In Memoriam: Sherwood Lingenfelter
With sadness yet in celebration of a tremendous life lived, Fuller Seminary announces the passing of Dr. Sherwood Lingenfelter, provost emeritus and senior professor of anthropology. Dr. Lingenfelter came to Fuller in 1999 to serve both as professor and as dean of the School of World Mission; he served as provost from 2001 until his retirement in 2011. He died on May 30, 2026.
Lingenfelter received his BA from Wheaton College and his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh. Before he came to Fuller, he served as professor of anthropology at SUNY College at Brockport from 1966 to 1983, and then as professor of intercultural studies, provost, and senior vice president at Biola University from 1983 to 1999. His work as an anthropologist saw him involved with numerous missions agencies serving worldwide. With his wife, Dr. Judith Lingenfelter, he conducted field research in the Yap Islands of Micronesia for three years. He also worked on short term projects with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International in Brazil, Cameroon, and Suriname. For four decades, the Lingenfelters continued to serve as research and training consultants for Wycliffe and SIL in Papua New Guinea, Borneo, the Philippines, and other countries in Africa and Latin America.
At Fuller, Lingenfelter taught classes on anthropology, cross-cultural ministry, cultural change and globalization, and leadership, among others. His many publications include Teamwork Cross-Culturally: Christ-Centered Solutions for Leading Multinational Teams (with Julie A. Green), Leadership in the Way of the Cross: Forging Ministry from the Crucible of Crisis, Ministering Cross-Culturally: A Model for Effective Personal Relationships (with Marvin K. Mayers), Breaking Tradition to Accomplish Vision: Training Leaders for a Church Planting Movement (with Paul R. Gupta), Leading Cross-Culturally: Covenant Relationships for Effective Christian Leadership, Teaching Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Learning and Teaching (with Judith Lingenfelter), Transforming Culture: A Challenge for Christian Mission, and Agents of Transformation: A Guide for Effective Cross-Cultural Ministry.
Dr. C. Douglas McConnell, senior professor of leadership and intercultural studies, who succeeded Lingenfelter both as dean and later as provost, said this of his former colleague: “In 1 Corinthians 11:1, a pattern for discipling others is modeled in the life of the Apostle Paul. He wrote, ‘Follow my example, just like I follow Christ’s.’ Sherwood never told me to follow him. He just lived in a manner that attracted me to his leadership. Sherwood embraced the role of a follower of Christ. Like the apostle, he looked forward to a savior who comes from heaven.”
Even as we mourn, we celebrate and remember Lingenfelter’s faithful life and impactful legacy. Lingenfelter’s last words were these: “To God be the glory; everything I am and have is from him.”