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Dylan Winstead
Dylan Winstead — Class of 2028
Where and how did you grow up?
I grew up in Sterling, Illinois, in a family of five with two older sisters. A year after finishing high school, my Godfather shared the gospel with me and three months later I came to faith in Christ. About another five months had passed when I made the decision to become baptized at New Life Lutheran Church.
What life circumstances or situations did God use to create in you a desire for pastoral ministry?
I never really set out to pursue pastoral ministry, but God began shaping that desire over time. Before I moved to Laramie, Wyoming, I met with local pastors, and through their encouragement I was affirmed in having a spiritual gift to serve. During my years in Laramie, God gave me a stronger foundation through the STS one-year program, and then I spent nine months in St. George, Utah, helping with a church plant called Zion Bible Church that came out of Red Mesa.
Along the way, God gave me a heart for ministering to men who didn’t grow up with a father in the home or who wrestle with addictive tendencies. He kept putting in me a desire to walk with people through brokenness and point them to Christ. A verse that really captures my testimony is Job 8:5-7, which reminds me that when we earnestly seek God and make our appeal to Him, even if our beginnings are small, our future can flourish in His hands. It’s through these experiences and God’s Word that He created in me a desire to serve Him in pastoral ministry.
How do you anticipate seminary helping you specifically to prepare for ministry?
I have been greatly encouraged by one of our professors, Dr. Douglas Bookman. Walking alongside him over time has been a significant part of why I decided to move to North Carolina and continue pursuing my education with STS.
What kind of ministry, people group, or geographical area are you passionate about or planning to be involved in after graduating and why?
My focus is in chaplaincy in the military or in an overseas context, which is the direction I am currently pursuing.