By Merritt Johnston
I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home with godly parents and siblings that lived out their faith. Because of their legacy and the grace of God, I trusted Christ as a five-year-old. I used to think this didn’t give me much of a “testimony” as I do not have a long history before I became a Christian. However, the older I get, the more I appreciate the blessing it is to have known Christ for most of my life. In many ways, the purity of my faith at five has provided a compass for my life that has protected me from the divergent paths that would be less than God’s best for my life.
I have always loved studying God’s Word, and I have always loved to learn. Pursuing a degree in theology was a way to combine those two passions. It was also a means to become a more effective minister and Bible teacher. In an age of biblical illiteracy, it’s more important than ever to know what we believe and how to share it. This spurred me on to pursue a seminary education.
As I researched seminaries, I knew I wanted to invest my time in not just biblical knowledge, but more importantly, biblical application. At Grace, the classes are led by men and women of God who have real-life ministry experience and a passion to equip others. In addition, Grace’s great utilization of technology enables me to complete my studies in a format and timeframe that works well with my busy schedule as a wife, mother, and minister.
In addition, I love the God-sized vision that Grace has to develop spiritual leaders in every nation. It is powerful to know that I am learning and growing alongside men and women who are literally impacting their entire nation with the gospel of grace. It’s my honor to also serve on the staff at Grace and to see the passion we share to carry out our individual roles within the large Master plan. I want my life to have kingdom impact, and I have the opportunity to see an impact every day at Grace.
I am praising God for the opportunity to graduate in May with my Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. After graduation, I will prayerfully continue on to the MDiv program and eventually the DMin, with the ultimate goal of teaching either at Grace or another Bible college or seminary. As I continue my studies, I will remain in my position as the Senior Director of Marketing at Grace and as the President of SAGE Girls Ministry. SAGE’s mission is to reach, teach, and train young women to impact their communities and the world with the love of Christ, and in pursuit of that mission, I will continue to travel, speak, and write. In addition, I will continue serving as a chaplain at our local hospital and investing in the ministry and outreach of our church. Last but not least, I hope and pray that I will be more passionately in love with Christ and live out that love in the lives of those closest to me: my husband, Jeremy, and my three children – Josiah, Silas, and Jubilee.
