Our History

Over three decades the story of MTS is like that of a seed, watered by God, and grown from humble beginnings. Now a proven strategy being used worldwide to equip and train Christians for ministry, the MTS vision has remained unchanged through the years: the Gospel imperative to act remains the same.

MTS, through God’s enabling, continues to help gospel-focused Christians and churches to be equipped for a life of ministry and evangelism, reaching the generations of today and of the future. So just how did MTS begin?

• The ‘Ministry Training Strategy’ began informally in 1979, out of the ministry of Philip Jensen, the chaplain at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. Under his leadership the first ‘ministry apprenticeships’ began with three graduates invited to spend two years working with the ministry team. The results are immediate and many catch on to the value of a training mindset and movement that equips Christians to serve, teach, reach and train others in ministry.

• By 1988 around a dozen students each year were working on the UNSW campus as ‘MTS trainees’. A vision to train 500 people for ministry in five years is launched that year.

• In 1992 the ministry was established more formally to serve the wider Christian community.

• In February 2007, the national directorship is passed from Colin Marshall to Ben Pfahlert. A re-ignited vision to reach 10% of the population of Australia with the gospel, sharpens into focus the continued need to recruit and train people for lives of ministry.

• Today, over 1000 people have now completed the MTS apprenticeship and over 400 are serving in full-time Word ministry. More than 7 MTS Spur Conferences are now held annually in most states to give Christians the opportunity to weigh up a future in full time gospel ministry.

• MTS now works with trainers and ministry apprentices across many denominations and across the world, providing information, support and resources for this model of ministry training.

• In addition, MTS has links to sister organisations both inside and outside Australia, many of which grew out of the original movement.

• Related work is now taking place in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, South Africa, France, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

An extended history of MTS and detailed information on the training mentality can be found in the booklet produced by MTS and Matthias Media ‘Passing the Baton’.