Maxwell Aka
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Degree: Masters of Divinity, Track 1
Tell us the story of your call into ministry. When did you accept this call?
My “call into ministry” was simultaneous and identical with my “call” to salvation, my “come to Jesus” moment. I think all believers are equally called to ministry; different individuals are just equipped differently. For me, my first ministry role was as a worship leader and counselor at Camp Frenda, an Adventist summer camp in Ontario, Canada. Since then, I’ve always been in some kind of ministry. I’ve been a worship leader in various contexts, and continue to be involved in music ministry of various sorts. I’ve been on overseas missions—twice on short-term trips to Japan and also a year-long mission to Kenya. And I’ve also been involved in various capacities at the local level. To me, all of those are just an extension of the same experience, the same “call”, so to speak.
What are your ministry goals and aspirations?
I would really like to build bridges with people who the church may not often reach – those who do not necessarily identify easily with the culture of Adventism or Christianity, but who still want to learn about spiritual things. I’m especially interested in helping bridge the gap that I perceive between Adventism and contemporary cultural “scenes” – music, arts, activism, typical millennial stuff I guess. Haha. I’d also really like to see a stronger Adventist social media presence. Online ministry has a lot of potential, and we’re still really under-using resources like YouTube and podcasting. So I’d definitely like to contribute to those kinds of #ministries.
You’re involved with a band that is getting attention. How does it reflect your passion for ministry?
My band is called “KOZEN”. We play a really unusual breed of rock music that kind of encompasses all the very different backgrounds we all come from. We’ve got two Baptist guys who are metal musicians, two Independent Charismatic Evangelical guys who come more from more of a gospel background, and then there’s me kind of bridging those two divergent musical backgrounds. Oh, and our old drummer was a Salvation Army guy. It’s cool though, because we’ve been able to connect in a meaningful way to the Toronto music scene and get to witness to people who might not otherwise engage with anything “Christian”. It’s tough right now because of the distance, but I manage to drive back to Toronto from time to time for shows, and the Internet makes it easy for us to keep writing music together.
What brought you to the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary?
I’d had it in the back of my mind for a long time that I would end up here. After studying at Tyndale, I figured I’d need to get my masters at some point. After a couple years off of school to do mission work and some projects for my local conference, it seemed like the next logical step.
What has been the best thing that has happened to you since arriving?
I think my favorite thing that has happened to me since I’ve been at Andrews has actually been reuniting with some of my former students. After my undergrad I taught for a year at an academy in Kenya. I never would have thought that I’d be reunited with people I met there in Berrien Springs of all places. But it’s been really wonderful to reconnect with them.
What are some ministries or other activities you’ve been involved in during your time here?
Two main things. First, I’ve really enjoyed connecting with the network of musicians on campus. I feel like I get my biggest blessing when I’m playing guitar at New Life or UV. There’s some great talent at this school, and I owe a lot to the people who helped me get integrated and involved. Secondly, I’m currently working with Adventist Learning Community on a project called iBelieveBible – an online Bible study program based on the NAD high school Bible curriculum that harnesses the power of videos, blogs, and social media to connect with a broad youth and young adult audience. We officially launched the project around September, and we’re reaching quite a lot of people around the world.
What do you plan to do after you get your degree?
I’m not 100% sure yet. I’d be interested in maybe picking up the chaplaincy focus and to do something with that, or maybe to look into campus ministry, ACF stuff. I also think there will be increased needs in the future for people with experience in digital and online ministries, so honestly who knows what the future holds? And of course, here’s hoping the band takes off.
