Associate Professor of Biblical and Global Studies
Tom was born in Excelsior, Minnesota. He grew up Roman Catholic. When he was 16, he committed his life to Christ. After he graduated from Bethel College with a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies, he pursued further training at Bethel Seminary (St. Paul) and Fuller Seminary (Pasadena, California). He graduated from Fuller with an M.Div. From 1980-82 he worked part-time with college students at Bethlehem, taught Greek at Bethel College, and finished his seminary studies at Bethel Seminary. In 1982, Tom was ordained and came on Bethlehem’s staff full-time as Pastor for Students and Adult Education. In 1984, his position was changed to Pastor for Students and Missions.
In 1989, his position was changed once again to Pastor for Missions and Leadership Development. In 1990-91 Tom and his family served at the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary. After returning to Bethlehem, Tom resumed his position until 1996, when he was asked to devote some of his time to developing and serving in the position of Executive Pastor. In 1997, after Bethlehem called its first full-time Executive Pastor, Tom was given a study leave at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, Illinois, where he designed The Bethlehem Institute (TBI) for Bible, Theology, and Missions. In 1998, Tom returned to Bethlehem and implemented the vision for TBI. Upon the arrival of Bethlehem’s first full-time Foreign Missions Pastor in the Spring of 2002, Tom’s pastoral heart and missions passion began being expressed as Pastor for Leadership Development and Dean of TBI. In 2009, TBI became Bethlehem College and Seminary where Tom served until 2020 as the Senior Advisor to the President, Dean of Global and Alumni Outreach, & Associate Professor of New Testament. Tom is now serving with Training Leaders International as the Director of Theological Education in Cameroon, Africa.
Tom and his wife, Julie, are the happy parents of Hannah, Ruth, Katie, Nate, CJ, and Emma. He and Julie are now glad to be grandparents as well. The Stellers live in the Elliot Park Neighborhood, just a few-minutes walk from the church.
Academic Credentials
- B.A., Bethel College
- M.Div., Fuller Theological Seminary
Media
- “Bethlehem and the Kachin.” Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel Message. October 10, 2013. Online.
- “It Really Happened.” Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel Message. December 6, 2012. Online.
- “All the Nations You Have Made Shall Come and Worship Before You.” Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel Message. February 2, 2012. Online.
- “Surely God is Good to Israel.” Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel Message. November 30, 2011. Online.
- “Sexual Purity.” Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel Message. April 21, 2011. Online.
- “The God Who Triumphs.” Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel Message. December 9, 2010. Online.