From Carpenter to Church Planter

When Jordan Musulin first walked through the doors of Trinity Theological College in 2013, he was carrying more than just textbooks. The former carpenter from regional Western Australia brought with him a story of family breakdown, substance experimentation, and a burning hunger to understand God’s Word that online preachers alone couldn’t satisfy.

Today, more than a decade later, Jordy is on the cusp of church planting, having completed his Bachelor of Theology and currently pursuing ordination with the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia. But ask him about the journey, and he’ll tell you it’s not about academic achievement—it’s about radical personal transformation.

Born in Carnarvon, 10 hours north of Perth, Jordy’s early life was marked by his parents’ divorce when he was six. After dropping out of school at the end of Year 10 to pursue a carpentry apprenticeship, he found himself drawn into a world of drugs by age 18.

Everything changed when his mother decided to go to church during a difficult period in her life.

“I pretty much just decided to go along and support her,” Jordy recalls. 

But what started as family support became a life-changing encounter with the gospel. 

“I heard about Jesus and thought if this is true, then it has sort of radical implications for my life… I gave my life to Jesus and he did. He changed my life, he changed my heart, and here I am.”

After a few years as a new Christian serving in regional churches, Jordy realised he desperately needed theological grounding. 

“I’d been a Christian for three years by that stage, and I was teaching kids and I realised I didn’t even know much myself. My discipleship was coming from online preachers.”

His choice of Trinity wasn’t accidental. Having sat under preaching from graduates of various theological colleges, he’d noticed a pattern.

“I sat under a number of guys that had studied through Trinity who were just really faithful exegetes—gospel-centered and Christ-centered,” Jordy shares. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, if this is sort of the quality of the men and women coming out of Trinity, then that’s the place that I want to study.’”

What Jordy discovered at Trinity went far beyond academic training. 

“I actually can’t overstate how big an influence Trinity has been on my Christian life,” Jordy explains. “Even on my personal holiness. Trinity was God’s grace to me.”

Coming from a blue-collar background into Trinity’s academic environment wasn’t easy. But rather than breaking him, Trinity showed him grace: “I felt like a bruised reed, but Trinity didn’t break me.”

This kindness became transformational. 

“I received their love and that love was a wonderful example of the love of Christ,” Jordy says. “I’ve seen a huge amount of gospel fruit in my own life and in my own family relationships. Trinity has been one of God’s wonderful means of nurturing the growth of this fruit.” 

Now completing his ordination pathway while serving at Connect Christian Church—a thriving plant that’s grown from 35 to around 200 members—Jordy is working through a church planter assessment with Reach Australia. 

When asked what he’d tell prospective students about Trinity, his response is immediate: “The quality of the teaching, the quality of the staff. Their emphasis on the gospel. Their ability to help you to grow in your knowledge of God and your love for Christ. It’s a wonderful community to immerse yourself in and grow and be encouraged in your faith.”

For Jordy, Trinity wasn’t just theological education—it was God’s gracious provision for someone who needed both academic training and spiritual growth. As he prepares for ordination and potential church planting, that foundation continues to bear fruit in ways he never imagined.