I am thankful to God for the opportunity to study in this program. The issue of discipleship is always relevant, especially for leaders. To be able to continually be effective in ministry, one needs to always be learning. The course that we are now taking helps me to better understand how important it is to analyze both the ministry that we are involved in, both the place and the kind of ministry, and to adapt as conditions change. People in the city are changing, and so, the kinds of ministry we did yesterday will be less effective today, or maybe completely ineffective. In this module, I also liked when we visited large urban churches and their pastors shared from their ministry experiences. Earlier, I was rather skeptical about doing public opinion surveys. I simply did not believe that people would engage with us. However, they did engage and we learned about needs in the city that we could meet as a church to draw people nearer to Christ.

I am a coach for the Territory of Responsibility project initiated by the Emmanuel Association, where I deal with children from various risk groups and perform crisis family counselling, particularly dealing with problems of sexual addiction. As a subscriber to UETS’ Facebook page, I keep informed on all the seminars and courses that are offered. That’s how I ended up in this course that I was interested in and that I thought would help me improve my competence. I am so happy I invested my time studying at UETS.

I enrolled in the Spiritual Foundation program at UETS in 2017. Why a one-year program? Well, I simply wasn’t sure if I could cope with a three-year program and I didn’t realize that the seminary had such excellent academics and such quality faculty. Here you can grow deep in your knowledge biblical subjects and gain unique practical and cross-cultural experiences and skills to effectively serve the Lord. I’ve already been able to apply what I’ve learned in ministry. Besides that, the seminary is located in a beautiful place that is ideal for studying as well as for nurturing students’ spiritual and physical health.

I decided to enroll in Summer Missionary School to understand if missionary work was my calling. Studying here strengthened my desire to become a missionary. So far, I plan to continue ministry at my church, in particular taking evangelistic trips to villages and teaching in Sunday School. I was really impressed by our visits to the Arab and African churches in Kyiv, as well as meetings with missionaries who shared their experiences. I understood that I had to go and simply do the ministry that I was called to do. Even if you are afraid, God will never leave you. I was particularly moved by the idea that mission is God’s work, and we are just His instruments and vessels. God does the real work Himself, but He uses us.

I am one of the leaders of outreach ministry at Rock of Salvation Church. However, studying at the Summer Missionary School has changed my vision of this ministry. For example, Serhiy Fluihrant showed us a totally different approach to studying the Scriptures and, accordingly, changed my view about different methods of evangelism and ministry. I am planning to return to Moldova, where I am originally from, and plant a new church there. I would like to really thank the organizers and teachers of the Summer Missionary School, as well as my pastor who blessed my studies. I might have missed this wonderful opportunity without his advice!

It was a great joy for me to start seminary in 2016. I was blown away by the competence of the faculty, who, being church ministers themselves, practice what they preach. From the start they set an example for students to follow. 

I really like the emphasis on applying what we’ve learned in ministry. Our curriculum includes practical ministry requirements which stimulate me and my classmates to use the skills and knowledge we’ve learned. Through this process I am able to learn what works and what doesn’t.

The seminary creates the space students need to discover their potential and lay a firm biblical foundation for life and ministry.

I already have a higher education degree, but I realized my need for deeper theological knowledge. I also found out that this program has European accreditation. Studying in the Master’s in Transformative Leadership program here is a great joy!

Having many years of experience in different kinds of social ministry and missionary initiatives, I have noticed that the Church has learned to serve marginal groups, but often it does not know how to approach the average Ukrainian. And even though almost 70% of the population lives in cities, the Church has the hardest time reaching urban people. Therefore, I decided that the program ‘Mission in the City’ could help me learn to do what the Church needs to do better.

The first thing that caught my eye was that the program was well-thought-out: books on urban mission have been translated and published for the program, research assignments are given that are practical for developing one’s ministry, rather than distracting from it. The program clearly respects my time and, I would say, helps me pragmatically, and this played an important role in my decision to enroll.

Considering the first module, let me say the following: when one wants to set up a business, he or she studies the market. However, when we start a ministry, we often pay too little attention to research the needs, or we just do superficial research.

I have observed that we are effective in ministry to the extent that we do our preliminary research well.  I am especially thankful for the courses in the first session which answered many questions, in particular what and what not to get involved in doing in ministry.  Prior to offering something to people, we need to realy ask if they need it.

The lecturer familiarized us with different approaches to the understanding of baptism by the Holy Spirit so that we could distinguish them and develop our own positions. This approach has helped us to reflect and, instead of automatically coming to conclusions on theological issues, has taught us to engage our minds. I believe that studying is worthwhile for anyone who wants to know God and serve people better.

Steve Thompson inspired me to be more courageous and active. He demonstrated that learning can be interesting. Also, I was impressed with his ability to play a variety of musical instruments, which promotes mutual understanding in a band. Because of this, I am now eager to learn a few more instruments.

Working with refugees, I had been looking for a specialized course in psychology that could shed light on human emotions from a biblical perspective. I found what I was looking for at UETS.