Name | Benjamin Turkalj
Hometown | Belica, Croatia
Undergraduate Program | Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies
Class of | 2006
Seminary Program | Master of Ministry
Class of | 2009
Name | Heidi Turkalj
Hometown | Vienna, Austria
Undergraduate Program | Bachelor of Arts degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Class of | 2006
Seminary Program | Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
Class of | 2009
From the Word
Benjamin Turkalj received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies in 2006 and a Master of Ministry degree in 2009 from Moody Bible Institute. His wife, Heidi, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in 2006 and a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship in 2009 from Moody. Heidi grew up in Vienna, Austria, and Benjamin in Belica, Croatia. In 1996, Heidi's family moved to northern Croatia, where she met Benjamin.
They married in 2000 and through ministry work were continually reminded of the need for trained spiritual leaders in Croatia, where evangelicals make up less than 0.1 percent of the population. They enrolled in Moody in 2002, with the goal of receiving training to better equip believers in Croatia with the Word of God.
The emphasis on practical ministry experience was one of the most valuable aspects of the Turkalj’s time at Moody. Since 2006, Benjamin and Heidi have been involved in their local church in Chicago. Benjamin ministers through preaching, technical support and leading worship, while Heidi coordinates the church's worship band. During their Moody years, they tutored Bosnian families in English and, as seminary students, took part in a variety of outreaches and internships.
“The practical part of Moody’s education was a huge asset to our ministry preparations,” Benjamin said. “I can stay at home and read a book, but to have a professor take me on the street to minister to people is an experience that I cannot get inside a classroom or at just any school.”
To Life
Since graduating from Moody Theological Seminary in 2009, the Turkaljs have been completing preparations to return to Croatia and serve alongside the local ministry team at their home church. Their time at Moody refined the many tools they will use in their ministry in Croatia—preaching and teaching, evangelism through TESOL, music ministry, discipleship groups, and translation of Christian literature into Croatian.
"God taught us subtle lessons of perseverance, patience and faithfulness to Him,” said Heidi. “We’ve learned how to integrate theology into the way we live and function in a church, how to be sensitive to God’s leading, and how to draw from Scripture and church history to worship God more fully.”
They hope to have their support goals fully realized by November 2010, when Benjamin is scheduled to teach Greek at the Theological Biblical Academy (TBA), a Bible school that Heidi’s parents helped launch in 1997. Heidi is looking forward to providing much needed Bible teaching to the church’s women’s ministry, establishing small group Bible studies, translating Christian literature and song lyrics into Croatian, and revitalizing the worship ministry.
The Turkalj’s hope to be used by God to breathe new life into the church’s effectiveness in evangelism. “There is not really a missions mindset in the evangelical churches of Croatia,” Benjamin said. “Maybe it goes back to the days of communism when churches were literally fenced in and religion was to be contained within church buildings. People are still living in that kind of mindset and the churches are basically dying out. We hope with God’s help to change that.”