Nathan Hart ’01 Named Dean of the Chapel

The Rev. Dr. Nathan Hart ’01, an experienced pastoral leader with a deep love for Hope, has returned to his alma mater as the Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel following a national search.

Hart, who served most recently as senior pastor of Stanwich Congregational Church in Greenwich and Stamford, Connecticut, a nearly 300-year-old congregation that under his leadership expanded into a multi-site church with regional influence. Across more than two decades in the New York City area, he has served in many other arenas, including domestic and international missions, youth ministry, interfaith education and hospital chaplaincy.

“Throughout the interview process, Nathan’s unwavering passion for following Jesus and serving others shined through,” said President Matthew A. Scogin ’02. “He will provide exceptional pastoral leadership for our community as he guides our thriving campus ministries program.”

Hart’s ongoing commitment to the college included serving on the Board of Trustees from 2017 until concluding his term earlier this year. Fellow Trustee the Rev. Michael Pitsenberger, who joined the board in 2020, noted that he is excited that the campus community and students in particular will benefit even more directly from the qualities that he has observed as he and Hart have served together on the board.

“It truly has been a joy to serve with Nathan Hart on Hope’s Board of Trustees for the past four years. I now rejoice in God’s selection of Nathan as Hope’s newly appointed dean of the chapel,” said Pitsenberger, who is lead pastor of Overisel Reformed Church. “Nathan loves the Lord and the people he is called to serve. Centered in Scripture, Nathan is a gifted messenger of God’s sacred Word, and spiritually wise beyond his years.”

Hart succeeds the Rev. Dr. Trygve Johnson, who served as Hope’s dean of chapel for the past 18 years. “Trygve served with faithfulness and integrity as the Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel, and left an indelible mark on the faith formation of our campus community,” Scogin said. “We are grateful for his deep and meaningful impact on students and our campus through his leadership and preaching.”

Hart noted that he is excited to return to Hope and give back by helping provide to new generations of students the experience that made such a major difference to him.

“At Hope, I was transformed intellectually in the classroom, relationally in the dorms and activities, and spiritually in the chapel,” he said. “That transformative experience was a gift, and I’ve been living the last 23 years as a grateful response to the good deposit — in the words of 2 Timothy — that I received from God at Hope College. I’m looking forward to returning and repaying it as the college prepares and sends out lifelong givers, worshipers and community leaders, like ships from the harbor bringing Hope to the world.”

Hart majored in religion and communication at Hope, earning the Van Ess Award from the Department of Religion and a Distinguished Artist Award in Theatre. Throughout his years as a student, he participated in theatre productions and in Campus Ministry activities, including spring-break immersion trips across the U.S. and abroad. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he received the Jagow Award in Homiletics; and a Doctorate of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts.

During his seminary years, he worked for the New York Yankees chaplain and conducted “boardroom Bible studies” for Wall Street men. Hart’s ministry subsequently remained amongst the Wall Street demographic in the greater New York City area, including a pastorate for two years at Brookville Reformed Church on Long Island and six years as the New York City director of FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools). Hart began serving Stanwich Church as pastor of equipping in 2011, and was appointed senior pastor in 2018.

“I am excited for Nathan to lead our Campus Ministries program,” said Dr. Matthew Wixson ’08, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, who is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “His service to Hope College has prepared him well to understand the nuances of higher education, and his deep faith and servant leadership will enrich our campus, especially the faith formation of our student body.”