Friday, November 9, 2007
- NTS Connection
Rev. Stephen Porter (’02) is actually both an alum of NTS
(graduating in 2002 with a Master of Divinity Degree) as well as a current
student , returning this fall as a part of the missionary intern program at NTS. Before missionaries are sent out by our
World Mission Department, they spend a semester at NTS studying and
preparing. It is a joy and a privilege
for us at NTS to have a part in the preparation of our Church’s missionaries;
and often adding to our joy, as in the case of the Porters, we are able to
welcome alumni once again back into our community.
Student Spotlight: Rev. Stephen Porter (’02)
Pictured
here are Stephen, his wife Dana, and their son Watson (age 2)
Where
is “home” for you and Dana?
I grew
up in different areas of Georgia and attended Trevecca Nazarene
University. Dana grew up in Indianapolis
and attended Olivet Nazarene University.
However, we have spent the past 5 years living just outside of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
You
graduated in’02 and have been in ministry since then. What’s brought you back to NTS?
Dana
and I served on staff at Fairview Village Church of the Nazarene outside
Philadelphia since leaving NTS in 2002.
I served as the Children's Pastor and then the Director of Family
Ministry for the past couple of years.
This past summer, we were assigned to serve with the Church of the
Nazarene in Angola, Africa. We have
returned to NTS as World Mission interns for the fall semester before we are
deployed in January. Once we are in
Angola, we will train pastors and provide support for the 70+ churches in the
country.
While
your times here at NTS have been under different circumstances, what has
impacted you the most?
The
major impact that NTS has had on my life and ministry is the understanding that
all ministry must be contextualized.
Whether we are ministering to a congregation in Atlanta, Georgia, children
in Philadelphia, or leaders in Angola, Africa, there is a unique context,
language, and culture to each situation.
My education at NTS has encouraged me to approach all aspects of
ministry with a need for understanding the people and culture(s) of which they
are a part.
How
has your time at NTS shaped or re-shaped your call?
I have
felt God leading me into cross-cultural ministry since I was very young, but my
time at NTS continued to confirm that call within my life. Through class times, internships, and
interaction with professors and students at NTS, God continued to reveal how He
was shaping me and preparing for what He has in store for my life.
Thinking
of your past and future ministry experience, how has NTS’ commitment to
theologically “preach the gospel” impacted how you do ministry?
We all
teach and preach from our own cultural understanding about God and how He is
interacting with the world. NTS has
encouraged me to think critically about my own assumptions about God, so that I
can more faithfully preach the good news about Jesus Christ and His reconciliation
and renewal of all creation.
In
spite of the stresses of beginning ministry in another country, what excites
you the most?
The
message that we bring is full of hope.
God's Kingdom has arrived and He wants to bring the Kingdom to earth as
it is in Heaven. Angola is a country
that has survived 27 years of the darkness of civil war that ended in
2002. They are now in the midst of
rebuilding and renewing their country and its identity locally and
globally. The church has an awesome
opportunity to actually “be” what God has created it to be and see the Kingdom
in action. This reality can help chart
the course for an entire nation and I look forward to the opportunity to be a
part of what God is doing in Angola.