As Paul modelled ministry to Timothy in the New Testament, so were the theological convictions for training gospel workers modelled to Mike Doyle. Mike is the senior minister of St James Anglican Church in Berala. After decades of struggling to have enough members to keep their church open, God has graciously grown ministry and the capacity for training in the church. Three years ago they took on their first ministry apprentice, and their third apprentice started this year in 2024.
Brought up in the thick of training conviction
Mike grew up in a Christian family who showed him the importance of church, and surrounded him by faithful saints. This is one of the many reasons he reflects he is still a follower of Jesus today. Mike shares, “By God’s grace He’s put men and women in my life through church and elsewhere who have continued to encourage me and sharpen me and point me to Jesus and to rejoice in the grace of Jesus and to grow as a follower of Jesus.”
Many of these men and women have also influenced Mike in his convictions and passion for training new workers for the gospel. Having grown up at St Matthias Anglican Church under the influence of Phillip Jensen, a great instigator of the now MTS movement, the challenge to consider what life lived for Jesus looked like was always on his heart.
After high school Mike went to UNSW to study, mostly because Philip ran Campus Bible Study (CBS) there! Mike says, “I did a degree at the uni in computer science. But really I went there to be involved with CBS and while there, I was continued to be challenged in thinking about how to best follow Jesus.”
While at university Mike was impacted by conferences put on by CBS but also the movement of MTS. After leaving university Mike worked, and followed his conviction for gospel work as a layperson, leading Scripture Union Beach Mission, Youth Group, and eventually being involved as a planting member of Christ Church St George.
After having ministry on his heart for many years, in 2004 Mike started a ministry apprenticeship. He split his time between Christ Church St George and CBS, training under Carl Matthei and Matthew Jensen at church and Paul Grimmond on campus.
About his experience doing MTS Mike shares, “it was a great experience. It challenged me in almost every way. In my Godliness, in my relationships, in my skills and abilities, as well as in my passions. I am thankful to God for the experience. Without it, I would not be the Gospel Worker I am today”
After his apprenticeship was finished, Mike went to Moore College, and after completing study was invited back to CBS to be a staff worker there. In this role he was privileged to do a lot of training of ministry apprentices! He did five years in campus ministry and then moved to take up the role of Senior Minister at his current church, St James Berala in 2015.
Building culture and intentionally raising up people
Mike reflects, “When I came out to St James Berala we didn’t have a training pipeline. We didn’t have ministry apprentices at all. We were a small church of 40 odd people meeting on a Sunday.”
However Mike is convicted by the need to train, so he was intentional about growing that in the church. He shares, “It’s a theological conviction I have that the job of the minister of the church is primarily to raise people up to serve God – in whatever capacity they can.”
Now almost ten years on from when he first started, the church has grown and is enthusiastic about this vision for training too! Mike says, “In God’s kindness we’ve seen the church grow to about 150 at church on Sunday from 40 or 50. We now have two current apprentices, and our first apprentice just started at Moore College.”
“It’s been an answer to prayer to see God at work and just a wonderful thing for our church. And for me, it’s something I’m particularly passionate about and I care about. So I’ve been really encouraged by it. It’s been good for the church and we have all been encouraged by it” Mike explains.
Building a culture of training and getting the church behind it has been a slow process. Mike has been intentional about the ‘tap on the shoulder’ for raising up potential apprentices, running MTS Info Nights to sell the vision and empower apprentices, and going with groups to MTS Recruit to be challenged and encouraged!
At St James MTS Info Nights are a whole church affair. Mike explains, “I want to train our apprentices to be trainers, so they need to be thinking about how do I raise up the next generation? And so I get them to run the MTS Info Night. And the way we pitch it at church is not just if you’re thinking about MTS, but actually this is something we’re committed to as a church, raising up apprentices and equipping people. And this is part of that. So I encourage everyone in church to come.”
Early on at his time as a Senior Minister Mike met with Eric, a former MTS staff member, and he challenged Mike to be thinking long term about raising up people, looking five or even ten years to the future for who could be raised up and trained. This has challenged and shaped Mike’s mind for recruitment.
The MTS Recruit conference is also a pivotal part of the culture and intentionality of Mike and St James. It has also been a huge part of Mike’s own journey into ministry!
Mike says, “When I would attend MTS conferences as somebody who hadn’t done MTS yet, it was just super important. It’s important that whilst you are considering vocational ministry you are putting aside time every single year, significant time, to actually think about it. In the busyness of life if you don’t put that time aside to allow yourself to be challenged then you won’t be challenged. So I wouldn’t have gone into ministry without the MTS conferences.”
This personal testimony continues to motivate Mike as he brings people to MTS Recruit each year. He sees the whole team, himself, his assistant minister, current apprentices AND those interested and investigating vocational ministry, as important to bring along for that time.
Mike is so thankful for how God is at work through the training ministry of his church, and for how he is able to be part of it! He says, “It is exciting. I love training apprentices. I’ve always loved that. To be in this church seven years and God raised up our first apprentice, and then the second and third, it’s just a real answer to prayer and is exciting for me personally, but for church also it’s great to see God at work.”
MTS Recruit is happening soon! Learn more about the conference and register.