On September 1, 2006, I began my first full-time appointment as a Licensed Local Pastor in the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference. I have served three appointments over the past six years, all in mostly rural or small town communities. My heart and passion is serving the local church, coupled with missions and outreach. I’ve learned over these past six years to never say “never” because never is a lot shorter time than you think. Not only have I served local churches during that time, but I have been to Liberia, Africa three times for short term mission trips, and have had lay people also serve on those trips. If you had asked me if I would ever go to Africa on a mission trip, I would have said “never.” Just as other situations have taught me, like eight funerals in the first eight weeks of my first appointment, never say “never” because when God calls, never is shorter than you think!
So, in 2007, after having been out of any kind of academic setting for over a decade, I began Course of Study (COS) at Garrett-Evangelical. After the first year, to be honest, I wanted to go home and never return. However, because of the fellowship and support of several COS students and faculty, I did return. I found that I was learning things that helped me be a better pastor and Bold Leader for the Church. I soon found myself looking forward to classes each summer and the teaching and interaction with professors and students alike. After year three of the Course of Study program, I began to feel a nudge from God to attend seminary. For the next year, I struggled internally with this decision because while my grades had been respectable, I am NOT an avid reader, and I knew what the reading load would be like in seminary. When I returned for year four of COS, though, I sensed that I still needed to consider seminary. Between year four and year five of COS, I made the decision to finish COS and then take advantage of Garrett-Evangelical's program to roll my COS classes into one year’s worth of seminary credit.
On July 29, 2011, I graduated from Course of Study at Garrett-Evangelical. Then, on Sept. 6, 2011, I began full-time seminary classes as an Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical. It was the wonderful and supportive instructors in COS, many of whom are also seminary professors, that helped encourage me to take this bold step. For instance, in year one of COS, Karen Moseby-Avery helped me to see and understand the Bible in ways that I had not done so before and Dr. Mark Fowler helped me to embrace the richness of our Wesleyan Heritage. In year two, Dr. Brook Lester inspired me to really understand what was happening in the Hebrew Scriptures. Dr. Jim Papandrea helped me to understand, and be excited about, early Church history and how it shapes and informs who the Church is today. Also in year two, Dr. Gennifer Brooks taught me that good preaching requires meticulous exegetical work and that a sermon should always have Good News for the hearers.
In year three of Course of Study, I was encouraged by Dr. Lallene Rector to see pastoral care and counseling as a friend and not an enemy or merely a requirement of being a pastor. Dr. Mark Teasedale unleashed my passion for evangelism. He taught me that the “E” word is our friend and is a whole lot more and different than just hitting people over the head with a Bible. Then in year three, we also lived the reformation with Dr. Jim Stein. It was history come to life! The course made the Reformation made fun, interesting, and informative as we learned about some of the greatest saints of all time who simply wanted the Church to be what God called the Church to be. In Year four, Ahida Pilarski helped me to put more of the Old Testament into perspective and in its proper place in history. Dr. Barry Bryant also helped me understand the importance of our Wesleyan Heritage and why and how it informs who we, as United Methodists, have been and who we should be in the future.
In year five, Ty Inbody showed me that theology is a continual ongoing process and that while we may not all approach theology in the same way, we all have something to bring to the conversation about how we understand God. Dr. Osvaldo Vena helped me to understand that we must look beyond the words on any given page, and also made Revelation interesting and less confusing. Dr. Marti Scott helped develop and deepen my sense of mission for and in the church and helped make mission applicable on any and all levels. Dr. Mark Folwer stretched, pushed and challenged our total theology by making us apply it in real life situations through case studies and movie clips. I am deeply grateful for each of these professors and others who I didn’t mention that helped me become a better pastor, leader, and teacher for the local church.
To those considering Garrett-Evangelical for Course of Study, I would say, “Come and See!” it WILL NOT be the easiest, but the level of instruction and care that you will receive from the professors is second to none! To those students currently in COS at Garrett-Evangelical, I would encourage you to keep your mind and your options open, and never say “never” if you feel that nudge from God. Please, say yes, because the community you have in COS you will also find in seminary. If someone like me, who is not an avid reader, can come and succeed as I have, you can too! Come and Be, Learn, Grow and become a Bold Leader, because if the church and the world ever needed Bold Leaders, NOW is the time!
Gene Turner is a Course of Study graduate and a third year M.Div. student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
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