Rehan and trainer Dan at his MTS graduation
The significance of being welcomed and valued in a Christian setting changed the trajectory of Rehan’s life. Today, as a third-year student at Moore Theological College, Rehan serves at Marrickville Road Church with his wife, Kartika, and their young daughter, Abigail—but before that, he undertook an MTS apprenticeship with MBM Rooty Hill.
A Search for Acceptance
Raised by his mother in Sydney, Rehan’s first exposure to Christianity came through the local church they attended weekly. While he never doubted the existence of God, at that point the gospel didn’t have any personal bearing on his life. He says, “I always considered myself a Christian but didn’t know what it really meant to be one. I don’t think I had any assurance that I was saved.”
Throughout his teenage years he encountered bullying from peers at church, leaving him feeling disconnected and disillusioned. “I didn’t feel like I belonged but I remember feeling a deep sense that God still had me in his hands and had a plan for my life,” Rehan recalls. Seeking acceptance elsewhere, Rehan threw himself into academics, driven to achieve top marks so that he could enrol in a physiotherapy degree.
When his hard work didn’t result in the ATAR score he had hoped for, Rehan was devastated. “I remember opening my results at the airport,” he says. “I felt crushed, like my whole world had fallen apart.” Devastated, he enrolled in health sciences at the University of Sydney and began a new chapter, not realising that it would also mark a significant turning point in his faith.
Transformation Through Community
In 2012 at university, Rehan joined the Christian group on campus and was struck by their warmth. “For the first time, I felt welcomed and valued in a Christian setting,” he says. This authentic sense of community shifted his perspective, leading him to move to MBM Rooty Hill where he begun to appreciate Jesus in a new light. “I began to understand that life wasn’t about me – at the heart of the problem was the problem of my sin – and Jesus dealt with my sin once and for all in his death and resurrection.”
With this newfound understanding of the gospel, Rehan eventually transferred to the Australian Catholic University (ACU) to pursue physiotherapy. Eager to bring the same sense of community to others, he co-founded a Christian group on campus. “I had very little Bible training experience, and I remember feeling like, ‘I’m really out of my depth here,’” he says with a laugh. As much as he enjoyed his physio degree, he found himself increasingly drawn to sharing the gospel with people on campus and leading Bible studies. Over time, this passion for the gospel began to overshadow his career ambitions.
After graduating in 2016, Rehan started working as a physiotherapist, yet he couldn’t shake his desire to serve in ministry. He continued to lead a group of boys from kids church through to youth ministry. “I really loved just discipling them and caring for them,” he recalls. “They were a crazy bunch of boys, but I grew to really love them and wanted to continue with them all the way through to Year 12.”
Heading into Ministry and learning to trust
Youth ministry in COVID
Encouraged by pastors and friends, he and his wife, Kartika, decided to begin an MTS apprenticeship at MBM in 2020. “Kartika had planned on doing MTS for years, and at first, I thought I’d just support her,” he admits. “But as we prayerfully considered our finances and the ‘Christ-less’ eternity that awaited many people including the patients I treated in hospital, God was calling us both to take this step.”
During his apprenticeship in 2020 and 2021, with Dan Lee as his trainer, Rehan served as the interim youth pastor. He oversaw a bustling youth ministry with over 130 teens and 30 leaders. “It was intense, especially when COVID hit and everything went online,” he remembers. But it did give Rehan a taste of the burdens and joys of full-time ministry. The apprenticeship underscored for him that ministry was not simply a job, but a calling. “It gave me the confidence to say that as much as I enjoy work as a physio, I think God has made me for—to proclaim and model Jesus through his church.”
While doing MTS Rehan and Kartika were taught to depend on God for his provision. Apprentices at MBM are required to fundraise the majority of their income, and when COVID came about – none of the apprentices were up to date with fundraising Rehan and Kartika included! This meant the viability of continuing their apprenticeships was in question, but God provided.
He shares, “We had to consider do we need to return to work? Is this financially viable? I remember chatting to my trainer, Dan, and just tearing up because I felt like a failure. I found it really hard to trust and believe that God would provide for our needs.”
During one conversation with Dan, Rehan and Kartika were talking about finances and possible contingencies, including one of them stopping MTS and returning to work. Dan interrupted them, apologised and took another call.
Rehan explains, “He called us back 10 minutes later and said, ‘Guys, you’ll be really glad I took that call.’”
Dan told Rehan and Kartika that a parent from the youth group had been praying about whether they could help financially with the need, and they had called Dan to tell him they wanted to donate a huge payment to their apprenticeships. This money covered their income for a few months.
Rehan reflects, “It was a boost that we needed. It gave us breathing space, but it also just reminded us that God has provided, and God will provide and meet our needs.”
More prepared to share the gospel and handle the Word
In 2022 Rehan went on to study at Moore College and do student ministry at a recent church plant MBM Parramatta, Marrickville Road Church, and Norwest Anglican Church. Now he is soon to finish college and move on to further ministry!
As Rehan prepares for his next steps post-Bible College, he reflects on the value of MTS and why he recommends it to others. “It was important to get trained up and be prepared for a lifetime of serving God,” he shares. “MTS gave us the confidence to spend our lives in service of Jesus. We experienced the realities of ministry in a fallen world and the joys of seeing Jesus exalted through us, amidst us, and despite us. Even if you finish MTS and realise that full-time ministry isn’t for you, that’s okay! Because our God still reigns and Jesus lives – our labours are never in vain. God will continue to use you through his powerful Spirit to advance his kingdom all for his glory.
For Rehan, each step has been part of a larger journey toward discovering how his gifts, passions, and faith all converge as he serves others for the glory of God.