The sound of music and God’s call to ministry
Adam Best was en route to becoming a music teacher but made a U-turn when he received the call to ministry. Now, he is on course to become a pastor.
Adam Best began learning to play the piano at six years old and started playing music in church when he was fourteen. His love for music led him to study music at Leeds Conservatoire, a higher education music college in West Yorkshire. “Music was my first love,” said Adam. “I thought going down the teaching route, and teaching music was the right thing to do. Everything was going fine at the Conservatoire, although I wouldn’t say I was enjoying it.”
Adam experienced a spiritual awakening just before the United Kingdom went into lockdown in 2020. He realised that although he was active in church, playing the piano, he was, in fact, a ‘window Christian’, having one foot inside the church and the other foot outside. He was en route to becoming a music teacher, but little did he know that he would soon receive the call to ministry.
In January 2021, Adam began to have second thoughts about his career choice. He did some deep soul-searching, asking himself what he wanted to do with his life, concluding that his true calling was to become a pastor. “I called Sam, a good friend of mine studying here at Newbold and asked him how he recognised his call to the ministry,” said Adam, and continued, “I didn’t believe we had many similarities in terms of our experiences, but I guess God calls everyone in a different way. However, I didn’t think about that at the time.”
“I asked my dad what he thought of my idea about becoming a pastor. He didn’t try to talk me out of it, but he said, ‘Don’t feel that the only way you can serve God is by being a pastor. You can serve God doing anything, like being a teacher, so don’t ever knock that because there is a huge need for godly teachers. Don’t underestimate that role!’”
“I had coronavirus in August 2021, and while I was self-isolating, I finally decided that, without a shadow of a doubt, I wanted to study to become a pastor. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I told my dad about my decision, and he said, ‘Yes, God has called you to become a pastor.’”
Adam enrolled on the BA in Biblical and Pastoral Studies course in September 2021 and said he is enjoying his studies. “The Biblical and Pastoral Studies course has changed how I think,” explained Adam. “It has changed me for the better. Believe it or not, it’s not so much about what I’ve learned but what I’ve unlearned, and I’ve unlearned many things. In one of our first lectures, Dr Laszlo Gallusz [Senior Lecturer in New Testament] made a point to ‘always be open and listen to others even when you think they are wrong’.”
“Before that lecture, I wouldn’t even listen to people like T. D. Jakes because he isn’t an Adventist. I would only listen to Adventist preachers and only read Adventist books. So, learning to be open has paved the way for life-changing things that God wanted to reveal to me. If that foundation hadn’t been laid in the classroom, I don’t think I would have been so willing to learn new things from other people’s points of view. God has been patient with me, knowing that I had a closed mindset, which on reflection, was so wrong.”
Summing up his experiences to date, Adam said he knew that God had a plan for his life. “He was organising events in my life to reveal himself to me, and his timing was perfect. I have realised that Jesus is more of a personal saviour. Even the way I relate to him has changed. Rather than doing things to be saved, I came to the place where I said, ‘You know what, I want to get to know you now.’ I have learned to trust in Jesus no matter what happens. I’m relying on his guidance, and I’m excited to see where he will lead me.”