Jim Tebbe has resigned his position as vice president of missions at Madison-based InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and as director of InterVarsity’s Urbana Student Missions Conference. He is in the process of moving to LaHore, Pakistan, where he will become rector (president) of Forman Christian College.
Tebbe announced his career change during last December’s Urbana convention in St. Louis, telling attendees of his plans to leave InterVarsity in order to return to a part of the world where he was born, grew up, and worked earlier in his life.
“My wife Beth and I are saying yes again, one more time, because of the message of Urbana,” he announced. The message of Urbana 09 was based on John 1:14, God has moved into our neighborhood.
Jim Tebbe moved to Madison in 2002, shortly after he was appointed director of the upcoming Urbana 03 conference. He also directed the Urbana 06 and Urbana 09 conferences. Prior to joining InterVarsity he worked with Interserve, a ministry focused on South and Central Asia and the Middle East. Before that he pastored international churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
In an earlier era Christian missionaries were known for providing education and health care, as well as the gospel. Although health care remains a part of Christian cross-cultural work, Jim would like to see education become a more prominent Christian contribution once again.
“It just happens that the things that I’ve done in my career and my background fit this job very well,” he said. “I love the culture. I’m now reading the Bible in Urdu again.”
Forman Christian College is a Chartered University which was founded in 1864 by Dr. Charles Forman, a Presbyterian missionary. Its alumni include two presidents of Pakistan (including recent president Pervez Musharraf), a Prime Minister of Pakistan, and a Prime Minister of India.
The Tebbe’s completed their work at InterVarsity earlier this month. They have sold their home and are temporarily living in Wheaton IL before completing the move to Lahore.
(Photo: Jim Tebbe speaking at Urbana 09.)
