“Dr. Klink, can you give me any good reason why a Christian needs the church?” That question prompted Trinity alumnus Edward (Mickey) Klink III to write his newly released book: The Local Church: What It Is and Why It Matters for Every Christian.
“A bright young man at a social gathering of college students from my former local church asked me this question over ten years ago, and I can still remember the silence in the room,” Klink recalled. “We volleyed responses back and forth for over an hour as we discussed the role and necessity of the church, but he left the conversation unconvinced.”
Klink was serving as a professor of New Testament at a California university at that time, making him an ideal candidate for this theological challenge.
“I left the gathering that night with the conviction to dispel common misunderstandings about the local church,” he said. “This book is the culmination of what I wanted to say to this young man, as well as to others contemplating the purpose and place of the church in their relationship to Christ.”
TEACHING WITH TRINITY
Now the senior pastor at Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, Illinois, Klink has held several academic positions after earning his PhD from the University of St. Andrews and is currently teaching an introductory-level New Testament class to undergraduates at Trinity College.
“It has been great being back in the classroom. There is just a different energy when you’re teaching 19- and 20-year-olds!” Klink said. “I took the New Testament course in the McLennan Building many, many years ago, so it's surreal to be in the same room again.”
“I was slowly making the Christian faith my own, but it was at Trinity where God began to really shape me.”
Klink received three degrees from Trinity (BA ‘97, MDiv ‘00, ThM ‘02) and recalled how his time on campus was instrumental in molding his faith. "I began to understand the gospel around age 16 after my pastor, who was a fellow TEDS grad, did a message series on 1 Peter that helped me grasp the beautiful picture of Christ,” he said. "I was slowly making the Christian faith my own, but it was at Trinity where God began to really shape me.”
THE LOCAL CHURCH
Today, Klink is passionate about communicating as a pastor and as a published author how the local church is indispensable in the life of every Christian. “From my early days at Trinity, I developed a love for ministry as well as a love for academic study, and God has used those dual passions to direct my path in some amazing ways," he said. “I’ve seen the need to discuss how God uses the local church to minister to his people and the world for a long time. Given the growing perception that you can be a Christ-follower outside the fellowship of the local church, a book that demonstrates why it matters couldn’t be more needed right now.”
“From my early days at Trinity, I developed a love for ministry as well as a love for academic study, and God has used those dual passions to direct my path in some amazing ways.”
At Trinity International University, we are proud to celebrate our alumni and their many accomplishments. The degrees Mickey Klink earned continue to draw students worldwide who aspire to be the next generation of ministers and academic scholars.
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MASTER OF THEOLOGY
