At age 17, almost immediately after I became a believer, my church hired a graduate from Master’s Seminary. I had lots of questions, and he had wise answers, so he began discipling me in the faith. As college loomed and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, he asked if I had considered going to seminary for pastoral ministry. After affirmation from church and peers, along with four years in university considering what I wanted to do, it became clear that I would not be satisfied doing anything else.

Seminary has not been some kind of answer-sheet download for all the hard spiritual questions. Rather, it’s an environment with as many tools, resources, and experts on hand as possible to grow not only my ability to find those answers, but also my character to live those answers. It feels like at every turn in the road another assumption is dispatched, another sin chipped away at, or another friend draws near to share in the journey. I couldn’t imagine going into anything ministry related without what I have learned here, and I’m still far from done!

I cannot say I feel strongly about any particular geography or ethnic group, but I do feel strongly about serving the church wherever God wants me. I feel burdened for the modern level of disunity in the church and want to find God-glorifying ways to honor both truth and unity in whatever context I end up serving.