SAGU Alumnus Ministers to Youth and Christian Athletes
Waxahachie, Texas – March 10, 2017 – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) alumnus Nick Cowan continues to impact the lives of youth and young athletes through his youth ministry and as a Character Coach with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) .
For the last two years, Cowan has been working in student ministries at the Avenue Church in Waxahachie. His approach to ministry is “creating environments that reach students on multiple levels.”
Cowan believes that working with youth presents a varied set of challenges. One challenge he has encountered is “balancing relevance and authenticity.” Along with his ministry at the Avenue, he works weekly with athletes and provides character lessons to help student athletes translate the skills they learn playing team sports into everyday life.
Cowan believes that his time at SAGU has contributed to instilling the importance of developing relationships in ministry. “I learned valuable lessons from some of my professors that prepared me to be in ministry,” Cowan says. “I’m confident that I wouldn’t have wanted to learn those lessons the hard way.” He graduated from SAGU in 2005 with a B.S. in Church Ministries with an emphasis in Christian Education. In addition to meeting his wife at SAGU, Cowan says that during his years in college, he established deep relationships with the individuals on campus.
For students interested in pursuing a career in ministry, Cowan says, “Get to work. Somebody needs you right now. The opportunity to be in ministry may not be what you expected or what you think you’re looking for, but, never underestimate what you could learn at every stop.”
He also stresses the importance of education and its role in ministry even after graduation.
“Turn your papers and assignments into ministry projects. You have built-in mentorship, your professors, that will help you walk through the projects and point you towards success.”
Since graduation, Cowan has also served as a Youth Pastor in Dallas and fulfilled multiples roles at Life School.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.