Equipped for the Call
May 13, 2025
Rev. Ezechiel Habwawihe shares how the DMin has energized his ministry
“As pastors, we preach on Sundays and guide Bible studies, but the church also has to run like a business—we have expenses, and we need income.” Rev. Ezechiel Habwawihe is the solo pastor at Morgantown United Methodist Church in Morgantown, Indiana, but after graduating with his M.Div. from Garrett and entering his ministry he quickly realized that he needed additional training and resources if he wanted to help his church unlock their full potential. “Church leaders are often relying on one source of income—the offertory—and we are no longer able to meet our financial obligations,” he says. “I didn’t know which way to go, so I entered the Doctor of Ministry Program for strategic leadership in Black congregations and have learned the skills to overcome these challenges.”
Rev. Habwawihe is quick to name that the program’s partnership with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business was a huge reason he entered. “I needed those management courses to be effective in my job as a pastor,” he shares. “In this program, I get both the theological grounding and the hands-on, practical skills—from accounting to the ways we’ve opened up our building to the community, bringing in both people and additional funds.” In time, Rev. Habwawihe found the church didn’t need to choose between fulfilling its mission and financial viability—the ways his congregation has worked to expand their social impact have unlocked partnerships that create new revenue streams.
“I’m an immigrant, and one of the questions my church has been asking is what we can do in times of mass deportation,” he offers as an example. “Should we sit in silence and watch what is happening? Or is there something we can do, no matter how small we are?” Even in an uncertain moment, Rev. Habwawiheand his congregation decided to follow the biblical command to welcome the stranger and have been overjoyed by the ways it’s revitalized their ministry. The church launched a “Know Your Rights” campaign to educate migrants about how to respond when interacting with law enforcement, funded by an Indiana Conference grant. They’ve provided food, clothing, and furniture to folks who need it, and organized meals where they prepare traditional cultural dishes to give people a taste of the home from which they’re separated. Now, they are exploring partnerships with local law firms to offer pro-bono legal aid clinics and how they might open their doors to become a temporary shelter. These efforts have connected the church to new donors who sustain their work, even if some may never worship in their midst.
The DMin program also helped Rev. Habwawihe developadditional strategies he can use to sustain this faithful work. “I learned how to apply for grants, bringing in crucial money for the church,” he names with wide grin. “It’s important for Black churches to learn how to tap into these opportunities and access resources that other churches receive. But you need to know how to move through that process, so it’s essential for a pastor to have these skills.” In the program, he also found ways to rent out church facilities on an ongoing basis, advertise the church to weddings and other public events, and support the congregation through these changes.
The result has been nothing short of transformative. “We just sent a 40-foot container of medical equipment to Africa!” he exclaims. “And we’re a small congregation. But we were able to partner with organizations to raise the shipping costs, others to buy supplies, before you know it, we raised $35,000. Now my congregation is asking, ‘Ezechiel, how can we do more?’” At the beginning of his DMin, Rev. Habwawihe met challenges that are familiar to most pastors. Too often, the combination of these stressors can immobilize communities, even ones with the best intentions. Ministry models that worked in the 20th century no longer serve most churches, and many congregations will need to follow Morgantown United Methodist Church’s example and find new strategies to thrive. A DMin can offer critical tools that move people from “What can we do?” to “What’s next?”, and a cohort to sustain that motivation. “I now have eight pastors I can text with a problem or a challenge, to learn what they’re doing at their churches,” Rev. Habwawihe beams. “It helps me get inspired when I feel overwhelmed, to hear ‘We got you. Just keep going.’”