Stu Shannon is what football commentators refer to as “a big unit”. A former competitive bodybuilder, he runs a supplements shop in the Shellharbour area, has a notable presence on social media... and runs a men’s circle to introduce local guys to the wisdom of the Bible.

It’s not a standard combination for someone in ministry, but that’s exactly why he is a perfect fit for The Well Training – a two-year internship begun in 2023 to train people from marginalised communities to serve in those communities, which has since become so popular that there are now many more applicants than places available.

As a bi-vocational program, it also keeps people in their community while they study, which works well for someone like Mr Shannon. Not only can he continue to run his business to support his wife and family, he can also reach out to the local men on his heart. 

“I’ve come from a place of atheism and, being a man, I also know the struggles that men face, whether they want to talk about them openly or not,” he says.

“There’s a male identity crisis... it’s difficult to be a man and know what it means. I felt that I was called to minister to secular men.”

With encouragement from The Well leaders for interns to start new ministries, he approached his minister at Shellharbour City Centre, the Rev Jon Thorpe, with an idea: a discussion group that considered the world’s views on an issue, followed by the views of the Bible.

“Each week we have a different topic,” Mr Shannon explains. “One week I did servant leadership. I discussed what leadership meant to them, and they gave me their ideas from a secular perspective. Then I read from the Bible and pitched the idea of servant leadership, what it looks like in a marriage, as a parent and in your workplace. Their goal that week was to go and try it out, then come back and fill us in.

“Their original response was, ‘Isn’t that an oxymoron? A really good leader should be a bit arrogant’. But the ones who tried it seemed impressed by people’s response, and they saw that they could be a servant leader without losing their masculinity.”

Even though the group only began a few months ago, 16 men come along each week, and two have already given their lives to Jesus.

Mr Shannon not only enjoys the learning at The Well but appreciates the flexibility the program gives him to combine his ministry training with paid work and reaching out to men in his community.

“We’re all learning the same things as if I was going down the standard [education] route, but if you’re a little bit unconventional and have other commitments that you can’t walk away from at this time in your life, The Well is a really good avenue."

People at The Well “spoke our language”

When you meet the interns at one of their all-in training days, what first strikes you is the breadth of cultural backgrounds – from Congolese to Burmese, and Mongolian to Māori, intermixed with students of European heritage. Despites the cultural differences, everyone has the same goal, wanting to grow their ministry skills and capacity to serve.

The project director of The Well, Dr Coz Crosscombe, says the goal when the internships began in 2023 was “to find five people to train... and we ended up with twice that. This year there are 14 people in the program”.

Supported throughout their journey by local mentors and supervisors, and taught by the likes of former Archbishop Peter Jensen, the Rev Mike Raiter, the Rev Dr Malcolm Gill and Dr Peter Ryan, members of the original cohort have since begun church plants, are pastoring among marginalised people groups in Sydney and the Illawarra, working with troubled teens and more.

Feedback from these first graduates and their support networks shows measurable growth in confidence and ministry resilience. 

“One of our cores is that we are student-driven, not institutionally driven,” Dr Crosscombe says. “We see it as our job to figure out how our students learn and then adapt to that learning style.And then they’ve got their peer support that they do for each other, and it’s amazing as you watch how much they help each other.” 

Paolo Santillan, a graduate from the first internship group, says having a program like The Well is “everything”, because it means “there is a pathway for people like us – people from marginalised areas – to do ministry. The people in The Well just spoke our language, with the ways that they taught and connected to our concerns. Historical arguments of the past are not what people are asking about where we are. They are asking where God is at, and why are our lives the way they are.”

He says training through The Well helped him to be humble, teaching him to listen to his community first and understand them, as well as how to connect and apply the Bible to those around him.

Since finishing the program last year, he has planted Renew Church for second-generation Filipinos in his home parish of Lalor Park, under the umbrella of Evangelism and New Churches. 

As a Filipino himself, Mr Santillan saw that many children of migrants didn’t go to church, because even though may have grown up attending with their parents, they didn’t fit well into those Filipino churches. As a result, “they don’t know where to go, and they end up not going to church at all. [Renew Church] has created a new space for them where they can think about their faith and their journey, feel like they belong and can connect to God.

“Doing the weekly sermons is hard, but I’m getting used to it now,” he says.

“I’m just so thankful that God has made this pathway possible [through The Well]... We’re starting small, connecting with the community and praying that God will grow the ministry.” 

A complement and support to parish ministry

The chairman of the Diocese’s Ministry in Marginalised Areas Committee, Bishop Peter Hayward, has been delighted by the success of The Well. 

“From where they’ve started three years ago to today is an extraordinary outcome – very exciting,” he says. “What we’ve seen so far is that the interns have really valued the training and been equipped to either continue or establish ministries in various marginalised circumstances across the Diocese. 

“This ministry both complements and supplements our parish ministry, which enables us to have a deeper impact with the gospel. As it’s seen to be valued, other people want to be involved, and we’re seeing that the impact over time is going to be quite significant for the ministry in reaching marginalised communities across the Diocese.”

Andrew and Liz Whale, the first married couple to take part in The Well, are in the second year of their internship. 

Long-term members of the outer western suburbs parish of Cambridge Park, they were approached about The Well by their rector, the Rev David Shead, and the idea immediately appealed. Both involved in ministry at church and raising a family, Mrs Whale also works as a nurse, while Mr Whale is a tradesman, so they realised the style and form of the training could work well for them.

Says Mrs Whale: “We’re very excited about the focus of The Well as ministry to the marginalised, as that is where our hearts are really at. Our lecturers have a lot of experience in whatever they’re teaching, and I think the thing I’ve found most challenging and beneficial is the constant focus on context – not just looking at the Bible in context but representing it to others in their contexts and just understanding where people are coming from.

“Another beneficial mind shift is the focus in ministry to look from a position of scarcity to a position of abundance; realising that God is a god of abundance. We don’t need to be fearful of holding onto things, whether it be power or resources or people, and there’s just a great freedom in being able to be generous.” 

Mr Whale gravitates to men on the fringes, building relationships with and supporting them. “It’s a good job – to get to make friends and keep up with your friends!” he says. 

One year in, he has gained in confidence in sharing the Bible, putting things in context and writing and presenting sermons, even though he is “not really an up-the-front” sort of guy. 

“It’s also made me aware of being more gospel-focused in my relationships and looking for opportunities,” he says. “It’s not that I wasn’t before, but now I guess I see it all the time. Your mind goes into a mission mode and Coz encourages us to look and be aware of our surroundings and understand people, so that becomes a constant frame of mind.”

An ongoing awareness for Mrs Whale is how much they have to learn from those they are ministering to.

“I really feel that I am gaining much more than I am giving,” she says. “People are very generous, patient and honest. It’s a privilege to be walking alongside them... We serve a beautiful Master and are daily reminded how blessed we are to belong to him.”