Sojournal

Chris Beard is a two-time graduate of Johnson University without ever having spent class time on campus. He is a graduate of Johnson's online MA in New Testament as well as the first-ever graduate of Johnson's online Ph. D. program in Leadership Studies. He now serves the University as the Dean of the Ph. D. program and operates out of his home base in Oklahoma.  Born and raised in Oklahoma,...

Today's brief episode is a compilation of Directors in the Advancement Office at Johnson University. Each one offers a brief note of what they are especially grateful for this year. On behalf of everyone who keeps the Sojournal podcast going, we wish to express a heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving! We pray you enjoy family, friends, and love of the Heavenly Father this holiday season.

Harold Keck is an adjunct faculty member at Johnson University Tennessee, the lead minister of the nearby Seymour Heights Christian Church, and the current President of the Alumni Association. Listen in to hear about Harold's ministry journey, passion for people, and his plans for Homecoming 2023. Harold and Missy (Hudnall, '85) Keck have two sons; Nathan and Zeb.  Harold is an Indiana boy at...

Long-time listeners of the Sojournal podcast will know how rarely we host a current student as a guest on the podcast. We've done it three times now. The first was with Noah Pryor ('25) as a part of a series featuring the Pryor family. The second was with former Sojournal podcast editor, Sam Cunningham ('23). Today, we welcome the new Sojournal podcast editor, Lena Gavorski.  Born in Ohio but...

Lee is a Kentucky blue blood. That is, he is from the Bluegrass State, was raised to love basketball, and currently ministers just outside of the Kentucky basketball kingdom of Lexington. Lee was influenced by several individuals that brought him to faith, to Johnson, to ministry, and to a variety of kingdom-impacting service projects. Listen to his deep thoughts on theology and life as he shares...

On Thursday, we will drop the full episode of my interview with Lee Faust. Lee is the preaching minister at Jessamine Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. He gave a lot of great content during our interview and so, rather than sacrifice some of the content, we decided to give you a bonus episode. So, here is a segment removed from Thursday's full interview.

After spending her early years in Pennsylvania, Laura spent her youth in various congregational settings as her father spent time in ministry in a variety of congregations. As she grew, she encountered Johnson University through the witness of Johnson alumni and the reputation of Johnson's teacher education program. Laura earned her BA in Intercultural Studies and has spent time as a kingdom serva...

Blair came to Johnson from a strong and faithful family. After he identified Johnson as the place he wanted to attend for vocational ministry preparation, his father (Greg Wilgus - '99) also decided to join the journey. During his time at Johnson, Blair discovered a passion for teaching thanks to the influence of distinguished faculty members such as David Reece, Jody Owens, and others. Blair went...

Joe Mueller came to Johnson University due, in large part, to the influence of well-known Johnson University alumni.  toward Johnson by the Wingfield family. Charles ('60), the former senior minister of First Christian Church in Florissant, Missouri, set the initial example during Joe's younger years as a member of that congregation.  Joe spend his formative years in Raleigh, North Carol...

A musician and a lead minister, Caleb Mullins is a 2018 graduate of Johnson University who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. Through this episode, we learn that life does not always go according to plan. Caleb shares his personal challenges and God's faithfulness through it all. If you are in the Knoxville area, make plans to attend the album release party for Kaleb Mullins and The Witness at the Con...

A native of Ohio, Mark found his way to Johnson University due in part to the influence of Johnson alumni. Originally on a path to be a preacher, Mark discovered a love for learning and continued his theological education at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. His vocational career as an educator began at Louisville Bible College before he received a call to teach Old Testament at D...

Zachary Korff ('06) has spent all but his college years as a resident of Indiana. Raised in Greenfield, Indiana, Zach came to Johnson due to the influence of his home church minister, Russ Jarvis ('79). Zach is married to Jessica (Hanze, '05) Korff and they are residents of Huntingburg, Indiana, where Zach serves as the Minister of Central Christian Church. Those who remember Zach as a student at...

This week, the full episode of the Sojournal will drop on Wednesday. However, before that episode drops, we wanted to offer this segment extracted from the full interview. Zach shares how he reconciles a loving and benevolent God with walking with a loved one through a challenging journey.

The original interview with Patrick and Kristen Riecke was much longer than the final episode we published on Monday. Some of the content was just too good to leave off and so we wanted to offer you this special segment featuring Patrick and Kristen's response to a question we asked them about the books that they have published to help those who are hurting. Whether you or someone you know has exp...

Patrick and Kristen Riecke are both Indiana natives who grew up in similar faith-related family circumstances. They met at Johnson and it was their common ground that led them to one another and set the foundation for their future lives as husband and wife. The Rieckes serve the Kingdom in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where they are both involved in the difficult work of hospital chaplaincy with Parkview H...

While not a personal graduate of Johnson University, Brandon has taken some graduate-level courses with the school and is married to alumna Jamie (Whittemore, '07) Perry.  Doors to ministry and coaching opened in unique ways for Brandon throughout his journey. When he received the opportunity to be the head men's basketball coach at Johnson University, it was not a position he pursued but rat...

The guest for Monday's episode of the Sojournal podcast is Brandon Perry. Brandon serves Johnson University Tennessee as the Athletic Director and Head Men's Basketball Coach. In this extended preview, we cut out a segment from Monday's 1-hour episode to give you a glimpse of Brandon's heart and perspective when it comes to ministry as a basketball coach.  If you find yourself challenged by w...

After serving the University in admissions and registrar roles, Andrew is now the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Johnson University. He slides into the seat formerly held by 32-year Johnson University stalwart, David Legg. Andrew grew up in suburban Atlanta in a faith-focused home. While he could have chosen a college closer to his hometown, he wanted to go to the college...

Dr. Bob McGurty is a newly minted graduate of Johnson University's online Ph. D. program in Leadership Studies. During time in the Air Force during his younger adult life, Bob was introduced to faith as a personal relationship with Jesus. Raised in a home where faith was not an important feature of life, Bob found his young adult encounter with authentic Christians to be life changing. After the A...

Jason Yeatts was raised in Roanoke, Virginia, where he came to know Christ personally at Edgewood Christian Church. His original faith relationship started in the context of the Catholic church. He came to Johnson University as a part of a large contingent of students who enrolled from Edgewood Christian Church in the same year. Jason married his wife, Tess (Paddock, '05), early in his academic ca...

The ministry career of David Woods only had a few stops. From his humble ministry beginnings in coal mining country David ultimately served as the lead minister of Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield, Indiana, for many years. Since planting the church in 1986, David has spent the balance of his ministry career with this congregation. He currently serves the church as an elder. David married...

Drew Mentzer is a 1968 graduate of Johnson University and currently serves as a Trustee of Johnson University. He is married to Judy (Morgan, '67) and they have two children.  After his graduation, Drew held ministries in Virginia, Tennessee, and Illinois. After a 22-year ministry with Second Church of Christ in Danville, Illinois, Drew and Judy retired to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to be closer t...

Raised in Huntington, West Virginia, Don grew up in the United Methodist Church tradition through his teens. At 19, he gave his life to the Lord as a result of the influence of his aunt and the influence of JUTN alumnus Steve Martin. After his academic career at Johnson, Don joined the staff of Poplar Springs Christian Church in King, North Carolina. He has served this congregation in positions in...

In this final installment of the 2022 Homecoming Review series, we will get the chance to hear brief presentations by Drew Mentzer ('68) and Tim MacSaveny ('05) regarding "A Story that Changed Me."  These stories were shared as a part of the Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning sessions of Homecoming and were designed to inspire Homecoming attendees to consider their own stories of God's fai...

In this third part to our Homecoming review series, Bill Wolf shares the thought process behind his Homecoming message delivered on Wednesday, May 20. Bill is an employee at Johnson University where he serves as the dean of the chapel.  He and his wife, Betsy, are both members of the Johnson University class of 2003 and have served churches across the United States.  Bill holds a Master...