Nazarene Theological Seminary

Rev. Brent Peterson (’00) is the Pastor of Chicago (IL) Northside Church of the Nazarene in Chicago and a Ph.D. student at Garrett Evangelical Seminary.  This quadrennium, Brent is serving serves as a Member-at-Large of the Alumni Association Council.  Brent and his wife Anne live in Evanston, IL with their 2 children, Noah (5) and Lexi (16 months).

More Tools in my Toolbox

When Anne and I were first married, we seemed to find ourselves living in places that continually needed fixing (with little money to enable the fixing!).  Outside owning a couple screwdrivers and knowing how to change a light bulb, I was pretty helpless.  However,  I did learn rather quickly that when you work with plumbing, for example, it is important to combine the right tool with proper knowledge in order to get the job done correctly; some things in life invite and appreciate creativity; my sink was not one of them. Every time my Dad would come and visit our humble home, invariably we would make a trip to Sears to find the right tool to enable my education in properly making the making the needed repair.  Even now when Dad comes to town I often learn something new and often find it necessary to procure yet another tool to add to my collection.   

One of my undergraduate religion professors commented that going to Seminary after college would give me more tools in my toolbox.  It was not until I was nearing my graduation from NTS and in my third year of professional ministry that I began to better understand what my professor had suggested.  Education or knowledge is not some cognitive deposit of data that I “own” to feel more important or powerful.  Furthermore, my seminary education did not suppose to answer all of my questions.  Conversely, it shaped me to think theologically, to ask better questions.  In ministry, with all of its blessings and challenges, I continue to seek opportunities to learn.  My passion and questions for the Church and worship pushed me into a Ph.D. program after being in ministry for over 10 years.  It continues to be a very humbling but exciting opportunity to be stretched and to ask questions that can better equip me as a minister that hopefully, God can use for the building and furthering of the Kingdom.