At the opening of a brand-new school year, World Gospel Mission (WGM) has a new face as the director of their program. Katy McKee, the new director of WGM, is originally from Texas but has called Kentucky home for nearly ten years. McKee joined WGM on July 15 after much deliberation, personal reflection and a departure from her usual ministry positions.
“Through my journey in Asbury seminary and the past five years since then, a lot of the work that I have been doing in churches and in denominations has been a lot of background and behind-the-scenes things, which I love but I felt the Lord calling me into more leadership positions.”
While McKee accepted this calling, she admitted that it didn’t come without its own challenges. “I was kind of hesitant because it’s not comfortable for me. It was out of my comfort zone. I was dealing with a lot of my own fear and insecurity, but sometimes He calls us to do uncomfortable things.”
“It reminded me of Moses, and when He called Moses away from Midian,” McKee said. “I’m sure he was really comfortable watching his sheep in Midian and being a shepherd, but he was called to lead his people.”
McKee reminds us that it is important to look to Scripture for examples of God calling those to new and challenging positions and how to respond to God’s callings. Additionally, prayer and guidance from loved ones were vital in McKee’s journey.
“I decided to take the position after a lot of prayer, through encouragement from friends, mentors and my husband,” Mckee said. “My husband’s encouragement was huge; I wouldn’t be here without him.”
Another important person in McKee’s decision to take the role as director was someone who is familiar with such a position. Previous director of WGM for seven years, James Ballard, reached out to McKee and walked her through the process.
“He reached out to me and said, ‘I believe in you and I think you’d be great for this role,’” McKee said. While Ballard was able to encourage McKee and walk her through what the role of director looked like and how it had impacted his walk with Christ, in the end, it wasn’t his or anyone else’s word that finalized her decision.
McKee said that while Ballard encouraged and pushed her to consider the position that “It was the Lord who solidified that decision for me.”
Even in the short time that McKee has been director, she has had the opportunity to rekindle a relationship with an old ministry friend and create new memories.
“I have had a great time with Madeline Black who is our assistant director here. We have had some really sweet prayer times and some great planning times. We have been in ministry together previously, so just being together on a team with her has been great.”
Under McKee’s direction, there is a lot to look forward to this semester. The first speaker, John Rinehimer, VP of International at WGM and well-known amongst students, will be speaking at the first Sunday gathering of Global Café, which will take place on Sept. 8. Additionally, throughout the semester, there will be speakers from Paraguay, WGM headquarters and people who are about to be launched on their missions. McKee will speak at the second gathering of Global café, where she will share more of her story.
McKee emphasized the importance of WGM on Asbury’s campus. “It’s so influential because of their value in investing in students. I think that’s really rare, not only financially with this building, but creating a space to influence and invest in the next generation.”
McKee admits that she doesn’t have any new, exciting plans for the future of WGM at the moment, partly due to the fact that she is adjusting to her new role, but also for a simpler and more important reason.
“The plan is really simple and that is just to help students fall in love with Jesus and his mission,” said McKee. “I love for students to know that I’m here. I’m available, and I want to get to know them and cheer them on in whatever they feel like the Lord’s asking them to be, whether that’s missions, business, media, equine or whatever. We just want to see what Jesus does in their life and help them discover their passion and calling.”
