Alumni Spotlight on John Slosted

As we celebrate International Education Week alongside Baylor University, we invite you to learn more about one of our alumni, John Slosted. As a Master of Divinity graduate from Truett Seminary in 2020, John is living on mission in Hong Kong as a youth pastor at an English-speaking international church. 

Learn more about John, discover how his training at Truett equipped him to serve where he is, and hear the advice he gives to anyone who is thinking about serving the church internationally. 

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I graduated from Truett in the summer of 2020 with my Master of Divinity and a certificate in World Christianity & Witness. I came to Truett directly from Wheaton College after studying Biblical & Theological Studies. Before Wheaton, I was previously pursuing a career in the military at the United States Air Force Academy, but, over the course of my second year there, I discerned that God was calling me to ministry as I was doing Bible studies in my squadron, participating in mission trips, and was a leader in one of the campus ministries. 

I've since continued to follow God step by step as he's led me to my current ministry abroad in Hong Kong where I live and serve with my wife of five years, Elli. In my day-to-day life my perfect day would include a black coffee, a run to the beach, a book by Richard Bauckham, and finished with a cringe reality show with Elli and our cat Mochi.

2. Can you share your journey from Truett Seminary to living and working in Hong Kong? 

Originally my wife and I were aiming to be in Mainland China, and had accepted a position in Guangzhou, China with a community center that partnered with a church through one of my wife's past Chinese professors. However, as COVID-19 began to progress, the organization closed down. As COVID-19 started to ramp up in the States, we weighed whether to continue looking abroad or wait it out in the U.S. 

Providentially, God then led us to a job posting for my current role in Hong Kong at an English-speaking international church where I serve as the high school youth minister. Although Hong Kong was not originally in our consideration, we learned more about its dynamic city and prayed about its specific role, and we ultimately felt it was the Lord’s answer. 

3. What has it been like adjusting to life in Hong Kong, and how has your faith helped you navigate those transitions?

Life in Hong Kong has been a blessed adventure. Although foreign in many ways, it has many systems in place that make it approachable for Westerners, and the church I work for has several Americans on staff which helped assist in the transition as well. Selfishly, we were blessed with the very strict quarantine and COVID-19 restrictions imposed on Hong Kong. That time allowed us to get used to the elaborate public transportation systems and experience many of the things Hong Kong offers without tourists and the overwhelming crowds that we have now. 

Long-term, what has enabled us to thrive is to actively work against the hyper-consumerism of the culture here with simplicity. For example, our first year we leaned into the small HK spaces with our beloved 163 sq.ft. apartment (each foot counts!). Throughout the last four years, and the majority of our marriage, Elli and I have learned how to better support each other as we both depend upon God who has shown us throughout this adventure that he is with us, answering our prayers and paving the way before we even can recognize it.

4. How does the Christian community in Hong Kong differ from what you experienced in the U.S.? Are there any cultural practices or traditions that have enriched your spiritual life?

For Hong Kong in particular, there is such a diversity of Christian experiences. The English-speaking international churches each vary in their distinctive and they are all different from the local Cantonese churches. The challenge I find personally with the English churches is how to minister to and keep in consideration both the marginalized refugees and asylum seekers in contrast to the uber-wealthy. What has since enriched my spiritual life is the privilege to walk alongside and teach some of the courageous women who exited the commercial sex industry and reintegrated back into their home countries. Through our exchange of ideas in classes, their perspectives on God, Jesus, justice, and even demons, they have all deeply impacted my thoughts and practice.

5. How did your time at Truett Seminary prepare you for living and working in a global context?

I was blessed coming into Truett in that I already knew I wanted to study what was called at the time “World Christianity & Witness.” Through the five classes I took in this field as well as my deep friendships with students from Nigeria, The Philippines, and Taiwan, I was equipped to consider how no presentation of the Gospel is uncultured and how to approach those of other faiths empathetically. While still focusing on the basics of the Gospel I’ve been able to navigate the various terrains of culture I face. For example, I often find myself switching between presentations of the Gospel that are directed specifically towards guilt/innocence, honor/shame, or fear/power worldviews. In each of these, the truth that Jesus is the risen Lord transforms lives.

6. In your experiences abroad, what does it mean to be a part of the global Church, and how has your experience in Hong Kong shaped your view of Christianity worldwide?

Living in Hong Kong has given me opportunities to also serve and minister with brothers and sisters in the larger region, showing me just how truly beautiful our global family is. Our co-workers I’ve been with over the last four years in The Philippines, China, Thailand, Kenya, Uganda, and of course Hong Kong have all continued to show me that God is already so powerfully at work globally before any of us arrive. My prayer is that God would continue to call and convict harvesters in every zip code and every country not just for faraway lands but for their own neighbors.

7. What advice would you give to current Truett students or alumni considering international work or ministry?

Let me first ask a few questions to the reader. One of my best friends here in Hong Kong is a young Filipino minister recruited here from a flourishing ministry back in his home country. We’re both salaried and ministering in a foreign country with a small minority of Christians. Is he a missionary? Am I a missionary? What even is a missionary? We both have seen firsthand “missionaries” that end up being a hindrance to the local efforts of local ministers as well as ones who have built lasting and edifying relationships. If you’re considering international work or ministry, look for how you can equip and serve, not how to just do something new. God is already doing something new – look for it, join alongside, and witness to it.