When Ben Staunton began his MTS apprenticeship, he didn’t imagine it would lead to ministry far beyond the walls of a church. But the skills and experiences he gained during those two formative years laid the foundation for a life of creative evangelism. Ben’s story is a testament to how ministry training can equip people to reach unexpected places with the hope of Jesus.
Growing up loosely Catholic, it wasn’t until Ben was in Year 12 that he heard the gospel explained clearly. It was while he attended a study camp that Ben met Christians with “an intellectual faith and a practical faith”—and it made an impression on him. During his first semester of university at Armidale in 1998, by which point Ben was attending both church and Bible studies on campus, he gave his life to Christ.
The Start of an MTS Journey
Within a few years, Ben realised his priorities in life had completely changed. “I was just finding that I was trying to fit more and more ministry around my paid work,” he reflects. So in 2001 Ben began an MTS apprenticeship with St Mark’s UNEchurch. He did his apprenticeship full-time in 2001 and 2002, then stayed on part-time at church in 2003.
After this, Ben took a year off paid ministry, not sure if he would continue. However, in God’s kindness, he led Ben back to a love for it, and he took up a role with Young Life in Armidale, an outreach to unchurched high schoolers, in 2005.
Ben worked for Young Life in Armidale for a few years, then as youth minister at St Mark’s and then heading to Moore College, he found himself doing ministry again with Young Life and also taking up locum assistant minister roles in Sydney. He enjoyed it—but it wasn’t his passion.
“I love working for the church, but I love evangelism as well,” Ben explains. “And I knew that evangelism is sort of what gets squeezed in at the end of everything else. I realised I don’t want to be doing 10 percent evangelism. I’d rather be doing 80 percent evangelism and 20 percent church.”
A New Direction
It was after coming to this realisation that Ben headed up to Darwin to visit his sister, who was working there for a six-month period. During the time he was there, he caught a glimpse of the huge gospel needs and opportunities in Darwin.
“There was lots of stuff where no one was doing much gospel work,” Ben shares. “And so I prayed about it for probably 12 months until I got to the point of like, yeah, alright, Darwin’s the go.”
Evangelism in Action
Ben’s ministry in Darwin is all about building relationships, sharing the gospel, and helping others grow in their faith. He has set up a charity called ConnectNT, which frees him up to do missional outreach.
One of his standout stories is about a guy who grew up going to church, but had drifted away during uni. They started chatting, and Ben suggested reading through the gospel of John together. Week by week, they dug into it, and eventually, he gave his life to Christ.
“It was basically around John 10 or John 12, somewhere around there that he became a Christian. I remember him telling me while we’re at a food court, and of course I start crying,” Ben laughs.
Ben is encouraged that this young man is now part of a local church, growing in his faith, and the two of them still meet up to read the Bible together.
Ben’s also been connecting with army personnel, helping them explore faith or navigate their early steps as Christians. One of them, just a few months into his Christian walk, reached out to Ben, worried about still struggling with sin. Ben was able to reassure him with honesty and encouragement, sharing that this is part of the journey for every believer.
Raising up Gospel workers
But it’s not just about one-on-one ministry for Ben—he’s got a real heart for training others. His own experience with MTS gave him a passion for equipping people to step into ministry themselves. This year, he’s mentored a trainee and is gearing up to guide a gap-year student next year. He’s working to develop a culture of training and discipleship in Darwin, where there aren’t many established pipelines for ministry.
Ben’s ministry shows the power of meeting people where they’re at—whether it’s over coffee, in a food court, or through intentional mentoring. It’s about sharing life, sharing the gospel, and raising up the next generation of gospel workers.
“I think apprenticeships are a great way to help support and introduce people to vocational ministry,” Ben reflects. “I think MTS, whether I went into paid ministry or not, it just set me up to be a helpful lay person in a church.”