Cramer concludes role as Institute of Mennonite Studies Managing Editor
Published: February 12, 2025
Scholar will continue as Core Adjunct Faculty member and short course instructor
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
David C. Cramer, PhD, of South Bend, Indiana, ended his time as Managing Editor of the Institute of Mennonite Studies (IMS) — the research agency of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana — on Jan. 31, 2025, after more than six years of service. He has accepted the position of Communications Assistant Program Director for the Institute for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Cramer will continue to serve AMBS as a Core Adjunct Faculty member — teaching graduate-level courses in theology and ethics — and as a short course instructor for the seminary’s Church Leadership Center.
Cramer joined AMBS as a Sessional Faculty member in 2017 while also serving part time as Teaching Pastor at Keller Park Church in South Bend. In August 2018, he added his half-time role with IMS. To both roles, he brought passion for Anabaptist-Mennonite theology, scholarship and ministry, as well as more than a decade of experience in Christian publishing — including having served as Associate Project Editor at Baker Academic and Brazos Press in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He had also taught courses in religion and philosophy at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and Bethel University in Mishawaka, Indiana.
“David has been integral to the success of a variety of IMS projects, especially Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology, the Studies in Anabaptist Theology and Ethics series and the Occasional Papers series,” said Beverly Lapp, EdD, AMBS Vice President and Academic Dean. “He is known for his stellar editing and writing skills and for effectively and graciously supporting contributors to IMS publications. He also coordinated the annual IMS Book Celebration, a well-loved AMBS tradition to honor the scholarship of AMBS faculty, staff and students.”
In his IMS role, Cramer oversaw the development of 26 books, 14 journal issues and six annual bibliographies of AMBS publications. Highlights for him included launching the Studies in Anabaptist Theology and Ethics series with the historic international publisher T&T Clark; editing the reissue of Mennonite Peace Theology: A Panorama of Types (IMS, 2024) in conjunction with Mennonite Central Committee; and guest-editing an AMBS-themed issue of The Mennonite Quarterly Review (Vol. 96.1, January 2022).
He especially enjoyed working on projects that elevated the voices of women and historically marginalized voices, including Liberating the Politics of Jesus: Renewing Peace Theology through the Wisdom of Women (T&T Clark, 2020); Resistance: Confronting Violence, Power, and Abuse within Peace Churches (IMS, 2022); and Proclaiming the Good News: Mennonite Women’s Voices, 1972–2006 (IMS, 2023).
Issues of Vision that were particularly meaningful for him include Originating sins (Vol. 20.2, Fall 2019), which featured numerous BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) authors; Family (Vol. 24.2, Fall 2023), which featured numerous LGBTQ+ authors; and Disability (Vol. 25.2, Fall 2024), which featured numerous writers with disabilities.
In 2020, Cramer began co-teaching an annual AMBS online short course, Understanding Anabaptist Approaches to Scripture. In 2024, he collaborated with Karl Stutzman, MLS, Director of Library Services, to develop a research and writing curriculum for new students that has now been incorporated into the seminary’s orientation course for all graduate students. He also served with the Invite AMBS speakers bureau from 2023 to 2025, presenting on approaches to Christian nonviolence, among other topics.
“David’s technical editorial abilities, theological and organizational creativity, and moral conscience have deeply shaped IMS and the seminary as a whole,” reflected Jamie Pitts, PhD, IMS Director and AMBS Professor of Anabaptist Studies. “During his time with IMS, he has made a major impact on Anabaptist-Mennonite scholarship, especially by promoting women authors and projects that grapple with legacies of abuse and violence within the church. I will deeply miss collaborating with him on the work of IMS, and at the same time I wish him the very best in his new position.”
Cramer earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology and Ethics from Baylor University; a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois; a Master of Divinity in Cross-cultural Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield; and a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Philosophy from Bethel University. He is co-author of A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence: Key Thinkers, Activists, and Movements for the Gospel of Peace (Baker Academic, 2022) and has written for publications such as Anabaptist World, Christian Century and Sojourners.
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
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