What is your ministry?
I currently serve two places in the church. I am a part-time church pastor primarily involved in youth ministry and responsible for the church strategy process. The other place of ministry is the Reformed Theology, where I teach mainly Christian education and pastoral care courses and organise practical training for students.
When did you trust Christ?
I was born in 1976 during the Communist regime. After the Communist regime collapsed, some friends told me they attended religious education classes in the Hungarian Reformed Church. Though my parents were baptised as Roman Catholics, I asked their permission to visit the religious education class. After finishing primary school, I attended a newly established religious secondary school. Before the start of the school year, our teachers organised a summer camp for the students; during this week, I truly understood the Gospel and accepted Jesus as my personal savior.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
From an early age, I prepared to be a geologist. But at the age of 17, my physics teacher asked me whether I would stay in the study group preparing for the university entrance exam in physics or if I would go in another direction. I found this question interesting; maybe my teacher sensed I could have a different goal. I went home to my parents and told them I would prefer to study theology. They said they had already known this for months before our conversation and accepted my decision. Theological education raised many questions in my life. To face these life questions, I took a year off and went to L’Arche Communities to serve people with disabilities. During these years, I felt a tension between what I heard from the pulpit and what I saw in real life. In some cases, my friends and colleagues made great personal sacrifices at the L’Arche communities, but at the same time, I heard Christians criticising the world of sinners but not living the joy of the Gospel. After finishing my Master of Divinity program, I had an opportunity to study Christian education. After my studies, I entered the ministry as a university chaplain and, later on, while a Ph.D. student, I served as deputy minister in a congregation in Budapest.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
What I like about teaching at university is the time spent among my students, when I can pass on what I received, and when I can learn myself and reflect. The Forum would be constructive in providing me with the latter opportunity. Networking and praying with colleagues from other countries would inspire my teaching service among my students.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
After finishing the PhD program, I was invited to lead the Hungarian Reformed Synod Youth Office. I was in charge of organising nationwide youth activities, festivals, and training programs for youth leaders. After four years of leading this office, I was invited to be a leader of the Mission Department of the Synod Office.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
At the Faculty of Theology of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, we have a program for those with a BA in Religious Education or an MDiv degree. The goal of the course is that graduates of the program should be able to integrate self-knowledge and the knowledge of God and help others to do this in the light of Scripture. The Forum would greatly help me improve this course, which is intended mainly for pastors in the church.
