Alumni Profile: Curtis Ivanoff S鈥�08
When reflecting on his time and education at North Park Theological Seminary, three main ideas come to Curtis Ivanoff S鈥�08: rich community, a deepening love and care for the ministry of the church, and more fully realizing how broad God鈥檚 love is. All of these are reflected in his work as Superintendent for the Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
A lifelong, fourth generation member of the ECC in Alaska, Curtis served at both his home church in the village of Unalakleet and at Alaska Christian College before taking a year of sabbatical to finish a master of arts in Christian ministry (MACM). He had already completed some graduate Bible and theology courses on a part-time basis, and also earned credit for work done through the Covenant Orientation Program in his process of being credentialed for service in the ECC. Curtis was able to transfer his previous credits to North Park Theological Seminary, making it possible to complete the MACM in one year of full-time study in Chicago. He was also awarded a Covenant Diversity Scholarship, which he says 鈥渨as a big deal, a big provision鈥� in making it possible to move his family to Chicago.
The community Curtis found at the Seminary and in Chicago is one of the first things he tells people about his experience. 鈥淭he community is rich. The people that you鈥檙e learning with, the people you鈥檙e growing with, the support from each other. That was a really rich piece,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e made great friends; lifelong friends who we still keep in touch with.鈥�
Not only were his classmates a part of his community experience, but Curtis also counts the faculty as a big part of the community experience. 鈥淭he professors鈥擨 had a great experience through their teaching. It was very enriching and I felt like I was drawn deeper into God鈥檚 heart. It wasn鈥檛 just about books and papers and knowledge.鈥�
Faculty and classes were also instrumental in Curtis鈥檚 deepening awareness of the work of the church in the world. 鈥淒uring Seminary, my heart grew for the ministry of the church in a big way,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was, in large part, through church history class. This helped me to see more of the bigger picture. So when I came back from Seminary, my heart was really stirred. I was all the more open to a call to a church.鈥�
After graduation, Curtis and his family returned to Alaska, where he served for two more years at Alaska Christian College. He then accepted a call to serve as the field director for the ECC of Alaska (now Superintendent of the ECC Alaska Conference), a job he says can be summed up as being a 鈥渟hepherd of the church.鈥� In this role he works with pastors and churches throughout the state, training, encouraging, and helping to develop church leaders for both the city and rural parts of Alaska. His time at North Park Theological Seminary played a significant role in developing a deep awareness of God鈥檚 love for people in all times and places, something he keeps close to his heart as he is serving others.
鈥淚 realized how deep and wide and broad and high God鈥檚 love is for the world, for us, for me. I realized that there鈥檚 such a depth to our faith, to God鈥檚 story, because I was able to read scripture in community鈥攚ith people from the past, with new friends I made at Seminary. It helped me realize how God鈥檚 story is the main story, and we鈥檙e invited to join in on that and discover that our story is completed in Christ. God鈥檚 story became a little clearer. I still carry that with me.鈥�