MTS Blue Collar Ministry takes off

When I was at Theological College, I became good friends with a carpenter in my year. He told me that he felt like a square peg trying to fit through a round hole.

I’d also noticed that churches were struggling to reach Blue Collar people.

I then realised that if churches are to effectively reach and minister to these people, they need Blue Collar Christian leaders who understand the challenges they face. They need gospel workers who can overcome the prejudices that exist between white and blue collar people.

In 2010 through MTS we started to train men and women for Blue Collar Christian ministry and leadership in the way an apprentice carpenter trains to be a chippy. Over the last 4 years we have developed a 2 year vocational course that does the job. It works and it provides a square hole for the square pegs in our churches for those whose learning styles don’t suit traditional higher education.

These are the Peter and Andrew, James and John sorts of Christians whom God will use to both reach the many unreached Blue Collar people in our community, and grow others already in our churches.

9 people began an evening course in the Blue Collar Ministry Apprenticeship in 2013. It was encouraging to have so many people engaging in the training each Monday night. We saw their love for Jesus grow, their confidence to read God’s word increase and greater boldness to share Jesus with their friends.

At the end of the year, Brett, a plumber said, “Everybody should do this training”.

 Andrew Beddoe reports on the value and growth of MTS’ ‘Blue Collar Apprenticeships’