Name: Kyle A. Walsh
Graduation Year: 2016 AA / 2020 BS
Major: Marketing AA / Church Ministries BS
Current Position: Youth Pastor and Director of Hospitality at Word of Life Fellowship
City and State: Steubenville, Ohio
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
When I graduated from Evangel in 2016, I became a real estate agent in Akron, Ohio while I was also an Associate/Youth Pastor at Bethel Church in Tallmadge, Ohio. While I was selling homes and pastoring, I was working on my bachelor’s from Evangel. After 3 years at Bethel Church, I felt the Lord asking me to step down from my position. My wife, Gabryelle and I obeyed the Lord and took the leap of faith into the unknown. During this time, my wife and I were both working as real estate agents for RE/MAX Above Expectations. The market was booming, and we were building strong careers within the real estate world. Soon the 2020 pandemic hit, and we would be working from home. During this time, I graduated from Evangel with my BS in Church Ministries. Gabryelle and I knew we still had a call on our lives for ministry, and God did not disappoint. In December 2020, my wife and I were announced as the new full-time Youth Pastors at Word of Life Church in Steubenville, Ohio. My wife and I put our home up for sale in Cuyahoga Falls, and it was under contract after a bidding war within 4 hours of it being on the market. We knew God was working within this new assignment from Him. We moved 2 hours from our home in Cuyahoga Falls and also from our real estate business in Akron. This was a huge leap for us, not only spiritually, but financially as well. My wife and I did not only give up an established real estate business, but my wife also gave up her established photography business she started in that area. (Of course, these businesses can be restarted in a new area, but it is a big hit to leave the place you are known and established in.) However, when one accepts a call from the Lord, one must be willing to leave everything behind and follow. And that’s exactly what we did. We have been in Steubenville for just over 1 year and 2 months. During that time, we have seen God move in mighty ways, not only in our personal lives but also within the ministry we took over. We have not only seen growth, but lives saved forever. Nothing has been greater than seeing the kingdom of God grow. We have also had students answer the call to ministry within their own lives. We have turned a Youth Group into a launching pad for students to enter the ministry and into a never-ending relationship with Christ. God has been so good in our careers and even more faithful within His ministry. When we answer the call from God, He does not promise an easy road, but He does offer a road worth traveling.
What is your favorite memory from Evangel?
While at Evangel, I was a cheerleader, and some of my favorite memories were being on the sidelines at football and basketball games cheering on the school I love. However, the memory that sticks out the most was placing in our first competition of the year. Nothing beat working out with the other cheerleaders and walking off a mat after hitting a new stunt we just learned.
How did Evangel help you identify/develop your calling?
Evangel was not just a place to get an education, but a place for one to grow within their calling. Evangel empowered me with the tools to not only get a quality education, but to grow within my spiritual life. Evangel’s professors cared not only about my degree but my relationship with Christ. Evangel helped me learn how to put Christ within every aspect of my life.
How did your experience at Evangel prepare you for life after graduation?
While at Evangel, I served as the Freshman class president and on Senate. Because Evangel offered these opportunities to lead, I was able to form a craft of leadership and skills that would benefit me in the real world after graduation. I am forever grateful to Evangel and Dr. Spence’s classes on leadership for teaching me how to not only be a leader, but to be Spirit-led servant leader.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
The “Workforce” does not start after graduation with your first job. It starts while at Evangel. The practices and habits you form with your studies are the same habits that you will take into your first job after graduation. Start breaking bad work habits now and start gaining good ones for the future. Your life does not start after graduation. It started on move-in day at Evangel.
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire new graduates from Evangel?
When looking for new hires, I don’t only look at their degree and how well they did—I look at everything they were involved in. Were they just there for a degree or were they involved in the community? Did they play sports? Did they lead on campus? How many clubs were they involved in? The degree is not the only thing that matters. A heart for others and the community they live and work in says a lot about a person and how they will conduct themselves. When I was involved with hiring other people, I was not looking for someone to just do the job. I was looking for someone to also flourish within the environment.