Heather Hall
High School Women's Director
Christian Ministries, B.A. '16
I am biased, but I think that this is the best Christian Ministries program in America.
How did your program at Biola prepare you for your career?
I am so thankful for the time and effort the Christian ministries department gave me in my time at Biola. The CM department gave me the skills to run my own ministry while helping the people of the church. I have successfully run events as well as establish discipleship groups because of the Biblical integration that was used in the CM classes. I learned a lot about interpersonal relationships and how to meet people where they are at, which has prepared me immensely well for the high school girls that I meet with day in and day out. The number one thing that the CM department taught me was that Jesus is our main focus. Not the numbers of your ministry, not the popularity of your ministry, but Jesus being at the center. From there, your ministry will thrive.
What did you appreciate most about your time at Biola?
At Biola, I was on the softball team as well as a Christian ministry major. I really appreciated the flexibility my professors had with my sports schedule as well as the different relationships I was able to establish throughout my time at Biola. I also loved being a part of a community where I could spend all night in the library studying with my friends in my major and connecting through the small things. Because of the Christian ministry department, I have kept these relationships and now we get to help each other out in our different ministries. I really appreciated the softball program along with Dr. Corey's support of our team. It was cool to be able to train, play and grow spiritually around a group of girls who had the same passion as me. Sometimes Dr. Corey would come to our practices or games just to say hello which meant a lot to the girls.
How did Biola equip you to be a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ?
Biola prepared me to be a more faithful follower of Jesus in my day to day activities. I can't explain how important it was to me that we would pray at the beginning and end of every class. My professors did not push a relationship with Jesus on me, but they encouraged me in my walk, reminding me that it is a daily decision that we make to follow Jesus. Of course, Biola prepared me for the "head knowledge" of the Bible but I would say my one on one relationships with my professors really taught me about "heart knowledge."
What advice would you give to students considering your degree program?
I am biased, but I think that this is the best Christian Ministries program in America. A few things that you will get to be a part of if you choose this major: professors who have been through 20+ years of ministry will help you find a JOB (true story!), outside sources coming and sharing their ministry experience with you, books that I still read today in my ministry career, the relationships you establish with your peers and the internship. The internship gives you a real life experience of ministry and I don't know of any other program that does a semester long internship. The internship feels like you are in the front lines of ministry for a semester and you do nothing else but that internship. It gives you a preview of ministry before you enter in.