Pastor Erwin Amador, a Grace student in the Philippines, has enjoyed studying the Bible throughout his Christian life, but he never intended to be a full-time minister. He had a successful career in the I.T. industry when he first felt God’s call to become a pastor.

“I was just like Jonah,” shared Pastor Erwin. “I tried to justify and say, I can help the church through other means but not as a pastor or a full-time worker.”

One important lesson that God taught him is that he cannot escape God’s call. Today, he is the Resident Pastor of Greenhills Christian Fellowship in Nuvali, Laguna, and also oversees a satellite church in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. He is also the President of the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines in Laguna, with several pastors under his leadership.

“Leaders are learners. There is always something to learn if I keep a humble heart,” said Pastor Erwin. He had already completed a Master of Arts degree in Christian Studies before he even became a pastor. But now that he is in a position of spiritual leadership, he felt the need to further equip himself so that he can effectively equip the people under his care.

“A friend told me about Grace. When I learned that Grace values context, culture, grammar and language in the exegetical study of the word of God, that made me decide to enroll in Grace,” said Pastor Erwin. “Nowadays, there’s a lot of dangerous doctrine because of how people interpret the Bible. Studying the Bible the right way will shield us from error.”

Research is one of the things that he enjoys most since he began pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Grace. “I enjoy all the professors because they really make me think about my theology. The discipline of research is emphasized. And the best thing about Grace is that I can study at my favorite coffee shop anytime,” Pastor Erwin shared.