“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2
Ministry Equipping Training and Recruitment Organisation (METRO): it’s a mouthful! METRO is a committee of the Presbyterian Church in NSW (PCNSW) that sponsors suitable people into ministry training apprenticeships and partners with MTS. The words say it all. It’s about ministry. It’s about equipping people for that ministry. It’s about recruiting people to further their Christian character, conviction and competency. It’s about training in gospel ministry.
Our vision is taken from 2 Timothy 2:2. We understand that Christians are here today because of the faithful witness of previous generations of Christians. The PCNSW sees the incredible opportunities that are available for people to be better equipped for gospel ministry and continue this work of passing on the gospel to another generation.
METRO has a great relationship with MTS in fulfilling this goal of better equipping God’s people. MTS provides an excellent training model for our Presbyterian apprentices and METRO contributes financial and pastoral support.
In 2020 METRO is hoping to provide more “value adding” to Presbyterian apprentices undertaking MTS. This may involve interaction with staff and students at Christ College and additional mentoring support for apprentices and trainers. These Presbyterian apprentices may end up in pastoral ministry, or become youth workers, or women’s workers, and some return to the secular workforce with greater confidence and conviction as they minister in their local congregation.
Over the last few years we have seen the number of METRO sponsored apprentices increase substantially. We praise God for the way He is challenging people into gospel ministry training. We are grateful also for the ongoing financial support of the PCNSW to assist apprentices over their 2-year apprenticeship. And METRO is pleased with the ongoing support, and increasing interest, in training by Presbyterian pastors. We are immensely grateful for time they put into developing the competency of apprentices. In addition the PCNSW now has apprentices getting training on university campuses as well as in their local churches.
We pray for the ongoing relationship with MTS as we seek to better equip people for gospel ministry. And we pray that the Lord will continue to raise up workers for the harvest field.
David Bell Convenor
METRO Committee
Presbyterian Church of Australia
in the State of NSW