Aspire

You feel a stirring, a restlessness, a sense that God might be leading you to something different. But how do you actually know?

Matt Sparks has been there. Before he planted Anchor Church , now a movement of four churches stretching from the Inner West to the Northern Beaches, he had his own Jonah moment, running hard from God before a profound moment brought him home. He knows what it's like to be told "not yet," to wonder if he'd missed his moment, and to leave a healthy, thriving church to plant a risky new one.

In this episode of Aspire, Matt walks through how he discerned God's leading at every stage of his journey, and hands you his practical, three part grid for testing it: inner conviction, external confirmation, and demonstrated competency.

You'll hear what almost stopped him going into gospel ministry, what it looked like at MBM, why his heart for multiplication has only grown, and what he'd tell his younger self if he could.

Matt Sparks planted Anchor Church - now a movement of four churches across the city of Sydney.

0:00 — How Do You Know What God Is Leading You To?


1:19 — When Did You First Want to Go Into Ministry?


4:00 — Where Did You Feel God Was Leading You?


6:00 — What If People Tell You NOT to Go to Theological College?


7:23 — What Almost Stopped You Going Into Ministry?


8:40 — Matt's Jonah Moment: Running From God


12:20 — What Happened When You Finally Said Yes?


16:50 — What Was Ministry at MBM Really Like?


19:55 — When Did You Know You Should Plant a Church?


22:40 — Why Leave a Healthy Church to Plant Another?


25:20 — Why Has Your Heart for Multiplication Grown?


26:55 — What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?


29:10 — What Does an Aspiring Church Planter Need to Know?
31:45 — How Do You Discern God's Leading?


33:55 — A Prayer for Aspiring Leaders

#churchplanting #aspirepodcast #gospelministry #theologicalcollege #biblecollege #guidance #wisdom #ministry #christianwisdom #jesus

How do you actually know what you're gifted for? If you're trying to work out what God has gifted you to do, you may have wondered whether you need to pick one path.

Sam knew early on that he loved evangelism and teaching. But he was also a doctor. Along the way, he received plenty of advice about ministry, some helpful, and some that he eventually realised wasn't quite right.In this conversation, Sam explains how he actually worked out where his gifting lay and why he believes there isn't one template for what gospel ministry has to look like.

We also spoke about whether the idea that SMBC is “less academic” than Moore College is really true, why he went to Chicago to do a PhD, how he became a 'roaming' evangelist, and how his work eventually led to writing books and creating EVQ.

If you're considering formal theological training, gospel ministry, evangelism, or simply trying to work out what God has gifted you to do, this episode will help you think more clearly.

Chapters:

1:43 — When did Sam first know he wanted to be an evangelist?3:05 — When did he first consider becoming a paid “professional” evangelist?

8:03 — The bad advice about ministry Sam had to move past

12:05 — Medicine vs Bible college, the wrestle & why medicine remained part of the picture

18:20 — Why Sam studied at SMBC, and why it isn't “less academic” than Moore College

22:10 — Why do a PhD in Chicago if you want to be an evangelist?26:55 — Preacher, teacher or evangelist, can you do them all? 27:49 — How Sam became a roaming evangelist

30:58 — How Sam connected with Tim Keller and The Gospel Coalition, and became an author

35:50 — What is EVQ, and why did Sam create it?

Sam Chan is an evangelist with City Bible Forum, a medical doctor, author of How to Talk about Jesus Without Being That Guy and Evangelism in a Skeptical World, a Fellow of the Tim Keller Centre for Cultural Apologetics, and creator of EVQ. He has two doctorates - in theology and in medicine.

Youtube episode live tomorrow!

Are you trying to make a decision about ministry but struggling to decide? Do you struggle with the paralysis of options before you? Or perhaps, are you wondering if Bible college is actually worth the investment? Or maybe are you longing to ‘break the bubble’ of Sydney to see what opportunities there are for cross-cultural ministry across the globe?

Rob Falls is a missionary in Vanuatu.

CHAPTERS;

00:00 — Intro & Rob’s Ministry in Vanuatu


01:21 — Becoming a Christian Through Family & Church Community


02:43 — Growing a Heart for Global Mission


05:44 — Why Rob Chose a Ministry Apprenticeship


08:01 — Bible College, Mission & Preparing for Cross-Cultural Ministry


10:27 — The Trip to Vanuatu That Changed Everything


13:23 — Why Deep Theological Training Matters


17:30 — Language Learning & Cross-Cultural Ministry Challenges


19:20 — Teaching Ministry in One of the World’s Most Linguistically Diverse Nations


21:31 — Poverty, Farming & Life at the Bible College


22:58 — Advice for Aspiring Missionaries


26:16 — When to Contact a Mission Agency


27:59 — Final Encouragement: “The Harvest Is Plentiful”

Are you a little scared of how difficult Christian ministry may be? Are you wondering if it might be too hard for you? Are you wondering if you have the right motives to quit your current job to go to Bible College or start a ministry apprenticeship?

Alan Au shares his journey of becoming a church planter in the North Shore of Sydney. Alan reveals why we shouldn’t freak out about the difficulties of vocational ministry. He speaks about why you need people to ask you tough questions, and how to grow a more servant heart for the lost. He also encourages us to think about why we should “trust God more not less” under the financial pressures of going into gospel ministry.

Alan Au is a pastor and planter of Captivate Presbyterian Church, North Ryde.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 — Intro & Alan’s Ministry Context

02:10 — Becoming a Christian & Early Faith

03:31 — First Thoughts About Vocational Ministry

06:58 — Leaving Pharmacy & Trusting God Through Family Hardship

09:15 — Ministry Apprenticeship & Character Formation

13:12 — Bible College & Preparing for Long-Term Ministry

14:42 — Church Planting, Leadership & Learning to Equip Others

18:30 — Raising Up the Next Generation for Ministry

22:56 — Challenges Young Christians Face Considering Ministry Today

28:23 — Final Advice for Aspiring Ministry Leaders

How can you prepare your soul well for pastoral ministry? How can you ensure you are spiritually prepared for the pressure cooker that serving the church in Christian leadership inevitably places upon your inner life with God? Bethany Allen is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation & Leadership Development at Bridgetown Church in Portland, USA. She is also a teacher with Practicing the Way. Bethany shares her story of how she became a pastor at Bridgetown Church, originally planted by John Mark Comer. Through it she shares about the critical lessons she has learned along the way about caring for her own soul through the highs and lows, and about the call that has pushed her through the challenges of being a woman in pastoral ministry.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction and leading to ministry.

03:20 - Trauma, family crisis, and first sense of vocation.

08:10 - Early ministry, Bible study, and discovering a teaching gift.

12:45 - Bible college, seminary, and being formed through pain.

18:50 - Joining Bridgetown and the shift from assistant to pastor.

23:00 - How Bridgetown developed spiritual formation and communities.

29:30 - Personal rhythms, soul care, and sustaining ministry.

35:10 - Rule of life, busy schedules, and guarding the soul.

40:00 - Advice to a younger self and women in ministry.

44:10 - Prayer and blessing.

Episode also live on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspirepodcast1tim31

Dani Treweek shares her journey from women’s ministry in the local church to theological research, writing, and leading a parachurch ministry focused on singleness.

We talk about:

– Singleness and ministry: challenge or advantage?

– Why Dani never planned to do a PhD

– The hidden realities of parachurch ministry

– How to make decisions without knowing what’s ahead

– Building a faithful, long-term life serving Jesus while single

FULL VIDEO version available on your YouTube Channel: ~[https://www.youtube.com/@aspirepodcast1tim31]

CHAPTERS:


00:00 – Dani’s story: from local church ministry to something unexpected


01:30 – Early convictions about ministry


07:00 – Why she ended up doing a PhD


11:30 – Advice for theological study


14:00 – The reality of parachurch ministry


18:00 – Challenges of being single in ministry


21:00 – Do you need to be married for ministry?


24:00 – Contentment and conviction in singleness


26:30 – Making wise decisions amid uncertainty


28:00 – Final reflections on faithfulness

Interested in Christian ministry but wondering how to navigate your own ambition and the dangers of burnout? In this episode of the Aspire Podcast, SMBC New Testament lecturer Mark Stephens shares what saying no taught him about ambition, burnout, and wise ministry decisions.

You’ll hear:​

+ The early signs of burnout most leaders ignore until it’s too late.​+ Godly ambition vs platform-chasing ambition. ​

+ Why your character has to grow as fast as your gifting if you lead, teach, or preach.​

+ How doubt, confusion, and “dark nights of the soul” can actually make you a deeper, wiser leader.​

+ The unexpected way God wove together youth ministry, academia, public Christianity, and Bible college lecturing.

Listen to this if you:

- Feel tired, stretched, or secretly close to burning out.

- Are wrestling with 'calling', opportunities, and how much to say “yes” to.

- Want a long-haul, Jesus-shaped life and ministry, not just a moment on a platform.

00:00 – Why Mark said NO to a dream speaking opportunity 04:21 – Burnout warning signs you can't ignore

08:30 – When gifts outpace character (danger zone)

12:40 – Doubt, perfectionism & dark night of the soul

18:00 – Non-linear journey: church → academia → lecturing

35:00 – Evangelism in post-Christian culture

42:00 – Godly ambition vs platform hunger

50:00 – Decision-making wisdom for emerging leaders

FULL VIDEO version available on your Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aspirepodcast1tim31.

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Ever felt that tug toward ministry, but your brain immediately goes, “Nah, not you. Too much mess in your past. Too many stuff-ups. Nowhere near holy enough”?​

In this episode, Jacob Madder (Youth and Music Minister at St Faith’s, Narrabeen) shares his raw story. He grew up in a solid church community with a low hum of “maybe ministry one day” in the background, but internally he was sure he wasn’t the type, and his choices seemed to back that up. He drifted from church, dropped out of uni twice, made some painful mistakes, and carried a deep sense that he was never going to be truly forgiven to ever call others to follow Jesus.​

This episode covers:

• The quiet weight of “you’d be great in ministry” when you’re convinced there’s no way you could be.​

• How walking away from church and hitting a low point in his mid‑twenties became the turning point, not the end.​

• The moment a new staff member, who didn’t know his past, told him he should consider ministry, and why that hit different.​

• The real‑life wrestle between a big pay rise on the tools and a minimum‑wage ministry apprenticeship.​

• What Jake has learned about insecurity, shame, forgiveness, and letting God use every part of your story.​

If you’d like to watch the full conversation, subscribe to us on our YouTube channel to catch the full video there. Link in our Instagram bio.

What does it look like to prepare for gospel ministry without leaving your local church or community?

In this episode of the Aspire Podcast, Jeremy Kidd shares his journey into ministry through a ministry apprenticeship (MTS) while studying theology from a coastal context on the Central Coast. Jeremy reflects on his conviction for evangelism, the value of hands-on ministry training, and why he believes apprenticeships are essential for anyone considering paid gospel ministry.

We talk about discerning a call to ministry, choosing Bible college, studying part-time while serving in church, and how character, competence, and conviction are formed best in the pressure cooker of real ministry. Jeremy also unpacks why coastal and regional contexts are strategic places for mission—and how God is powerfully at work beyond the city.

Whether you’re exploring Bible college, wondering about a ministry apprenticeship, or asking what your next step might be, this conversation will help you think clearly, prayerfully, and realistically about serving Jesus long-term.

This is a series of episodes on students at bible college. Hear their stories, their longings, and their questions. 

Why do you need a rich theological education to pursue Christian ministry? Why should you come back and study further if you are already in ministry or on the mission field? Is a ministry apprenticeship  the only way? What is it like doing bible college as a family?

This is a series of episodes on students at bible college. Hear their stories, their longings, and their questions. 

We are also now live on Youtube!