
Paige Holden earned her bachelor of arts in Christianity from Houston Christian University in 2016. She completed the Honors College curriculum and graduated cum laud. She has since gone on to pursue a masters of divinity from George W. Truett Theological Seminary and is expected to graduate with honors in December of 2019.
Paige was recently hired as the Associate Youth Minister at Tallowood Baptist Church and has served in student ministry for the last six years at various other churches. She enjoys hiking, pottery, reading, traveling and fishing and desires to build a career writing spiritual formation curriculum for students and families.
What have you been up to since completing your undergraduate degree?
Immediately after graduating from HCU I began seminary in Waco, Texas. While in seminary I worked at Magnolia, as a bakery host, and served on staff at Harris Creek Baptist Church. While in seminary I have been able to take an array of classes, ranging from spirituality in the wilderness (where I spent a week at Christ in the Desert Monastery) to spirituality and education from a gardener’s perspective. During this time, I have been shaped spiritually and mentally by my community of peers and professors as I seek to see and know the world differently.
Where do you feel God is calling you in the near future?
It has been an incredible blessing to move back to Houston and serve on staff at a Church that knew and loved me during my time at HCU. As I am back in Houston, I hope that I am able to invest in young women who feel called to ministry through mentoring and discipleship. Along with investing in the next generation, I have a deep desire to continue with my education in pursuit of a doctorate of ministry. I anticipate that within the next four years I will be back in school.
How do you feel the Honors College benefited you as a student and as a person?
The Honors College challenged me to fall in love with learning in a way that I had never thought to do before. In high school I was a straight A student, not because I enjoyed school but because I valued good grades. During my time in college I learned how to read for the sake of learning, in order that I might be formed, shaped, and challenged by new information. That was an invaluable experience for me, and I am a better minister because of it. In order to teach my students well I must first know how to read, evaluate, and ask good questions, all things that the Honors College truly equipped me to do.
What are you most looking forward to in the future?
As I look to the future I am excited about the opportunities of teaching that lie ahead of me. From teaching my students weekly to special speaking opportunities, I am blessed and humbled by the possibilities that await me. My mother jokes that if I could, I would stay in school forever because I truly love learning and the energy of a classroom. What I have now found is that I learn even more by teaching. Through my preparation, presentation, and the questions of my peers my life is enriched with knowledge.
Is there a book that you feel has challenged your opinion on a topic or led you to a ‘light bulb’ moment?
I was a Christianity major in college, and while I was drawn to and appreciate the great theologians that we were able to read, the book that challenged and transformed me the most was the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. He writes, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Douglass discusses the power and ability that knowledge has to set someone free. When people learn to read their lives are transformed by the power of knowledge. To read the Bible in all its fullness, to read the works of C. S. Lewis, to enjoy some of the greatest works such as the Iliad – there is a dignity and a freedom in these acts. Reading and learning are some of the greatest gifts we have been given, and I am forever seeking to do these things well.
What is the most challenging aspect of your life right now?
The Bible is a beautiful narrative that continues to deepen the way I understand God, Creation, myself, and my neighbor. My biggest challenge is teaching and discussing this narrative in a way that invites my students to a deeper, richer understanding of the world. The Orthodox Church has a very holistic understanding of the Christian life which the Western world often lacks. My desire is to see my students delight in this holistic Christian call, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit, and be challenged and changed by spiritual formation and service.
What has been the biggest blessing in this season?
My biggest blessing in this season has been having a community of women to share in the good and hard times in ministry. Truett Seminary has empowered me as a women minister through organizations such as Truett Women in Ministry, as well as giving me the opportunity to sit and learn under women scholars. The women who sat next me in the classroom, preached from the pulpit, who held babies with me in the nursery and journeyed with me through life have been beacons of grace, love, and kindness. I am blessed to continue in ministry knowing that women are being raised up to lead and love the church.
What advice would you give to incoming Honors College freshmen?
Get to know this community. Get to know your peers, the upperclassmen, and especially your professors. Get to know them outside of the classrooms; engage in life with them. While the conversations I had around the classroom about the Iliad and the Bible were good and memorable, the conversations we had around the dinner table were even better. When you commit to living your life to listening and learning with this community, you will be blessed far beyond what you can imagine. Some of my most transformative moments have been in Dr. Hartenburg’s office as I cried and contemplated what awaited me in the future. Take advantage of the wisdom and the insight that your peers and professors have to offer; you will cherish these moments forever.