the long-term health of Northwest as an institution and its ability to fulfill its mission as an educational arm of the church. I was keen to take an administrative role because I could work to better position Northwest as an educational platform and empower others to more fully pursue God's mission for us as an institution.

 

What is your vision for the academics of the Northwest? Northwest has a growing reputation for its customizable, innovative approaches to theological and ministry education. What's less well-known is that we also have creative and hard-working scholars on faculty. My vision is that Northwest will become known for excellence in scholarship and its ability to speak into issues facing the church today, and that we'll see this excellence further reveal itself in our education ministries.

 

Why do you love the work and ministry of Northwest? Northwest is a school that has always kept its eye on its purpose, which is training women and men for growing God's kingdom. Much of what our faculty does can be deeply theoretical, but none are "ivory tower" professors who are distracted by the trappings of academia. All believe in and are driven by the need to train church leaders to communicate and practice the Gospel in our world.

 

In the words of Howard Andersen, with Jonathan as our new Academic Dean, “Northwest is wonderfully well set for a very productive future helping to build our churches and the broader family of God.”