The local church taught Sam Oldland the importance of passing on the gospel and raising up people to do it—and now he’s doing just that as an Assistant Minister at St Jude’s in Melbourne. In his role, Sam leads the UniChurch congregation and oversees St Jude’s apprenticeship program.
Forged by faith through the local church
Growing up at St Alfred’s Anglican Church in Blackburn Victoria, Sam was given opportunities to serve and contribute to the life of the church, as he puts it, “long before I had anything they needed.”
Sam reflects, “I think my local church did what local churches have been doing since the first church and what local churches ought to be doing. They gave me a pathway into vocational ministry.”
Although he didn’t recognise it at the time, looking back, Sam now sees how his service in kids ministry, music ministry and involvement in other aspects of church life were all expressions of a value St Alfred’s held. One for entrusting the gospel to the next generation and raising up people for gospel work.
This is a value that took root in Sam and was cultivated further when he went to Melbourne University to study Town Planning. He explains, “I started to seriously consider stepping into vocational ministry through some key conversations with mentors and pastors, and just noticing in myself the love that I had for the ministry that I was doing as a volunteer. I enjoyed what I was studying, but what I really loved was opening the Bible with people, talking to people about Jesus, and helping the life of the church.”
With this conviction already forming, when a door opened to temporarily join the St Alfred’s team to lead the youth ministry in 2012, Sam agreed to fill the position for six months. These six months ended up turning into 4 years instead!
Sam shares, “In God’s kindness, the ministry didn’t fall over as I led it. And I was really loving doing it. A few people encouraged me to consider putting my hand up to continue in that role. And I felt like that was part of the gentle nudge of God’s Spirit to do that. And so I did and was appointed to that role. I ended up in a ministry leadership role quite early and began my theological study at Ridley College alongside that.”
Becoming a trainer of many
In 2019, Sam moved to St Jude’s and commenced work as an assistant minister, with his focus being on the Unichurch congregation and ministry training! Although it wasn’t a traditional apprenticeship, Sam describes his experience in paid youth ministry as having had the same impact.
He explains, “Working in ministry before I went to college helped me be able to learn what it feels like to be a gospel worker, what the lifestyle is like and what the identity is like. And now that’s something that we really try to lean into in our apprenticeship program.”
At St Jude’s, Sam oversees a program with multiple apprentices. In 2025, they’ve had two first-year apprentices and two second-year apprentices. His focus as a trainer is not simply to train practical skills, but to help them experience, reflect on and grow in what it feels like to be someone in full-time gospel work.
Sam shares, “As we help people experience and reflect on the identity and life of gospel work, Christian character kind of comes to the surface in that because it’s not just about them developing certain skills in teaching the Bible or leading groups or organising events. It’s about resilience, gentleness, patience, courage and counting the cost in their own life. It’s the identity experience of an apprenticeship that really helps apprentices understand and grow in their character, not just their skills. And within that context, they have a really good opportunity to develop and reflect on their convictions around gospel ministry.”
Ordinary people sharing extraordinary news
One area Sam has been particularly excited to see his apprentices grow in is in sharing Jesus. For him, “it’s a great joy as a trainer to see apprentices engaging with unbelievers to talk about faith.” As part of their program, there is an expectation that apprentices will be reading the Bible one-to-one with at least one non-Christian at a time and that they’ll be involved in a substantial evangelistic ministry, like a course or giving an evangelistic talk.
Sam explains, “Even for apprentices who feel very ordinary and not extraordinarily gifted in evangelism, there’s still a supported environment for them to be sharing the gospel with people and helping people investigate who Jesus is.”
This brings many everyday moments, like seeing apprentices after church next to an unbeliever with the Bible open, helping them understand who Jesus is. As well as bigger, bolder examples, like the walk-up evangelism team started by past apprentice (now student minister) Chris Varughese.
Sam shares, “We’re hearing wonderful stories of people with great openness to the gospel. People are accepting invitations to learn more and asking really great questions. The role of an apprentice within the life of the church just opens a lot of doors for those evangelistic opportunities for all of our apprentices.”
Seeing the gospel carried to the ends of the earth by the local church is a big part of Sam’s conviction for training gospel workers. He explains, “Local churches are born, grow and thrive when they’re well led. And so it’s crucially important to the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth that we raise up new generations of gospel leaders so that God’s church can continue to grow and reach people in new places and new cultures and new languages. I think it’s an essential part of our part in God’s plan to be raising up workers for the harvest.”
Entrusting the gospel for the future
For those considering supporting the work of MTS, Sam urges you to consider how MTS is impactful for both now and for the future.
He says, “There are very few causes that you might give to which will have more impact for the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. To give money towards entrusting the gospel to generations of godly and skilled leaders is a gift that multiplies, and it has a great effect as healthy leaders lead healthy churches and ministries, which take the gospel to new people and to the ends of the earth. It’s a hugely strategic and impactful investment of money and whatever resources we have to give to be part of raising up new generations of workers for the harvest.”
Please consider giving to our 2025 MTS Christmas Appeal to support more trainers like Sam to raise up gospel workers and see the gospel spread to the ends of the earth. Give now