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Kim Sigenthaler
I experienced a call to ministry when I was in high school. I surrendered to that call but was clueless about what that might mean. I had been a Christian for several years, was surrounded by family members who were committed Christians, and was very active in the youth ministry at my church. However, after my public decision to go into ministry nothing changed. There was no follow up from the pastor or minister of youth, and I remained unclear about what to do in response to God’s call.
A year after I graduated from college I entered seminary, but it took only a couple of weeks of class for me to realize that that was not the place I need to be at that time. I withdrew and went back to work. My undergraduate degree was in Recreation and over the next 25+ years, I added graduate degrees and got married. My husband and I were active in church and periodically I would think about that call to ministry and wonder if I had imagined yet because I had no more clarity about it than I did at age 17.
Eventually I became a professor of Recreation Management at a university. Although I loved teaching and the university environment, I reached a point when my job was no longer fulfilling. The work I was doing was meaningful and contributed to society. I had opportunities to minister to my students and colleagues, yet the deepest longing of my heart was to spend my life in work that had eternal value. At the time, my husband and I were in a small Bible study group. For my assignment that week I was reading about using your spiritual gifts. Suddenly it was as if God had struck me between the eyes with a 2x4 and said “Now it is time. Your ministry is in Christian Education. ” I broke out into a cold sweat; first, because this was not the way God typically spoke to me, and second, because the implication for our lives was quite clear. I challenged God with the question: if this was your plan, what was the purpose of all these years of building a career in higher education. It was as if God instructed me to take notes and began to line out how everything I had done professionally for over 20 years had laid the foundation for the work God was now calling me to do.
It wasn’t long until I found myself traveling to BTSR to see if this was the seminary that would give me the preparation I needed. I met with several people that day: Richard Vinson, Israel Galindo, Jim Peak, Rob Fox, and Warren Hammonds. No one tried to sell me on BTSR, but in each encounter I received overwhelming confirmation that BTSR was the next step in my journey. Within 4 months we had sold and bought a home, acquired new jobs in Richmond, relocated and I began my seminary experience with “Speed Greek.” God has continued to affirm this is the right place and the right time.
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