At The Master’s Seminary, preaching is the priority. Every aspect of our curriculum prepares men for the pulpit. For that reason, the MacArthur Preaching Award is one of the highest honors a graduate can receive. It recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in exposition, and it encourages both recipients to continue pursuing precision in preparation, depth of content, and quality of delivery.
Brian Nkoana and Karl Walker, two members of the 2022 class, have been awarded this prestigious honor.
Hailing from South Africa, Brian did not grow up in a Christian home. His grandmother came to Christ when he was ten years old. She faithfully taught him the gospel and he fully embraced it his freshmen year of college. Soon after his conversion, he started listening to sermons online from John Piper and John MacArthur. He was particularly drawn to MacArthur’s slow, careful, and painstaking attention to detail. Looking for a church that prioritized God’s Word like MacArthur did, Brian discovered David Beakley’s church in Polokwane South Africa. There he learned about The Master’s Seminary. As he began to sense God’s calling on his life to move from his career in accounting into ministry, Brian decided to follow in David’s footsteps and attend The Master’s Seminary because of the quality of preaching he was hearing not only from David, but from another TMS alumnus, Tim Cantrell. Since arriving at TMS, Brian and his wife have faced several unexpected trials, but the Lord has cared for them as Brian received a training that was everything he hoped it would be. He is eager to serve in any capacity the Lord has for him and his family in the coming years.
Karl Walker came to The Master’s Seminary from South Carolina, where he grew up in a Christian home. His parents taught him God’s truth from a young age and he doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t believe in the gospel. He was privileged to grow up at a church that prioritized expository preaching. His pastor, Mark Minnick, had a massive influence on his life and doctrine. Near the end of high school, Karl started seriously considering full-time ministry. At Bible college, he grew in his confidence that God was directing him that way, and he also began to realize that he needed training. He chose The Master’s Seminary because of its singular focus on training expository preachers and preparing men to be pastors. He knew he wanted to pursue that high calling with his life and he couldn’t think of a better place to prepare for it. After graduation, Karl will work as an academic editor at TMS and continue working as a pastoral intern at his home church in Simi Valley, California.
In honor of receiving this award, both men will receive complete sets of the MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series. We pray the Lord would bless these men with continued dependence on the Spirit, diligence in study, and dedication to the work of faithful exposition.