Katherine Hughes, a recent theology graduate from Summit Theological College, reflects on her online study journey and how it has prepared her for ministry.
Growing up with a pastor father, Katherine developed an early interest in theology.
Her passion for cross-cultural missions and the need for a degree to enter certain countries led her to pursue a Bachelor of Theology.
Studying online suited her lifestyle as she worked at a Christian retreat and later moved between the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Summit College’s flexible, high-quality online program allowed her to manage her studies while juggling various roles in ministry and youth work.
Katherine experienced personal challenges, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she struggled with burnout.
However, the lockdowns provided her with much-needed rest, and support from Summit’s tutors and student services helped her manage her workload and mental health.

Katherine gives an example of how her studies help her relate to other students.

When Amy came to me, feeling like a spiritual failure, I could see she was weighed down by self-doubt.
We sat with our coffees, and I gave her a look that said, “I’ve been there.”
Then, with a smile, I launched into my favorite topic: church history, but with a twist.

“Did you know,” I started, “John Wesley—yeah, the guy who founded Methodism and started a revival that literally changed the world—felt like a complete flop at one point? He went to America for a mission trip, and it went so badly that he basically limped back to England thinking, ‘Well, that was a disaster!’
But God wasn’t done with him, not by a long shot. He just needed a spiritual wake-up call and a cup of tea… or something stronger—this was England, after all.”

Amy chuckled, her frown softening. I knew I was getting through.

“See,” I continued, “Wesley thought his ministry was a failure, but that moment of doubt was just the set-up for something bigger.
It’s like when you’re making a cake and halfway through it looks like a total mess. But trust me, if you stick with it, by the end you’ve got something amazing… with frosting.”

Amy raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying my life’s just a messy cake right now?”

“Exactly!” I grinned. “A messy cake with some divine frosting on the way.”

Then I told her about Adoniram Judson, the missionary to Burma. “This guy got thrown in prison, lost his family, and spent years thinking, ‘Maybe I should have just been a baker instead.’ He saw no results for ages. But by the time he died, he’d translated the Bible into Burmese, and thousands came to know Christ.
Can you imagine if he’d given up?
‘Oh well, no converts, guess I’ll go back to… wait, there’s nothing to go back to!’”
I leaned in with a dramatic whisper, “And then God’s like, ‘Surprise!
Here’s the fruit of your labor!’”

Amy laughed, shaking her head. “So, you’re telling me to hang in there because maybe God’s working in the background?”

“Exactly! You’re on to something now.”

She sighed and sipped her coffee. “But what if people don’t think I’m cut out for this? I mean, I’m not exactly… you know, Catherine Booth.”

“Oh, Catherine Booth!” I lit up. “Let me tell you, that woman was a firecracker.
She co-founded The Salvation Army with her husband, William, at a time when people thought women in ministry was as weird as… well, men in bonnets.
But did that stop her?
Nope! She preached anyway. And, boy, did she preach.
People tried to shut her down, but she had one of those ‘God told me to do this, and I’m going to do it’ attitudes. She probably thought, ‘Well, God’s in charge.
And last I checked, He didn’t hand out ‘qualified’ badges to the perfect people—just the faithful ones.’”

Amy snorted, then looked thoughtful. “So, I just have to be faithful, not flawless?”

“Bingo! Faithful, not flawless. If Wesley can bungle a mission trip, and Judson can sit in a jail cell wondering if anyone cares, and Catherine Booth can bust through glass ceilings with her Bible in hand, I think you’re in good company. Messy cake and all.”

Amy grinned. “Okay, I’ll stick with the cake… but I’m expecting some serious frosting soon.”

We both laughed, and as we left, I could see she felt lighter—less like a failure, more like someone who might just be part of a grand, messy, God-baked masterpiece.