Paul Chang

Spiritual Formation, M.Div. ‘22

I appreciated the community the most during my time at Biola. I felt that everyone knew my story and invested in me with their words of encouragement and presence. Through all of my failures and victories, the ISF community held me up in times of struggle and also celebrated with me in times of joy.

How did your program at Biola prepare you for your career?

Biola prepared me for my career by giving me knowledge of how the Word can be faithfully applied into real life experiences — especially within interpersonal relationships. As my vocations require me to actively listen and speak into the lives of others, my professors have taught me how to do this with genuine compassion, skill and godly wisdom. More importantly, I was taught to view my work as a rich journey of personal growth in Christ, rather than a means to an end.

What did you appreciate most about your time at Biola?

I appreciated the community the most during my time at Biola. I felt that everyone knew my story and invested in me with their words of encouragement and presence. Through all of my failures and victories, the ISF community held me up in times of struggle and also celebrated with me in times of joy.

How did Biola equip you to be a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ?

Biola equipped me to be more faithful in following Christ by teaching me more about my personal identity. I was challenged to know myself more than ever before during my time here. This led to my spiritual growth in Christ as it allowed me to see how I can fully worship God with my gifts and talents, and also my weaknesses and brokenness. I believe that I received this knowledge of myself so that I could then fully lay myself down as a sacrifice to God.

What advice would you give to students considering your degree program?

The advice I would give to students considering the ISF program is to explore what God may be doing through this community and to trust the process. I took a leap of faith when I first applied, and it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. God blessed me through my curiosity to explore what this program had to offer and he took me on a journey that would change me forever.