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 soul18:00 – Non-linear journey: church → academia → lecturing35:00 – Evangelism in post-Christian culture 42:00 – Godly ambition vs platform hunger50:00 – Decision-making wisdom for emerging leaders

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

Follow for monthly episodes.

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!

How can I overcome financial fears about the costs of moving to or studying at bible college? Is it worth the cost?

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

This is our first video episode!

If this episode was helpful, we would love to invite you to consider giving us a review on Spotify Podcasts. This helps others find out about this podcast. Our goal is to hit 50 reviews by November 30!

What type of formation should you hope to get from bible college? What does it mean for your study to be 'rigorous'? Is rigorous intellectual formation the only goal of bible college?

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

If this episode was helpful, we would love to invite you to consider giving us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. This helps others find out about this podcast. Our goal is to hit 50 reviews by November 30!

How can you take the next step in your ministry journey? What is bible college really like? How can you move past discouragement when struggling to find examples to model yourself on?

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

If this episode was helpful, we would love to invite you to consider giving us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. This helps others find out about this podcast. Our goal is to hit 50 reviews by November 30!

Malcolm and Leanne Reid share their remarkable journey of nearly a decade serving in Vietnam, reflecting on the joy and cost of following God into a revival in Vietnam. From being involved in theological education at Hanoi Bible College to navigating persecution in their students church planting, their story is one of faith, perseverance, and deep trust in God’s sovereignty.

They speak candidly about raising children on the mission field, winning their kids’ hearts for global mission, and the power of building genuine relationships in a cross-cultural context. Along the way, Malcolm and Leanne unpack why Vietnam captured their hearts, the growing need for Bible teachers across the world, and what it looks like to say “yes” to global need.

Malcolm and Leanne are currently 'Missionaries in Residence' at SMBC.

Ed Grudier shares the story of how God led him to West Asia and opened his eyes to the urgent need of the unreached. Along the way, he discovered that prayer is not just preparation for mission—it is the very work itself. In this conversation, Ed tells powerful stories from years on the field, highlighting both the challenges and the surprising ways God moves when His people depend on Him. His reflections will stir your heart for prayer, renew your vision for the nations, and remind you that no place is beyond the reach of the gospel.

Ed is the Director of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Mission and Head of Missions at Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC). He recently released a book called "Lifting God High from the Lowest Valley: a 30 day devotional guide through grief ".

If this episode was helpful, we would love to invite you to consider giving us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. This helps others find out about this podcast. Our goal is to hit 50 reviews by November 30!