Part of a series the Roles and Journeys of Women in Ministry. Sarah Kuswadi asked Aleesha Bransgrove about her journey into full-time ministry at Darebin Presbyterian Church, Melbourne.
SK: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what it is you do at Darebin Presbyterian Church?
AB: I’m a Melbourne local and enjoy living in the inner-northern suburbs. My family live here too, including my three sisters and a gorgeous new niece. As an introverted person who loves people, my ideal weekend includes brunch with friends, window shopping with a coffee, and time at home with my housemate and our many pot plants. Most importantly, I am a beloved child of the living God, and I enjoy knowing Jesus and the abundant life that he brings.
I have recently joined the staff team at Darebin Presbyterian Church. My role covers the areas of Mission, and Maturity of children and youth. This means that I get to serve people from across a broad age spectrum, from the newest baby to grown adults in our community. As a single woman without biological children, it’s a joy to partner with parents at church to disciple the kids and youth, and to support the ministry team as we do this together. Part of my role is working with the Mission team to think about how we can help people in our community takes steps towards knowing and loving Jesus.
What are your short and long-term hopes for your ministry?
I only just finished my theological degree last year and am in the first few months of this role. So one of my short-term hopes is to learn how best to support the teams I oversee. I hope to get to know each person on the team and how they are each uniquely gifted so that as the body of Christ we can work together to present kids and youth mature in Christ.
My church is a church plant, and for the past ten years we have rented a community building for our Sunday service. Praise God, we have been able to purchase our own building in the local area. We plan to move into the new site later this year once some renovations have been completed. This will be a considerable change for our church. It will be so great not to have to set up chairs every week and lug around all the kids ministry resources! But it will be a time of transition as we get accustomed to ministry in a different space. We will be in a new street in a different part of the suburb; I am looking forward to working with the mission team as we seek to make new contacts in this new location. In the longer term, I would love to try new initiatives to foster relationships with locals, and see new people reached with the gospel and join God’s family.
What is your background and what is something that’s unusual about that?
I was raised in a Christian family, and although I was always part of a church, I had never thought I was the kind of person who would end up in full-time gospel ministry. As a child I was shy and quiet. I had grown up around church leaders who seemed to me to be full of confidence and charisma—great public speakers. I assumed God wouldn’t use a person of my temperament in his work. I’m so thankful for the faithful Christians in my life who helped me to see that my assumptions were wrong! It was a wondrous season in my life when I was at university and I realised that God uses all different kinds of people in his kingdom work and that perhaps he could use me too.
What appealed to you about the role at Darebin Presbyterian Church?
I was attracted to the diversity in the role. I enjoyed being trained to handle God’s word at theological college. It’s so great to get to teach the word to such diverse age demographics. I also love that I am a part of a team, serving together. I am looking forward to providing training and resources to God’s precious people in my team who are serving him with the gifts he has given them… which are different to mine!
My hope is to show a variety of different ways that women serve in ministry around Australia and to be an encouragement to them through this. What would you want to share with other women about what has equipped you for this role?
I worked as an Occupational Therapist in community health for ten years, mainly with people with chronic and complex health conditions, and palliative care in the home. I took a break from OT to do a full-time ministry apprenticeship with AFES at La Trobe Uni. I had grown so much as a Christian during my time as a uni student, I thought I could spare just two years to give back to a ministry which had helped me to understand the gospel and live for Christ. I had no idea then that taking a two-year break would lead me down a path towards long-term gospel ministry! And I would not have guessed that from a background working with people at the end of their lives, I would end up working with children at the start of their lives!
Taking what felt like a risk, to do a ministry apprenticeship, was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Dedicating two years to be trained, challenged, and equipped for ministry was so foundational for me. I’m glad that before I went to theological college I had the chance to have a go at a broad range of ministries like reading the Bible with other women; writing Bible studies; running training workshops and seminars; learning to run camps and conferences; doing walk-up evangelism; taking uni students away on short-term missions; thinking about how to structure a teaching and training program for a year; and even learning basic graphic design and administration skills.
Other female friends who have done ministry apprenticeships haven’t taken further steps towards full-time ministry. Some have had children and others have gone back to their original careers. But all of us have gained training and experience to enrich our local churches, in whatever capacity we now serve. At a basic level, the apprenticeship has helped me to better love my brothers and sisters in Christ, so that even if I went back to working in Occupational Therapy full-time, it would still have been worth it!
With encouragement from my trainer and my pastor, however, my journey led me onto a Master of Divinity, which I found invaluable. I was stretched and shaped and sharpened for, Lord-willing, a lifetime of gospel ministry.
Can you tell us about some things that you have learnt recently in your role?
One thing that has stood out to me recently is just how relevant the Bible is for people at any age or stage of life. When thinking about how to teach the Bible to a three-year-old, it struck me that even our smallest brothers and sisters in Christ need to be taught simple truths about God from his word. And those truths are what I need to be taught too! Whether you are three, thirty-three or ninety-three, we all need to be taught that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God in his image. I need to hear that God loves me as much as the six-year-olds need to hear it. I need to remember the forgiveness Jesus purchased for me at the cross as much as the thirteen-year-olds. God ministers to me by his Spirit as I prepare lessons each week!
Is there a Bible verse that you often come back to for encouragement?
In ministry, there can be many lows and struggles and pains as well as the wonderful things. I often come back to John 3:30: ‘He must become greater; I must become less.’ This passage was preached in devotional time during my first week of college, and part of the application has always stuck with me. It was an exhortation for us as gospel workers to hold up Christ in ministry and make him the focus and not ourselves. Often, when I feel anxious, or something difficult has come up in my role, this verse helps me to take my eyes off myself and fill my vision instead with the beauty of Christ. My ministry is actually his ministry. I belong to him. The people in my church belong to him. And it’s my privilege to be a part of the family business of helping people to gaze at him. He must become great; I must become less.
