Education Ministry Leadership Program Alumna Highlight: Rachel McCown

Rachel McCown graduated from the MA in Education Ministry Leadership program in August of 2024. She was born in New Zealand and moved to the United States when she was five years old. She now lives in Houston, Texas, and loves where God has placed her.

Rachel has been involved in church her whole life and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior when she was seven years old. Rachel explained, "I never had the desire to work in ministry, but God changed my heart and placed a calling on my life, and I could not imagine doing anything else." If there is one word she would use to describe God in her life, it would be "intimate." She said she can look back on her life and see God working in the tiny details that added up to where He has her today.

Rachel recently transitioned out of kids ministry and into an administrative role at her church, Champion Forest Baptist Church, in Houston, Texas. She is grateful to have the chance to support those on the frontlines of ministry and loves the work she gets to do. Rachel said one of the most important lessons she learned was "to experience different points of view and to learn more about what it really means to follow Jesus and how to model that for others as well." She said future graduates should learn everything they can now and then put it into practice at their respective churches to carry out the Great Commission.

When asked what advice she would give new MAEML students, Rachel responded, "I would encourage them to soak up their time at DBU and take the time to truly learn all they can from their professors. I truly enjoyed my time in each class, and each professor is so different and has so much to offer." One of her favorite things while in the MAEML program was seeing what each professor was passionate about and learning through the lens of their experience and knowledge. Rachel would also encourage graduating students to be still and ready for any opportunity and take the time to experience it.

When asked how the MAEML program impacted her worldview, Rachel said, "When I started my degree at DBU, I had just joined the residency program at my church and was fairly new to the idea of working in ministry. I experienced different perspectives surrounding what it looks like to lead others to Christ, great ways to study and understand the Bible on a deeper level, and the importance of leading in a way that brings people to Christ."