There are 19 ministry apprenticeship vacancies on offer within Sydney Diocese and interstate and MTS want to know if you are the right person for the job.
National Director of the Ministry Training Strategy Ben Pfahlert says there is particularly a great need for female MTS apprentices.
"More than 50 per cent of all Christian gatherings are female. We need female apprentices who can serve and equip their sisters," he says.
Of the 19 advertised positions, chaplain to UWS Penrith the Rev Rob Elder, rector of St John's, North Ryde the Rev John Chappell and the rector of St Mark's, Freshwater, the Rev Terry Bowers are all specifically advertising for female MTS apprentices to fill essential ministry roles.
Mr Bowers says his church is at a point where female leaders and parishioners need mentoring.
"We have a number of young women in leadership positions in kids church and youth ministry who need support and encouragement from another woman," he says.
"We also struggle to disciple and follow up single women in their late 20s and early 30s. I just hope the women I have in mind are still around when or if we have a female apprentice at St Marks."
Mr Bowers says St Mark's also offers numerous Bible teaching opportunities.
"We have a growing kids church and kids club ministry which provide excellent opportunities for a female trainee to be trained and grow in her Bible teaching skills," he says.
"The apprentice will see the warts and all of small suburban church ministry. As the only other paid staff person, the MTS trainee will be working closely with me to help to grow individuals and congregations and learn about Bible teaching and evangelism to people of all ages."
The value of MTS
Mr Bowers can testify to the value of MTS both as an apprentice and as a trainer having been an apprentice in 1991 and 1992 and having himself supervised six apprentices.
"As a trainee I learnt many attitudes and approaches I still rely on every day of my ministry," he says.
"I am committed to MTS being a training experience rather than simply a source of cheaper labour for the church. The trainee will get my time and attention. Identifying someone’s strengths and growth areas and helping them to develop is a challenging privilege."
John Chappell and his wife Kylie were both apprentices at the University of NSW in 1998 and1999 and Mr Chappell says their MTS experience was “fantastic”.
"Weekly afternoon staff meetings led by Phillip Jensen helped us to rewire our minds towards bringing glory to Jesus. Preaching training with Col Marshall helped to sharpen my exegesis whilst becoming a more winsome communicator of God's word," Mr Chappell says.
"We had unique training opportunities working with Archie Poulos in a ministry to Greeks and established a Christian teacher support network with Tony Willis. Of the four trainers mentioned, all modelled a personal love for Christ, a desire to win the lost, and opened the doors of their homes and families to us."
Mr Chappell has a male MTS apprentice Brendan Hurley working at North Ryde this and next year and is keen to have a female apprentice join Brendan in receiving training in youth and children's ministry.
"We also long to see new ministries established for women in other fields " our 2009 church plant, young women workers in our business parks, our preschool families and female students on the campus," he says.
Mr Bowers says St Mark's will greatly value the ministry an MTS apprentice can offer.
"St Mark's enjoys the youth, enthusiasm and godly examples of MTS trainees. They will serve us through their leadership of small groups, involvement in children’s ministry, involvement in services, taking evangelistic initiatives and in following up newcomers."
Why MTS works
MTS national director Ben Pfahlert says if you asked a variety of people "What's the best way to become a "great-commissionary'?" you would get a variety of answers.
"The two ends of the spectrum are the "academy' where ministry is "taught' and the "school of hard knocks' where ministry is "caught',” he says.
"MTS, by God's grace, stumbled on a pattern of training that lies somewhere in the middle " the apprenticeship."
Mr Pfahlert says MTS is where people experience “the life of a pastor for two years”.
"We want people to experience the blurred lines between work and rest, between socialising and working with church members."
MTS tends to both humble the apprentices while also giving most the courage to pursue a path of full-time ministry, according to Mr Pfahlert.
"Apprentices become aware of their limitations and strengths, they see the highs and lows of living for Christ and they come to rely on God more and develop good patterns of personal godliness," he says.
"The majority of apprentices continue on to theological study and there are 197 past apprentices currently enrolled in theological colleges around Australia."
Approximately 1200 MTS apprentices have been trained since 1979 and 41 per cent of those are female.
Almost 70 per cent of males and 41 per cent of females who complete MTS go on to further theological study.
Today there are currently 366 past MTS apprentices serving as full-time ministry workers worldwide.
question marks photo: Gillian Maniscalco
