jodiemcneill.com » MTS

When a two-year apprenticeship is too short

Jodie — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:09:36 +0000

The rhythms of the calendar are quite different for an outdoor ministry than a parish ministry. In NSW especially, the lion share of the ministry happens in the warmer months, leaving the winter months ideally suited for more intense training and preparation.

From this challenge came a solution that we believe will work to see people well-trained and thoroughly-equipped for a lifetime of ministry, whether in the outdoor context or otherwise.

Instead of adopting the ‘normal’ academic year, we will now be offering apprentices the opportunity to spend most days in the warmer months bringing the Word to children and youth, and spend the winter months of their second and four years being taught subjects in the Diploma of Theology. To complement this theological training, apprentices will train for a Certificate III in Outdoor Recreation in first year, and then a Certificate IV in their third year.

Four years of ministry experience, coupled with training in the hard skills of outdoor recreation, and the soft skills of theology.

Check out the whole article at sydneyanglicans.net

PS: I’m looking for ten new MTS Outdoor Ministry Apprentices to start in September. Applications close in two weeks. Visit outdoorministry.youthworks.net for details.

Are you a Gospel worker?

Jodie — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:46:09 +0000

Mark Driscoll’s ‘Prophet, Priest and King’ allegory has helpfully pushed us to recognise that God has not made a one-size-fits-all role for people passionate about Word ministry in Sydney.

Read my comments in my article at sydneyanglicans.net.

Youth ministry “on the map” at Club 5

Jodie — Sun, 19 Sep 2004 02:00:00 +0000

This weekend I had the privilege to attend the Club 5 Conference at Stanwell Tops Conference Centre. Although I have been attending these conferences for many years, I am thrilled to see youth and children’s ministry becoming an even more significant part of the focus of ministry training and recruitment.

My role over the weekend was to lead a small group, interview a candidate for ministry, and to participate in the program. In particular, I led a seminar group on youth and children’s ministry, in which I was joined by many of the the other Youthworks advisers in showing the importance of youth and children’s ministry, and the options available.

To find out more about the great ministry of Club 5, visit http://www.mts.com.au/club5/index.htm