From Waco to the World – How Alumni Are Serving Internationally

As students walk the halls of Truett Seminary, the reminder to share the gospel of Christ with the world is readily found–from the hallways to the bronze globe in the Narthex with the words, “Go into all the world.” Some students come into Truett knowing God’s calling on their lives is to leave their homes in America and find new homes abroad. Other students attend, study, graduate, and serve stateside, only to discover along the journey God’s calling to serve outside the borders of the U.S. Truett alumni are now serving in twenty-two countries around the world.

Blake Sherman, MDiv ’18, and his wife, Cara, who currently work with Greater Europe Mission in the United Kingdom, felt a calling to serve internationally a few years after graduation. “I don’t think I felt particularly called to serve overseas while attending Truett, but I remember taking a class with Dr. Michael Stroope called Contextual Evangelism, culminating in a trip to England to observe various ways of doing evangelism across London,” Sherman recalled. “This was a deeply formative trip with late-night conversations with fellow Truett students in Shoreditch about the beauty and power of the gospel available to a post-Christian society. To make a long story short, years later, after much seeking in prayer and discernment, God called our family to England to plant a church.” Sherman and his family, who are from Texas, are now settling into three years of living in Birmingham, England. 

Most of Sherman’s time is spent co-pastoring a local church he helped plant which includes preaching, leading worship, working with kids, praying, and meeting with other pastors. In ministry, one thing remains the same for Sherman. “Whether you live in Central Texas or overseas, nothing changes regarding life—the key remains dependence upon God. On days when I feel exposed and unable to respond to the challenges in front of me, the reality of being hidden in Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit has provided me the footing to stand.”

For Regina White, MDiv ‘09, who grew up in Texas, her calling to serve internationally began at the young age of 13. She went on to graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Sports Ministry from Campbellsville University and then earned her Master of Divinity with a specialization in Missions and World Christianity at Truett. White had a folder of 20-30 mission organizations and as she readied herself for graduation, she discovered Cru. “I started working for them in 2011 as an intern in Prague, Czechia for two years. Then I moved long-term to Slovakia and have been here over 10 years,” said White.

White is currently the local team leader in Košice and on the National Leadership Team. Her local team focuses on evangelism and discipleship of high school and university students. Through her ministry and work in Slovakia, White is thankful to be part of the global church. “God is at work everywhere, and it is an honor to be able to see him at work. We are all called to be missionaries no matter where God calls us in life.” 

Both White and Sherman have a few words of encouragement and advice to share with those who are considering ministry outside the borders of the U.S. 

“I would recommend having a special diary to write down all of the times God spoke your calling to you: a verse, a song, what a person said. Then when it is hard and dark, you can read through and remember the times that God called you to international ministry,” White said.

For Sherman, “to paraphrase someone wiser than myself, you might be able to speak all the world’s languages, but if you don’t have love, you’ve got nothing. The deepest resource you have isn’t an education or skill; it’s a relationship with Jesus Christ. You’ll never graduate beyond needing to cling to Jesus – invest here.”

For all Truett alumni serving internationally, they have left the halls of Truett, passed the bronze globe in the Narthex and now gone “into all the world,” sharing the Good News. Their faithfulness to follow God on this path is evident. The way in which each alum is called to serve and where each one is to serve is unique; however, each calling has the same foundation—the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.