When Ministry Preparation Matters for All of Life

“I was not good in school,” she explained. “I went to school for the sports, and so I did only what I had to do so that I could still stay on the basketball team or the baseball team.”

There were some exceptions, though.

“Growing up I wanted to learn more about the Bible and more about a relationship with Jesus, but in the Catholic church you don’t get a lot of opportunities to do that,” Sue explained. “You have your sacraments, and they take you through the New Testament and a little bit of the Old Testament, but not deep studies. And I knew something was missing.”

“Still to this day,” she said, “I wonder if it was a sin when I stole the monthly missalette of the church. At the time I didn’t have access to a Bible at home, but there was Scripture in that missalette and I craved it. I craved reading those words, and so I took it home and hid it in my closet and then would take it out and read it.”

Sue’s interest in Scripture also extended to the high school classroom “when the priest would come and teach on the Old Testament and the New Testament,” she shared.

It wasn’t until years later that Sue attended her sister-in-law’s church for several months and discovered what it meant to have a personal relationship with Christ.

That Christmas Eve, after a rendition of “The Savior is Waiting,” the Holy Spirit moved in Sue’s heart, prompting her towards a choice.

“I went forward,” Sue said, “and told the pastor, ‘I don’t understand the difference between Catholicism and Baptists. All I know is I want Jesus in my heart.’”

All I know is I want Jesus in my heart.

It didn’t take long before Sue got involved at her new church, helping with that year’s Vacation Bible School. Doors began to open, and steadily God continued to lead Sue towards more service opportunities.

She remembers how women in her life began mentoring her and helped her understand that the work of missions belongs to every member of God’s church, not just the leaders.

“Growing up I had a real desire to be a missionary,” Sue explained, “but it just felt like there were no opportunities unless I became a nun, and I love children.”

Now, nearly 30 years later, Sue approaches all of life on mission as Nana to seven grandchildren, a substitute teacher at her local school, and the executive director of Michigan’s Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU).

Equipped for Ministry and More

In 2000 Sue began serving on the WMU team, which provides missions resources, curriculums, and training opportunities for churches as they seek to fulfill the Great Commission. She never could have suspected the years of ministry that lay before her.

In 2014, Sue entered her current role as executive director for the Michigan office, where she oversees a team of women serving in various capacities across the state. In 2022, Sue shifted from full-time to part-time work and, with this new change, entered a different season of life.

In the transition, with her children grown and raising families of their own, Sue found herself with extra time on her hands, searching for the next thing to do. She doesn’t remember exactly how she stumbled across Southeastern’s Go Certificates, but she does remember the first certificate she enrolled in: Church-Based Counseling.

“Once I took that first class, I was hooked,” she said.

After completing all seven required courses, she enrolled in the next certificate — this one on biblical hermeneutics. In Sue’s own words, “I just kept going, and I couldn’t stop.”

In the past four years, Sue has gone on to complete all seven of Southeastern’s Go Certificates.

She quickly found that her Go Certificate studies applied to almost every area of her life, from her work with WMU to substitute teaching to serving at her local church.

“The thing I’m most disappointed about is that I didn’t do this sooner,” Sue said. She felt that the training she received was invaluable for ministry leadership in the church, at all levels.

The thing I’m most disappointed about is that I didn’t do this sooner.

“Earlier in one of these courses, I actually fell on my knees and cried out to the Lord, ‘Forgive me!’ The professors had explained how when we’re in leadership we have a responsibility towards those we teach — that we’re teaching the correct thing and not misinterpreting it, even by ignorance — because we can be held accountable. And I wondered, ‘How come nobody ever shared that with me?’ We’re so eager in the church to throw people into leadership, but there’s a responsibility that comes with that.”

Classroom Applications

In her day-to-day work, Sue often refers to lessons from her counseling certificate through Southeastern. She particularly enjoyed learning from Kristin Kellen and Brad Hambrick, two of Southeastern’s counseling faculty who made the online learning experience feel both personable and approachable.

“I just loved listening to Dr. Kellen,” Sue said. “You’re sitting in front of a computer screen, but as you’re listening, you’re drawn in. You feel like you’re right in the classroom.”

Sue’s professors also provided her with an abundance of resources — in addition to the many books she’s added to her library since beginning the certificates. When a question comes up, she knows exactly where to turn.

As a substitute teacher, regularly assisting in the classroom, Sue has found countless ways to use her counseling training.

“My favorite part,” she said, “is when I’m the second teacher in the room and the other teacher asks, ‘Can you go out in the hall with so-and-so? They’re being disruptive.’ And I get to take them out in the hall and ask, ‘What’s going on today? Is everything okay? Is everything okay at home?’”

Sue has found that if she knows how to ask the right questions, she can often get to the heart of the problem much quicker. Serving at the local public school also gives Sue many opportunities to demonstrate the love of Jesus to both students and teachers — even in a context where she can’t explicitly share the gospel.

“You don’t even have to say Jesus’s name. They know,” Sue explained. “One of the teachers lost her mom, and I just went in there and said, ‘I’m so sorry. We’ve been praying for you.’ And she goes, ‘I know. I know you’re a Christian.’ You’re the hands and feet of Jesus without even saying it, and they know that. Now they’ll come and say, ‘I’m having a rough day. Can you pray?’ Or ‘I’m having a rough time at home; can you pray about that?’”

Serving as a Bridge at Home

While Sue’s Go Certificate training has proved instrumental in her work and ministry, it has also grown her walk with the Lord and helped her witness to her Catholic family members.

She remembers the Christmas Eve over 30 years ago and asking God, “What am I going to tell them?”

“I remember the message that he kept giving me,” Sue said. “‘You’ll be a bridge.’ I’m helping my family understand that they can have that personal relationship with God.”

I remember the message that he kept giving me: ‘You’ll be a bridge.’

However, for many years, Sue didn’t know quite how to explain why Baptists and Catholics disagreed about so many things or how their two faith practices came to be.

“It wasn’t until 2022, almost 30 years later,” she said, “when I started taking these classes and understanding the Bible. Studying the Scriptures through the Go Certificates answered my questions about why, if you go back in history, things changed.”

Sue’s hermeneutics studies proved particularly helpful as she learned about denominational change and how Christ will set all things in order when he returns.

She remembers one time in particular when her mother came to her and asked why Baptists and Catholics have different orders for the Ten Commandments.

“I’ve got the answer for you,” Sue said, and she was able to go and reference her notes.

In the mundane moments of life, Sue finds countless opportunities to come alongside her family — to care for them and pray with them and to demonstrate the love of Christ.

“I have never lived more than 20 minutes from my birthplace,” Sue said, and yet Michigan, the state where her family has lived for seven generations, is her mission field.

“God didn’t send me anywhere else,” she said.

And in his great faithfulness, God continues to provide all that Sue needs as she continues to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission right where he has placed her.

 

To learn how you too can be equipped for Great Commission ministry wherever God calls, visit cert.sebts.edu.