Between Bible Stories and Real Belief

Jeff Hunt never imagined theological study would be part of his story. Growing up between country Western Australia and Perth, he was raised in a Christian family and knew the Bible stories well. But it wasn’t until late in high school that the gospel truly came alive for him. While he was a university student, he began feeling convicted about God through vocational ministry, which ended up leading him to Trinity.

“I heard the gospel in a fresh way when a friend invited me to his youth group towards the end of high school,” Jeff says, “and I realised for the first time that the things that I knew about Jesus weren’t just kind of stories or ideas that are out there, but actually he died for me.”

After finishing school, Jeff started studying engineering at UWA. Unsure how to grow in his new faith, he joined the Christian Union on campus—and that changed everything.

“It was there that I experienced expository Bible teaching for the first time, and just realised, ‘Oh, that’s how you grow as a Christian!’” he says. 

Jeff worked as an engineer for four years before returning to UWA to complete a ministry apprenticeship with AFES. His growing desire to serve God long-term led him to theological study—specifically, Trinity Theological College.

Jeff’s choice of college may have seemed inevitable: “I married the daughter of the principal of Trinity—my father-in-law was the principal at the time,” he laughs, “so I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.” 

But Jeff is quick to point out it wasn’t just family connection that drew him to Trinity.

“One of their graduates said about the college, ‘Trinity is the best college in the world to learn how to serve the gospel in WA.’” 

Jeff found that deeply compelling: “You could go across to the eastern states to study, but in terms of understanding the context and the people and the situation that we have in WA, Trinity is actually the best.”

Jeff studied a Master of Divinity from 2009–2011. He recalls the tight-knit, high-calibre student cohort and deeply invested faculty as the stand-out elements of his time at Trinity.

“I think there was a really stretching quality to those relationships,” he says. “Other students around me actually were deeply invested in the learning… and the nature of Trinity and the way that the teaching staff operate, they’re really involved relationally with the students.”

That culture of shared learning wasn’t just academic; it was spiritual. 

“It wasn’t just academically-oriented, but was really oriented towards personal devotion and the cause of the gospel really applied,” Jeff reflects.

For Jeff, Trinity offered more than knowledge. It ended up transforming his character. 

“I went to college with a quite a thin understanding of theology and how that shaped my character,” he reflects. “The way that grace impacts Christian living was a huge thing for me.”

After graduating, Jeff served as a pastor at St Matthew’s in Shenton Park for a decade before becoming the lead pastor at North Coast Church in 2022. He remains connected to Trinity as a trustee, occasional lecturer, and through his wife Liana, who teaches in the Trinity Equip program.

If you’re in Western Australia and considering theological study, Jeff’s advice is clear: “The quality of the lecturers and the kind of depth of interaction you get with them means that you don’t just get maximum Bible input, but it is a really shaping experience for your character and your approach to ministry.”

Jeff asks the Trinity community to pray that North Coast Church would continue to play a faithful part in the wider gospel work across Perth. As he continues to grow into the responsibilities of lead pastor, he would value prayer for wisdom, patience, and humility in the role, and for God to keep growing him and his church for the sake of the gospel.