Training for Ministry: Caleb Leathard’s Story

Caleb has grown up in Perth his entire life, raised in a loving Christian family who, as he puts it, “have shown me, Jesus, the whole way through.” From a young age, he was confident that God existed and that following Jesus and going to church were important. After completing an engineering degree in 2023, a path he once felt was right, changed as he felt called to ministry. Caleb has now completed his first year of his Master of Divinity and is “loving every bit of it,” he shares.

Caleb’s faith deepened through key moments growing up, particularly during high school at a camp called Sports Plus. Having recently changed schools, sport remained a constant for him, and he was struck by seeing Christians “playing sport, loving sport, and then seeing how they actually live it out,” which showed him that faith could shape every part of life. One talk at the camp focused on grace, and it particularly struck him. He began to grasp it more deeply. Caleb shares, “I started to understand grace more. Rather than just being a concept that I could recite, but something that I had experienced in some sense.” That moment marked the beginning of slow but steady growth that continued through the rest of high school.

In 2021, he commenced engineering studies at the University of Western Australia. While he initially enjoyed the course, joining Christian Union became a major source of spiritual growth. “That was a big time of growth where I’d actually matured in my Bible reading and came to know God more,” he reflects. Over time, he found himself spending less energy on coursework and more time investing in the Christian community.

By the end of his degree, Caleb realised that he wasn’t enjoying engineering any longer and it wasn’t where his heart was. After finishing, he wasn’t sure what came next. Then his church, Encounter Church of Christ, offered him a one-day-a-week internship working with the youth group. After starting the internship, he knew he had found something he loved. “This is so much better. I love teaching people. I want to do this,” he shares.

As part of the internship, Caleb completed several online Bible college units. While he valued the learning, he found online study challenging. Still, the content stirred something deeper. He loved church history, digging into Scripture, and discovering how much there was still to learn. “I realised I could be digging into the Bible forever,” he says. That realisation led him to pursue more in-depth theological study, but this time in person.

Trinity quickly became the obvious choice. It was close to home, aligned theologically, and highly recommended by friends and family. Hearing Trinity’s principal, Dan Cole, speak while Caleb was still at university also left a lasting impression. He began studying at Trinity last year and describes the experience as “absolutely wonderful.”

What has stood out most for Caleb is the quality of both Trinity’s teaching and community. He values the lecturers who are not only knowledgeable but deeply invested in helping students think about how theology shapes ministry and everyday Christian life. He also appreciates the diversity of perspectives among the students. “People with slightly different backgrounds or denominations actually really help round how I think about things,” he says. Conversations not only in the classroom, but during breaks, sometimes even over a game of table tennis, have also been formative.

Through his studies, God has been growing Caleb’s desire to connect theology with people. “As I study theology, it’s not just so that I can know more; it actually affects how I relate to people and teach people,” he explains. Whether writing youth talks or having one-to-one conversations, Caleb finds himself constantly asking how what he is learning can serve others. “It’s more about the people rather than writing the perfect essay.”

Caleb is about to begin a Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) apprenticeship at UWA, with a focus on working with first-year small groups and one-to-one Bible reading. He will continue his studies part-time, and in the long-term, he can see himself in a pastoral role, particularly in youth or young adult ministry, areas he has served in since Year 11. He also feels an increasing passion for training others for ministry.

If asked why someone should study at Trinity, Caleb doesn’t hesitate, “It’s the only place that you should really go. The lecturers are amazing, the people are amazing. You have great discussions, and they’re not just training you to be a scholar, but you’re learning how theology is practical for everyday life and ministry. Just do it.”

Recently married, Caleb would love prayer for himself and his wife, Emily, as they settle into married life, continue their studies, and step into new ministry contexts. Please pray for him as he begins his MTS apprenticeship, and as he continues his studies, that God will continue to grow and challenge him, and that what he learns will remain practical.