After John Mark Haase, Sam Cooper and Luke Johnson met at new student orientation for Samford’s Beeson Divinity School in the spring of 2023, the three quickly became close friends and built relationships that helped sustain each of them during their time at Beeson.
“I’ve enjoyed many classes with these guys,” Haase said. “Having people going through the same things you’re going through and praying together has been really helpful. Even just being able to work on a study guide together, something that may take you three to four hours, only takes one hour.”
A South Carolina native, Haase studied pre-law at North Greenville University before coming to Beeson.
“I felt like it was where God had opened a door,” Haase said. “It has flown by. It has been challenging, but also very edifying. I feel like I can see and understand what it means for the Gospel to impact your life and indwell you. It’s created a passion to help people find freedom in the Gospel, and these guys have helped a lot with that. That’s something I get excited about going into ministry. We have no idea how much the Gospel changes our lives and that’s something I want to help people see.”
Johnson is from Kentucky and first experienced Beeson through its Lay Academy of Theology, taking a few classes after moving to Birmingham in 2021. The Lord put Beeson on his radar and called him to seminary.
“I was working in accounting. I thought I was done with school,” Johnson said.
Beeson has equipped Johnson with the knowledge of where to go or where to point people for answers. He also praised the Beeson faculty for being willing to meet, and said Gordon Bals and Ronald Sterling have made an impact on his life.
Originally from Tuscaloosa, Cooper’s pastor at his home church is a Beeson graduate and encouraged him to apply. While he ran from a call to ministry for a few years, the Lord brought him to campus. Beeson has helped him take the truth of God’s Word and connect it to people with real-world problems and show them the Gospel, a work that Cooper has had to do for himself.
“I heard the word refinement recently, and Beeson has really brought a lot of sinful parts of who I am as a person and brought it to the forefront for me to deal with,” Cooper said. “Beeson is really committed to the spiritual growth and development of the student in addition to academic training.”
Cooper said without Haase and Johnson, he may not have made it through Beeson.
“It’s genuinely been a grace of the Lord placing some really good people who want to know you deeply,” Cooper said. “For me, that has propelled me wanting to study and take another step even on the hard days. You’re really well known at Beeson and there’s accountability in a good way.”
In addition to doing life together and attending football games, making late-night lattes for study sessions and more, Johnson said the Lord has used his friends to show him his own heart, which has been hard, but helpful.
“I’m coming out different than when I came in, seeing myself more broken. I’m more humbled than when I first came in, and they have a lot to do with that,” Johnson said.
Haase said the trio has opened up to pastoral ministry as a calling, and they’ve seen it in each other and encouraged one another as they’ve continued their studies. Johnson said being able to help each other preach during their last semester at Beeson has been a joy. The community they have built with each other will culminate this Friday, when they walk across the stage at commencement together, each graduating with a Master of Divinity.
“It’s been fun as well getting to see where we’ve been and where we are now,” Johnson said. “Not that we’ve arrived, but even looking back a few years ago and now seeing each other preach and growing in our gifting, being able to give each other feedback, that’s been a real gift too.”
Cooper plans on pursuing pastoral ministry, while Johnson and Haase are considering Beeson’s Master of Arts in Christian Counseling. Johnson currently serves in the college ministry of Christ Church Birmingham, and Haase is the youth pastor of Cathedral Church of the Advent in downtown Birmingham.