The Life of a Ministry Major

A hammock stand sits in the middle of the lawn. If you listen closely, you might hear someone speaking into a brick wall. A church-like service known as chapel is held three times a week. These are only a few of the many exclusive aspects of Greenville University. An outstanding ministry program is another aspect that could be added to this list. An interview with Jonah Wilson, a senior pastoral ministry major, can help us better understand the life of a ministry major.

Wilson is from Paxton, IL and is involved in the Greenville Student Government Association by sitting in the student outreach position. His initial thoughts about becoming a ministry major occurred when doing some volunteer work at his church back home. A couple of people encouraged him to get involved and he quickly developed a passion for serving and ministry. He later decided to pursue it within his education. Dave Hohulin, the pastor at that church, the Upper Room Bible Church, is someone that Wilson admires greatly. Hohulin inspired Wilson when he first started serving and getting involved in the church.

When asked what Wilson’s favorite class at GU has been thus far, he could not break the tie between Greek and Prophets. He enjoyed Greek because he found it a ton of fun to learn one of the languages that the Bible was originally written in and is able to apply it to the way he reads and understands God’s word. Prophets was also one of his favorites because he learned so much that he didn’t already know. It allowed him to look at parts of the Old Testament in a way he had never looked at them before.

Wilson is not exactly sure what his plans are after graduating, but he thinks that he will either look for a job within a church or continue his education. Continuing his education could occur sometime down the road. Even so, he is confident that the ministry program at GU has prepared him for a career outside of college. Wilson states, “I don’t think you can ever be completely prepared when going into ministry or, to a certain extent, in any career. However, I think that Greenville has given me a lot of great tools to help me be more effective in whatever I am doing. Whether that is graduate school or being a pastor.”

For those considering a degree in ministry, Wilson suggests getting involved in a church. For those already in the major, he advises to find ways to apply and use the things you are learning about by getting involved in a church. He also mentions going above and beyond the required internships because the more you get out there and do it, the better idea it will give you to see if you want to do something like that in the future, not to mention the fact that it will help you grow. 

Wilson not only has advice for those in ministry, but students in other majors as well. When asked how he applies what he learns in the classroom to his life, he suggests looking at what you are doing in your classes as legitimate prep work for what you are going to do as a job. Since he has had that perspective, it has helped him to grow as a student and to do his work better in general.

Media by Shelbi Fisher.