Dr. Kizombo Kalumbula ‘94
Dr. Kizombo Kalumbula serves as Pastor at Tabernacle Community Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kizombo is married to Carrie (‘99), whom he met at Grace, and they are parents to six children of which 3 are young men and 3 are young ladies. Kizombo graduated from Grace Christian University with a Bachelor of Religious Education and a Bachelor of General Business Administration. He then pursued graduate schools and completed a Ph.D. in Health Psychology in 2018.
A Co-Founder and Co-Pastor of Tabernacle Community Church since 2002, their mission is to make new and better Christ-followers who influence the culture and impact the city and the world for the glory of God. Since 2005, Kizombo has served as the Executive Director of International Berean Ministries with the mission of using evangelism and other Bible-based strategies to teach, equip, and train the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to meet their own spiritual, emotional, educational, and physical needs.
Prior to Tabernacle, Kizombo was a Discipleship Counselor at Mel Trotter Ministries from 1995 to 2000 and says, “after which time I accepted a position as a substance abuse counselor with Spectrum Health – The Recovery Center as well as the supervisor of the Independent Living Foster Care Program with Bethany Christian Services. I left these positions when we planted Tabernacle Community Church.”
During Kizombo’s time at Grace, he was a part of the soccer team and a member of the student council. When asked about a memorable experience that stood out to him during his days in college, Kizombo recalls “Besides my time in classes, I enjoyed being a part of the soccer team for four years that won our district or regional soccer tournament twice and competed at the national level in Florida. As a secretary of the student council, I had the opportunity to participate in the strategic planning of the college as we represented the voice of the student body on campus.”
Kizombo says he enjoyed the Survey of the Old Testament with Professor Craig MacDonald and ethics with Professor Tim Conklin’s classes because they helped prepare him for his ministry career.
“Both of these professors were inspiring for different reasons. Professor MacDonald’s excitement to teach the Bible was contiguous. Professor Conklin’s ethics course was practical and elicited much discussion on practical life matters. I enjoyed discussing cases/scenarios that were relevant to daily decision making” Kizombo says.
“I know Grace impacted my life in a positive way as I met my wife and ministry partner at Grace”, Kizombo said speaking of how Grace has made an impact overall in his life. “As far as my career, my time at Grace was a blur as I had a very limited understanding of life in America when I attended Grace. It was quite challenging being a minority in a majority culture as I attended Grace. However, I see now that my time at Grace somewhat prepared me for the reality of life in the United States. One direct impact is that my time at Grace taught me one of the most powerful words in the English language, empathy.”
Dr. Kolumbula goes on to say, “The mission statement of Grace is very much needed during this season in our country and around the world. I am excited to continue the legacy of impacting lives for humans flourishing with the gospel.” Kizombo’s involvement with International Berean Ministries (IBM) is in part driven by his association with Grace as his parents started IBM shortly after they completed their education at Grace.
Dr. Kolumbula is currently an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Grace. He has also been a periodic chapel speaker and attended a few other events put on by the Alumni Association. “I am very excited with the prospect of Grace positively contributing to the formation of the new generation of Jesus followers who will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the impact of the Gospel in the United States and around the world.”
By Ami Walker | Alumni Relations Department
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