Faith and Intellect, Help Rev. Kosh Jr. Cast a Wider Net

Growing up a pastor’s kid in the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Kevin Kosh Jr. rebuffed the idea of becoming a pastor himself when he grew up. Despite what people observed about him and what he knew deep down, he wanted to blaze his own trail. At first glance, Kosh Jr. considered intellectualism to be the highest priority in accomplishing his life goals, however his college experience at a United Methodist affiliated institution would soon change that. 

“When I was younger, I think I always had this passion for God, but I wrestled with not being like my dad or being like the people who I saw before me,” Kosh said a bit sheepishly. “So that was always big for me because I didn’t really see myself being a pastor.”

After graduating from high school, Kosh attended Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss., one of the 11 United Methodist affiliated Black College Fund schools, where he indeed began to find his path. Along the way, he began to embrace both the richness of family history and the leadership gifts that would one day land him a job as director and strategist of the National Network of Young Adults for Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st century. 

“Going off to school, and then seeing all the different ways that people put their faith in action, that always kept my gears going.” 

His experiences at Rust College sparked a flame of inspiration to support and build other young adults like him. Years later as the director and strategist of the National Network of Young Adults (NNYA), Kosh is carrying out that mission. Kosh is responsible for identifying, recruiting, training, and building a national network of relationships with young adult leaders from various walks of life who are committed to becoming disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Rev. Kosh Jr.’s goal with the NNYA is to ask young people tough questions about themselves and connect them with people and guidance that will help them become what God wants them to be.

By connecting young adults to a greater network of other disciplined young adults, campus ministers, mentors, and seasoned ministry leaders, Kosh is helping to build a pipeline of transformational leaders to serve within the church and respective UMC affiliated HBCU campuses. The mission of his work resembles the support and mentorship Kosh once received from The General Board of Higher Education (GBHEM).

Kosh first got acquainted with GBHEM though his local church, which sponsored college tours and helped students apply for GBHEM scholarships. 

“GBHEM and the Black College Fund have helped provide a supportive education, enriching educational experiences, and the resources to afford to pursue opportunities to learn and serve all while discerning my call,” Kosh said. For Kosh, the college experience that GBHEM facilitated for him helped him meld two driving passions within him—his faith and intellect.

“One of the things that I realized was, I had a passion for worship that the church could give, but I had an intellectual curiosity that only the academy could provide,” Kosh recalled. “So, I found myself running to one or the other, not realizing that there are communities that actually merge the two.”

As an ordained minister and youth advocate, Rev. Kosh Jr. now fully understands the importance of the combination of faith and intellect. This powerful combination is what enables him to successfully walk in his calling.

After graduating from Rust College in 2012, Kosh decided to continue to follow his call into ministry and attended Gammon Theological Seminary, receiving his Master of Divinity in 2014. From there, he served three different ministerial stints in Mississippi—first as a campus pastor for two years at Alcorn State University in Lorman; then as a chaplain and professor at his alma mater, Rust, for three years; then finally as a campus pastor, again for three years, at Jackson State University.

Of the many things Rev. Kosh Jr. learned through his education, balance seems to be one of the reoccurring themes. In essence, Kosh Jr. learned to be a fisher of men by casting his net wider.

“Casting my net on the other side, it was literally a network,” he added. “So, I still use that as my ministry too, because the biggest thing that we want our young adults to do between [ages] 18 and 35 is to be able to hear, explore and discern their call. We try to create spaces for our young adults to grow.”

To learn more about Rev. Kevin Kosh Jr. and his amazing youth advocacy visit sbc21.org/nnya-2.