From a young age, Ryan felt that something wasn’t right in the world, or in the way he viewed God. “I tried to do all the things that I thought would get rid of the guilt, like go to church or read the Bible or even pray. But it wasn’t until I was about 15 that I realised that actually the answer to all of that was Jesus,” Ryan remembers. On a family trip, while reading Luke 15, Ryan saw himself in the prodigal son who’d run away from God. But he also felt the call to come back home to Jesus, who had died to give Ryan forgiveness.
Later, while studying physiotherapy, Ryan was a part of a group of friends encouraging each other to think about serving Jesus in a full-time capacity. At the time Ryan was enthusiastic, but as he started work as physio and life became busier, the excitement faded. However, a few years on, an older Christian mentor sat him down and encouraged him to seriously think about full time ministry again.
“He told me that if I kept working, it would just get harder and harder to transition to ministry. The reasons for not trying it out would get bigger, not smaller. So I said, “Okay, let’s think about that.” And then I was encouraged not to do it in Australia, but to do it overseas just for a different experience. So I went to London for a couple years.”
Ryan took a year of unpaid leave to do a ministry apprenticeship at a large church in London. He ended up staying two years, meeting his wife and being convicted of his path forward to full-time ministry work. He came back to Australia ready to study at theological college.
In choosing a college to study at, the desire to return to Perth and serve God in a familiar city led him to Trinity Theological College.
Moving into theological study after having done physiotherapy, Ryan has noticed similarities and differences in both areas of study. “I’d say they’re both pretty rigorous, as in you can’t really mess around with either degree,” Ryan laughs. The biggest highlight for Ryan so far has been the language study.
He’d been wanting to get into the biblical languages for a while and had tried to do some study on his own, but it wasn’t very successful, he admits. Having lecturers who have done a lot of hard work on these languages has made all the difference.
“You can ask questions and make mistakes and get corrections. That helped my learning, because previously it would bother me to not understand certain things but not being able to ask anyone because I was just reading a textbook on my own.”
Now, Ryan deeply enjoys reading the Bible in its original languages. Ryan has noticed that sometimes the English will use a different word but it is actually the same Hebrew or Greek word used in a different place. Now he sees the connections more clearly. “The languages are so important for cutting through a lot of stuff that is said that isn’t helpful or true.”
Doing biblical languages has helped Ryan see the value of discipline in the Christian life more clearly, and the goodness of working hard at something for the Lord. The rigor of working alongside other students at college has also been encouraging. “Physio was more competitive, but it hasn’t been like that at all,” says Ryan.
He has been pleased by the community spirit of sharing ideas, resources and the openness to ask questions. Seeing each other every day in the library, being in the same space for hours at a time, even if everyone is working and not talking, has been really special. Ryan’s also been delighted to reconnect with old friends from Perth, who God has brought on a similar journey to Trinity.
As well as studying, Ryan does one day a week of student ministry, leading young adult growth groups and encouraging other Bible study leaders. He and his wife are enjoying the small family suburban style of church as a change from their experiences in London. After college, Ryan is looking forward to working in a church full-time, and getting into hands-on ministry. Please pray for him and his wife as they discern God’s leading for their future ministry.
