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Sandy and Grant’s excellent adventure

1:00am Friday, 30th April 2010

Joshua Maule

Sandy Bent used to live in Gidgegannup, about an hour east of Perth. With three petrol stations and a primary school, it’s the kind of place that would inspire a Tim Winton novel. “People have hobby farms and things like that,” the 22-year-old says.
Growing up in a Christian family, Sandy turned to Jesus as a young boy, but really began to question what he believed when finishing high school. One online sermon titled Ten Shekels And A Shirt by Paris Reidhead was a turning point. Sandy recalls. “The conclusion of the sermon is: ‘I’ll follow Christ no matter what. And heaven is a bonus’”.
After school Sandy spent two years as a poly welder, saving to train as a missionary pilot. But 18 months ago he was in Sydney for commercial training when a flight delay and a need for a place to stay meant he met Grant Gallant, the pastor of Warriewood Anglican Church. Grant kept in touch with Sandy and invited him to begin the Ministry Training Strategy at Warriewood.
After much prayer, Sandy decided it was a good idea. He moved in with Grant, his wife Allison, and five children in February, suggesting: “I didn’t want to be the guy who got kicked out the end of the system and had no experience”.
And so far there’s been no shortage of experience. Before Sandy even had the chance to unpack his bags, he went with Grant to the home of a grieving family. It was the first time Sandy saw a dead body. “It’s definitely challenging.” Sandy says. “It’s been quite hard. But I don’t regret it at all. I’m glad I’m here. I had no idea about the amount of work a minister does until I got here.”
A national movement Apprenticeships, that give people hands on experience of word ministry before they do formal study, is the main idea of the Ministry Training Strategy.
The idea has spread around around Australia, including METRO run by the Presbyterians and Engage from Melbourne’s City on a Hill. MTS, conceived by Philip Jensen when chaplain at UNSW in 1979, has now trained some 1500 apprentices.
The philosophy is that “ministry is caught, not taught”. Current MTS director, Ben Pfalhert, says four C’s are needed for an apprenticeship: a candidate, some cash, a culture of training, and an idea of the content to teach the apprentice.
While Pfahlert is “overjoyed” at the energy the church is throwing behind church planting, he says most young leaders aren’t ready for that kind of responsibility. MTS can act as a middle step. “A fact must be remembered,” he says, “your average Aussie bloke is hesitant to run a Bible study let alone a church. MTS, the movement, starts way back at the point of discipling a young bloke to take him from uncertainty to maturity in Christ. It is the hard slog of discipling in the local churches that produces leaders. They don’t pop out of thin air.”
About 600 of the 1,500 apprentices have been women. Around 70 percent of men but less than half of women went on to theological education. As many as 400 past apprentices are now in full-time word ministry.
Ben Pfalhert hopes that 10,000 apprenticeships will have been delivered by 2020, a bold dream that will require an additional 450 apprentices next year alone.