Warrnambool: One-to-One Discipleship

(photo: Women’s pastoral worker Casey Gellert, right, doing what she loves.)

The creation of a women’s pastoral worker position at Warrnambool Presbyterian Church has gone a long way towards improving and expanding the church’s culture of discipleship.

For decades, Warrnambool Presbyterian Church has been large enough to require multiple ministers. This worked well for a large church, which now has 170 members, and four services each Sunday, plus weddings and funerals in a town of 35,000 people. And yet, there was not a culture of 1-1 discipleship among women.

But times have changed. Church ministries are not so dependent on the minister and pulpit ministry. While this is the foundation of our Sunday worship services, the church leadership also aims to encourage one-to-one and small group discipleship ministries.

“We believe that women can uniquely learn to live godly lives from other women,” minister Ben Johnson says.

“The need for trained women in pastoral ministry has increased and yet the availability of women to do this has diminished as more are involved in part-time and full-time employment.”

With two settled ordained ministers, the Warrnambool Church decided to set aside the funds to employ a Women’s Pastoral Worker for two days a week, and Casey Gellert was employed.

Casey disciples a caseload of women in regular one-to-one meetings, reading the Bible, enjoying prayer and discussing life. These women may be women in need, new Christians, non-Christians, or developing leaders themselves.

“It is a privilege to be used by God, our Master Potter, to serve the women of our church as we together seek to love God in all we think, say, and do,” Casey says.

Casey also engages in aspects of the church service, including leading, children’s talks, prayer and interviews. She promotes reading material for women, leading women’s reading groups, and is a member of the women’s ministry team.

Click here to read more from our Ministering Together magazine.