Zachary King – Living the Story

Thinking back on his experience at LCS, Zachary King (’94) says, “My clearest memories are of the care and encouragement I received from LCS teachers and staff.”

Zachary played basketball and baseball, and remembers particularly enjoying his science and history classes which helped to spark a lifelong passion for reading. While Zachary did not know in high school that his future would include international missions, he believes “chapel and Bible classes laid a foundation for spiritual growth and my calling to ministry—though at that time in my life I did not see or understand the direction God was calling me.”

It was not until he experienced a bad skiing accident his junior year of college that Zachary says he was finally able to hear and understand that God was calling him to a career in ministry. After graduating from Calvin College, Zachary enrolled at Calvin Seminary where he received his Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology, followed by a Ph.D. in the New Testament at the Free University in Amsterdam. It was during his graduate work that Zachary, and his wife Sharon Segaar-King, began working with Christian Reformed World Missions and serving the Church abroad, first through an internship in Puerto Rico and then for a year in Nigeria.

In 2006, Zachary and Sharon, along with their young children, moved to Haiti where they served as Church and Leadership Developers for twelve years, supporting and training Haitian pastors and church leaders with their ministry and outreach. Zachary recalls that, “this ministry was tremendously challenging – we endured eight hurricanes and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti which caused massive destruction and loss of life. But this work was a tremendous blessing to us as we enjoyed the passion of the Haitian people for Christ and a strong sense of community.”

Now based in Grand Rapids with Sharon and their four children, Zachary serves as the Director of Resonate Global Missions where his work focuses on supporting and encouraging the mission work of the Christian Reformed Church in North America and around the world. Zachary is able to pull on his extensive ministry experiences overseas to lead and guide this organization to fulfill their vision of faithfully proclaiming and living out the good news of Jesus around the world.

Thinking back upon his work in missions and reflecting on his role in God’s story, Zachary states, “I believe that God is a patient builder in our lives, carefully laying a foundation through all of our life experiences. Christian education is one of those foundational blocks and an important part of God’s story for my life. I am privileged to have the opportunity to share God’s love with others through my mission work in Haiti and service within the Christian Reformed Church. I am thankful my teachers and experiences at LCS were part of that story.”