Meet Kristi: An Interview With the New Director of WNAC
During her early weeks in the WNAC office, the ONE Magazine staff sat down with Kristi Johnson, recently appointed director of WNAC. A former missionary to Spain, Kristi and her husband Tim spent nearly three decades on the field before returning to the States. Tim teaches missions at Welch College and, until recently, Kristi worked as communications manager at IM. But there is so much more to learn! Enjoy this revealing look
into her life and vision.
What would people be most surprised to learn about you? When my daughter Ana was
a little girl, I took her to see The Nutcracker in Madrid, Spain. We were so excited our discount-
priced tickets landed us seats in a prime spot, right in front of the stage. While waiting for the show to start, we turned around and saw Spain’s Prince Phillip (now King Phillip) and his family sit down near us. It became a night to remember when we realized we’d gone to the ballet with the future King of Spain!
Besides your parents, husband, and children, who has had the most influence on your life? A few years back, someone asked who I would choose for my “Mount Rushmore” of people who influenced my life. Four people immediately came to mind from various stages in my life. From my teen years to the present, they each mentored me along the way. When my mother passed away two years ago, I looked around and saw all four in the church that day. They truly have been monumental influences.
For what are you most grateful? Besides being grateful for God’s saving grace, I often reflect on His providence. He knew I would grow up in a Christian home where God’s Word was taught. I remember waking up each morning to find my dad in the living room at his usual place reading the Bible. I also went with my mom to ladies’ auxiliary meetings, where she modeled discipleship by investing in the lives of other women. I attended a home church where missions was emphasized and missionaries were often invited to share their stories. These providential encounters were instrumental in showing me the things that would become even more important in my life as an adult. As I have stepped into this role with WNAC, I am grateful for this rich heritage of women, both younger and older, who have inspired me.
Would you share some humorous experiences from childhood? When I was in kindergarten, my teacher thought I could read well. (Really, I was a good memorizer.) She even asked me to read to the third graders, which made both my heart and my head swell with pride. While I was likely just reciting what I’d memorized, I felt so grown-up reading to the third graders. Interesting story: one of those third graders later ended up attending Welch College with me. We still laugh every time we see each other, and I remember being the imposter kindergartner who read books to her.
Can you share your conversion experience? My conversion was a process that started when my parents modeled God’s love and taught me about Him. I distinctly remember the night I made the conscious decision to give my heart to Christ. I was at my home church and walked down to the altar to pray. That night, after church, I remember telling my mom, “I want to go tell someone now!” My little heart longed to share the good news of salvation from the very beginning.
How did you meet Tim? And how would you describe him? Tim and I were both students at Welch College, but we got to know each other in a missions class. (How appropriate, right?) One thing I realized about Tim from the beginning is that he’s steady. He’s my rock! I don’t think I could do what I do without someone who keeps me focused and balanced.
As you look back over life and ministry, how did God prepare you to serve as director of WNAC? I must have seen leadership in my future as far back as high school because I was very involved in student organizations and leadership. That experience stayed with me through my years as elementary school teacher, missionary, communications manager at IM, and even into my master’s degree program in organizational leadership. While God used my ministry experience to prepare me for leadership, He also perfectly aligned my skillset and calling to shape me for this role.
Can you share a humorous story from your time in Spain? During our first year on the field, our entire missionary team met in a restaurant where we had the whole venue to ourselves. During the meal, I went to the restroom. When I tried to leave, the door handle fell off in my hand, and the door did not open without it. I stood there alone and began to wonder what I was going to do. My teammates were on the other side of the restaurant out of earshot, possibly passing through the first AND second courses of the meal. I just waited, hoping eventually one of them would realize I was missing. Eventually, Lea Edgmon came to check on me and realized I was locked in the bathroom. She and the other missionaries had a great laugh at my expense.
What was your greatest challenge as a missionary? My greatest challenge also taught me the most patience. Sharing my faith in Spain wasn’t always easy, as their perceptions of Christ and of Christians were often colored by their own painful experiences with the Roman Catholic Church. It sometimes took years of demonstrating that Christ could be trusted before they would make the decision to follow Him. Those times of waiting taught me patience.
What will you bring to your new role from your missions experience? My missions experience spanned 25 years and included about that many roles. I’ve been a translator, a Bible teacher, a children’s worker, a worship leader, a discipler of women, a church planter, an event organizer, and so much more. Each new task gave me insight into what ministry looks like. I also gained valuable experience working at IM these last few years. I worked extensively on plans for the National Convention, spoke in many churches and ladies’ groups, and helped plan events for fundraising. And I’ve even been able to mentor several new missionaries and college students. Each of these experiences has brought me to where I am today as I enter a new phase of ministry.
Can you name some of your greatest encouragers during your time as a missionary? This is a difficult question to answer because so many people over the years were incredible encouragers to me. When Marjorie Workman was the WNAC director, she and her husband Gene came to visit us in Spain. She not only encouraged us, but she took time to carry our kids on piggy-back rides after church one Sunday. This small gesture symbolizes how so many women through the years cared for our family through gifts to the Provision Closet, hand-written cards, or personalized gifts. I’ve always felt the women of our denomination truly understand the heartbeat of caring for missionaries’ hearts and homes.
What do you see as the greatest challenge(s) for WNAC, both immediately and in the future? While being introduced to this role, I learned WNAC faces severe underfunding in our Operating Fund. This fund sustains ministry, pays bills and salaries, and supports all other WNAC ministries. I am concerned our ladies aren’t aware of this challenge, and I will be working to share this need in the coming months as we establish a funding system that can sustain ministry. As I look toward the future, I see many of our most faithful WNAC supporters are aging and cannot continue their current level of financial partnership. We must challenge our younger ladies to see this need and get behind WNAC, so the next generation of women can keep fulfilling the Great Commission.
What one thing would you like to say to Free Will Baptist women as you begin this new role? Don’t think of WNAC, or Free Will Baptist women’s ministries, as existing only for older women. While it’s true older, more seasoned women are a valuable part of WNAC, so are younger women! We already have the Shine Conference for teens, and we hope to restart Flourish events to continue the momentum for women already in ministry. We want to meet your needs where you are now…and into the future. I would like to sit across the table and talk openly about the future. Please contact me. I’m here for you.
Briefly, what do you see as the future for WNAC? While I am still listening and learning and formulating a vision, I know I would love to see:
Spiritually grounded teens and women living with purpose.
Missionaries and church planters strengthened for long-term faithful service.
Local ministry expanded to global ministry as women pursue the Great Commission together.
