Matt Anslow named new Educator for Lay Ministry

Matt Anslow named new Educator for Lay Ministry

Dr Matt Anslow started recently as the new Educator for Lay Ministry at Uniting Mission and Education.

This role focuses on providing and coordinating training and education for anyone involved in lay ministry in NSW and ACT.

“So that might mean worship leaders, lay preachers and presiders, youth leaders, pastors ­­– basically anyone leading in a Uniting Church,” Dr Anslow said.

“The Vital Leadership team here at UME is dedicated to helping leaders grow in discipleship that is lifelong and whole-of-life. We want to see leaders that are passionate about and equipped to follow Jesus. My role is to help by providing opportunities to go deeper into the Scriptures and theology, to learn new skills, and to better understand the ethos of the UCA.”

Dr Anslow holds a PhD in theology from Charles Sturt University and has a wide range of experience in church roles.

At the end of his first week in the role, he said that he was looking forward to experiencing the Uniting Church’s breadth and diversity first hand.

“The Uniting Church is both broad and deep, and I’m looking forward to travelling around to meet all the different kinds of folks within it. There really are few other churches that can claim to be as diverse as the UCA, and I’m excited to delve into all that variety.”

“Besides that, I’m looking forward to getting into training laypeople. The challenges of the Church are many, but so are its opportunities. I really believe the ability of the church to embrace these opportunities is bound up with how well we disciple and send out lay leaders (and the work of the Spirit, obviously).”

Dr Anslow told Insights that he would like to hear from “anyone and everyone” about how they see the future of church discipleship and leadership.

“I’d also encourage any lay preachers to look into the Living Our Faith series of courses, as well as our upcoming event PreachFest which will equip and inspire everyone who participates.”

Preachfest runs from 1 to 3 June. More details will be released soon.

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