Jonathan and Kathleen Shumate moved from Houston, Texas in 2008 to pursue their ministry calling. They currently attend Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri, and work for a church called Gateway to Grace Fellowship.

Where were you born and raised?

Jonathan was born in Houston, Texas in 1980 and raised up on the northwest side, in Spring. He graduated from Klein High School in 1998 and went on to attend the University of Texas in Austin where he received a degree in History, with the intent of going overseas as a full-time missionary.


How did you become a follower of Christ?

When Jonathan was seventeen years old a friend invited him to come to a Young Life meeting. A few weeks later another friend convinced him to sign up for Frontier Ranch, a week-long Young Life camp up in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. It was there that Jonathan first heard the Gospel and put his trust in Jesus Christ. He has not looked back ever since!


What are your reasons for attending Covenant Theological Seminary?

Jonathan and Kathleen both felt called into ministry soon after they put their trust in Christ.For both of them, the radical change that took place when they became believers was so clear to them, it truly felt like they had gone from darkness to Light, from death to Life, and they felt an unshakable, all-consuming burden to share this news with others. They also have a strong desire to serve overseas.

While they were dating they discussed their sense of calling and how to pursue it, and decided that it would be best to receive training now for a lifetime of ministry rather than going out onto the missions field only to have to return later for more training. Also, they hope to be involved in church-planting and theological training overseas, both of which would require more experience and development in order to serve in such areas competently.

For these reasons they believed that it was necessary to invest time and money in getting a seminary education. As one of the professors on campus says, "seminary is not about what you learn, but who you become in the process." Our hope is that this investment will honor the Lord over time as we are made more competent and mature ministers of the Gospel.

How long do you expect to be in seminary?

Our plan at the moment is to attend for a total of four years. Kathleen will receive a Masters in Counseling and will be a licensed counselor by the end of her training. Jonathan hopes to receive a Masters of Divinity and be ordained in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.