From Pharmacy to the Pulpit

Chris didn’t arrive at university with vocational ministry in mind. But through his time at Curtin University, that question kept being put on the table: how should he best use his life to serve Jesus? The challenge stuck. Over time, it led him away from pharmacy and toward vocational ministry—and eventually to Trinity. 

For Chris, his journey to faith began in high school. A move from a private Christian school to a public one pushed him to seriously consider what he believed. 

“I had to work out whether I really believed in Jesus—whether he really died for me, rose from the dead—or whether I was just going to walk away and do my own thing,” Chris explains. 

By God’s grace, that wrestle became a turning point. He owned his faith and began to grow, surrounded by a strong Christian community at Albany Baptist Church and the support of friends who had also come to faith around the same time.

After Year 12, Chris moved to Perth to study pharmacy at Curtin University. There he got involved with the AFES student ministry, which played a major role in his spiritual formation. It was during this time that he discovered how to read the Bible for himself, was introduced to theological frameworks, and began asking big questions about life and purpose. It ended up being instrumental in challenging him to think deeply about what it would look like to use his whole life in service of Jesus.

Chris worked as a pharmacist for three years, got married, and moved to Bunbury—but the call to gospel ministry only grew stronger. Eventually, he returned to AFES as a ministry apprentice. The apprenticeship gave him hands-on experience and clarity. 

“It was very much a stepwise process,” he says. “But by the end, I thought—yeah, I think God is calling me into vocational ministry. I have something of the conviction and the character to do it. But I still felt like I needed more training.”

Trinity was the obvious choice. He already knew people at the College, and he respected its theological rigour and commitment to equipping people for real-world gospel work. 

“It was a no-brainer,” Chris says. “Trinity was serious about the Bible, but it also had its eye on the end goal: ministry.”

The three years that followed were formative. Trinity gave him not just knowledge, but instincts—deep confidence in gospel essentials, and sharpened frameworks for thinking through pastoral questions, ministry decisions, and church life. 

“I became more sure about things that really mattered,” he reflects. 

The College community was also key. Daily conversations with fellow students, lecturers, and faculty shaped his thinking and character. 

“You’re not just learning in the classroom,” he says. “You’re learning over lunch, on mission, in conversation—growing together with people who love Jesus and want to serve him.”

Since graduating with an MDiv in 2019, Chris has been serving at Mundaring Church of Christ, where he now works four days a week, focusing on youth ministry, preaching, and children’s ministry. 

In a twist he didn’t expect, youth ministry—something he initially avoided—has become a real area of joy. 

“The more I invested in it, the more I grew to love it,” he admits.

He also spends one day a week with the Perth Youth Gospel Partnership, encouraging and equipping youth pastors and leaders across WA. 

“We’re stronger together,” he says. “If we’re going to reach this city and this state for Jesus, we need to do it alongside one another.”

Chris remains closely connected with Trinity. He teaches at Trinity at Night, serves as a College Trustee, and regularly draws on what he learned during his studies. 

“I don’t think a week goes by where I’m not using something from my degree,” Chris says. “You’re not wasting your time at college. You’re sharpening the axe before you go into the forest to cut the trail.”

Chris would love prayer for:

• Ongoing growth and fruitfulness in youth ministry across Western Australia

• More long-term, full-time youth pastors raised up for the next generation

• Wisdom and energy as he supports and advocates for youth ministry through the Perth Youth Gospel Partnership