Trinity, the obvious choice: Nic’s story

Current Trinity student, Nic, looks back at his teenage years and knows that there were a lot of people praying for him, asking the Lord to faithfully step into his life, pull him out of sin, and into grace to set him on the right path of faith and salvation. At the same time, Nic was slowly seeing for himself that Jesus really is Lord. Nic can see that God did a mighty work in helping him discover this, as Nic describes it as “the most important thing in the world”.

Prior to ministry and study at Trinity, Nic studied physiotherapy. While he finished the degree, he never worked in the field. “I think by then I already wanted to do ministry. But I wasn’t ready to jump in just yet, I was still pretty green and young. I worked in public health policy and research for a couple of years,” he shared.

Nic then undertook a Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) apprenticeship at St Matthews in Shenton Park, and began part-time study at Trinity. After completing his apprenticeship, Nic then began full-time study at Trinity in 2023, alongside his work as a Church Planting Resident at Providence Bayswater. 

Nic loves that he gets to study at Trinity. “I just love it, I love theology. I love thinking about those kinds of things. It’s nice that the ministry that we are called to do, because of the impetus of the gospel, is also something I enjoy a lot.”

For Nic, Trinity seemed like the obvious choice for his studies. “It was a fairly easy decision. I have known lots of graduates that have played a big part in my life, and so seeing them either studying at Trinity or talking about their studies in the context of their own ministry, was really helpful. I talked to them for a number of years as I headed towards ministry myself. So, after all that, it just made sense to go there!”

The main challenge of theological study for Nic has been meeting the challenge of studying so intensely and deeply. In his words, “there’s a lot you need to cover, and there’s always more you can do.” 

“I think it’s been challenging to think really hard about really minute, particular and long standing historical debates, or tricky texts. But that has also been really rewarding, because having had to work so hard, it now makes simpler everyday things seem manageable and achievable. Study has helped push things up a notch, and made my theology less wobbly than it might otherwise have been,” he explained.

This has helped Nic in his role as a Church Planting Resident at Providence Bayswater, where one of his roles is to oversee the ministry teams associated with Sunday gatherings. “One of the things I’m doing at the moment is collating and writing all the liturgy to be used at our Sunday gatherings. This has involved a lot of time thinking about how people throughout history have applied the scriptures to their churches to help their church to go deep in the Word, much of which I have learnt through my studies at Trinity. Then from there, I have been training and equipping our service leaders, music, sound, and venue teams in how to implement these in their respective ways in our gathering. This process has both challenged my thinking, and brought a richness and texture to the ministry I do.”

This, along with many other aspects of studying and learning at Trinity, has found Nic growing in humility. As he learns more everyday, he realises how little he knows. Something that is constantly surprising him is “how incomprehensible God can be. Even though he’s a God who makes himself known, he’s also a God who’s so different and so other and so wildly, outrageously big and grand and magnificent, that you can plumb the depths of all day. It’s humbling that there’s always more to go. It’s a strange paradox, but quite a thrilling paradox as well,” he shared.

As Nic nears the end of his studies at Trinity, he especially values the people he has been surrounded by. “I have been surrounded by peers and faculty that I trust, who have helped me to unpack the Bible and think deeply about it. I appreciate most that this won’t stop at my graduation. I am thankful that I will have continued opportunities to connect with peers and faculty going ahead too as we all seek to reach the lost in Perth, our state, the country, and the world!”

He also wants to encourage others to consider studying at Trinity, “If you want to serve God faithfully and in a way that is wise, godly and thoughtful, then it’s worth taking the time to think that through and Trinity is a great place to do that!”