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Student graduates as the first woman to earn an MBC pastoral degree

On May 18, Letha McCleod, an African American, will be the first woman to graduate from Multnomah Bible College's pastoral program.

"By His grace, by His glory [and] by His mercy, I will make it," McCleod, 40, said, "at least over this first hurdle."

She said she feels, given women's accomplishments in the world, the Christian realm and on the mission field, that having only men enrolled as pastoral majors is archaic.

"I don't define myself by gender," she said. But, she added, it's "long overdue" for a woman to graduate from MBC as a pastoral major.

"We're proud of her and encouraged that she is going onto seminary to complete her training," said Dr. Dan Lockwood, president of Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary.

Although Multnomah dedicates itself to training men and women for the ministry, Dr. Lockwood said, women have traditionally entered the women's ministry program.

McCleod said she didn't come to MBC wanting to go into the pastoral program. In fact, she didn't choose Multnomah at all.

"It was God's choosing, and I had the good sense to follow," she said.

She had worked as a financial counselor for Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Ore., and planned on pursuing a business administration degree from University of Oregon.

The summer before attending University of Oregon, McCleod went on a mission trip to minister to Mexico's poor.

During that trip, she saw a tire factory, the area's main source of employment, burn to the ground. Hundreds of people suddenly were left without work. While she stared at the smoldering factory, McCleod heard God say, "I am going to change your path." Within two weeks of returning to Eugene, God put her on that new path.

As she reflected on the mission trip, she realized how much she valued her relationship with the Lord and His word as a means of helping people. And she realized God wanted her to work with people, not for a business.

She also suddenly received a Multnomah catalog that an acquaintance had mailed her. She flipped through the catalog and was impressed that the school's hearty, biblical-theological education backed its slogan: "If it's Bible you want, you want Multnomah." Within days she applied to MBC, was accepted and quit her job.

The women's ministry program at MBC did not make sense to McCleod, who noted that Multnomah does not have a men's ministry program.

"Ministry is ministry," she said.

But the pastoral program's ministry training did interest McCleod, and she met with Dr. Dan Sauerwein, the pastoral major's advisor.

"She came to me and said, 'I don't want to be a pastor, but I felt God wanted me to minister in the community,'" Dr. Sauerwein said. He asked her if they could pray about her entering the program.

After several days, McCleod said, they realized God did want her to enter the program to acquire the leadership training it offered.

During the last four years, Dr. Sauerwein has watched McCleod mature in class and in ministry. She has taught at-risk youth in North Portland and has interned on the Bible perspective worldview team.

McCleod's positive attitude, maturity and individual thinking made her an excellent student, Dr. Sauerwein said. "Letha is a very determined lady. She wants to do what the Lord wants her to do," he said.

This fall, McCleod plans to pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Multnomah. She then hopes to earn a doctorate at the University of London and teach at a college.

She also hopes her graduation from Multnomah's pastoral program will encourage more women to enter the program.

"Nothing," she said, "is impossible with God--regardless of our own prejudices and theological views."