Justus McKenzie

Doing “Justus” to Ministry Training

If Justus McKenzie isn’t memorizing vocables, chances are he’s lifting weights or playing drums—all regular parts of his schedule at MLC.

Pictured, you see him playing drums at an MLC talent show, but more often you’ll find him and his drums in Chapel of the Christ. “Playing the drums for chapel feels like such a blessing every time I get to do it,” he says. “I think of it as a way to worship, like David danced before God, and it’s just amazing to share that with a chapel full of professors and students worshiping too.”

Look at that picture a little more closely, and you can see evidence of his time in the weight room too. It’s a discipline that’s served him well.

“Justus is one of those faithful students who has gained a good amount of self-discipline from his dedication to weightlifting,” says Dr. Keith Wessel, “and transferred that to his academics. I think especially how he had to successfully navigate the waters of three different foreign languages (Latin, Greek, and Hebrew) during his junior year as he completed the requirements of his program.”

Pastor IN THE MAKING: Justus learned admiration for the pastoral ministry early—from watching his dad. “Every Sunday my family would go to the Bible class my dad leads, and I was always just in awe at how well he could communicate what God is saying to his people.” It was during a religion class with Pastor Dave Wenzel at FVL that it hit him: “I could actually share the gospel for a living. I never second-guessed being a pastor from that point on.”

Though he’s often imagined himself teaching religion at a high school or in a big church packed with people every Sunday, “as time goes on,” he says, “I’m realizing more and more that the gospel is about spreading God’s love to individual people. I really love talking to people one on one and having a close connection with people that way. But I’ll be so happy and feel so honored with whatever work God puts in front of me.”

Justus’s Advice for You: “Just serve God in whatever you decide to do. Make your decision based on what God has done for you. Don’t look for a way to change the world—look for a way to show Jesus to the world. “