Skip to content
Benjamin Hlastan is a graduate of SES and ministry leader in Slovenia. As a young boy, Ben had the rare privilege of having Christian parents within a communist country. His parents served as missionaries in Macedonia and other surrounding areas. At the age of nine, Ben accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. There were many times that Christianity could feel lonely for Ben, as his peers and classmates did not share the same faith. Ben remembers his youth group being made up of only his two cousins and sister.
Growing up, Ben always said he did not want to live in America or marry an American woman. The Lord had other plans, and in the late 90’s, Ben moved to South Carolina on a scholarship at Columbia International University. One year before graduation, Ben met his wife. She attended SES and was the seminary’s second class ever. Through her, Ben had the opportunity to meet Dr. Norm Geisler. Until meeting him, Ben had no connection to Dr. Geisler or any awareness of his standing in the realm of apologetics.
After prayerfully considering his next steps, Ben sensed the Lord leading him to further training at SES. He enrolled worked to complete his degree in apologetics and was amazed at the knowledge he was gaining in such a short period of time. Ben shared that within the first five minutes of Dr. Geisler’s introductory course in apologetics that all of his major questions about theology and the Bible were answered.
While the information was incredibly useful to his personal faith journey and ministry preparation, Ben describes that the most valuable part of his time at SES was witnessing his professors authentically model their heart for God and the Word within everyday settings. “It is easier than not to forget facts and data, but it is nearly impossible to forget the impact that Christian mentors have in our life”, said Ben.
Ben and his wife eventually moved back to his home country of Slovenia and began doing ministry together. He pastored for roughly twenty years and just recently stepped down to focus more intentionally of their personal ministry. There main areas of focus include apologetics, theological training, TV broadcasting or podcasts, discipleship, and Bible translation. As a father of seven children, Ben recognizes that some of the most important work in ministry is to teach and disciple the next generation.
Just recently, their team planted a church in an unreached area of Slovenia. This particular location had not experienced any exposure to the Gospel for well over 400 years. Through intentionally pursuing these people through service and conversation, they have seen salvations and life change.
Before SES, Ben admitted to being more emotionally driven in his conversations with unbelieving neighbors. He could describe his personal experience with Christianity but rarely shared any evidence-based facts that supported the Bible. “SES taught me how to think about what I believe and why I believe it”, said Ben. He returned to Slovenia with a newfound understanding about apologetics and ways to defend Christianity. It has proven to be more impactful and captivating for the people he now ministers to. There is not a day that passes where Ben is not either reflecting on his inspirational professors from SES or implementing knowledge he gained while training there. His ministry is reaching people locally, nationally, and internationally. We pray blessings over Ben, his family, and those he ministers to.
