From Mission Field to Ministry Training

Jesse den Butter’s desire to study God’s word began long before he stepped into a Bible College. He started to feel drawn to biblical studies while on mission with his family in a remote part of Asia, where his faith was met with the realities of Christian living. 

Originally from the Netherlands, Jesse moved overseas with his family when he was just three years old. His family served God in mission in a country where open evangelism was not possible, so their ministry took a different form. 

“Because my parents were missionaries in a closed country,” Jesse explains, “my parents couldn’t openly be missionaries. Their main public ministry was humanitarian. They were both nurses and did a lot of medical work.”

Growing up in that environment meant Jesse always considered himself a Christian. His childhood was shaped by a loving Christian family, regular church involvement, and daily exposure to faith in action. 

Mission Minded 

Growing up on the mission field meant Jesse was drawn to working in ministry from a young age. “I think what ministry looked like in my mind was much more on the medical side or some kind of business side,” he shares. 

After completing high school overseas, Jesse returned to the Netherlands to study medicine. Transitioning from one schooling system to another was far more difficult than expected and Jesse’s schooling qualifications were not recognised under Dutch academic standards. 

“That was a hard time,” Jesse says. “I tried to do my high school certificate again in Dutch. But to get the same kind of marks that I was getting in English and then trying to redo that in Dutch was a bit hard”

After three months, he returned to his parents overseas for a time of reflection and spiritual growth. During his 6 months stay with his parents, Jesse decided to pursue a Bachelor of Business Management and started an online course. After marrying his wife, Lillian, and moving to Australia, he continued studying for his bachelor’s degree.

“I still wanted to do ministry,” Jesse shares. “I think in my mind, ministry would be in the direction of ‘I’m just going to do my job faithfully and be a high capacity volunteer at Church or give money to the church, that kind of thing.” 

It was during his bachelor studies that he started serving at his local church. As he served in various ministries, his pastor repeatedly encouraged him to consider doing a Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) apprenticeship.

“I was very hesitant to do MTS because at the time I didn’t see myself necessarily in full-time church ministry,” Jesse admits.

Yet the timing seemed right. He had just finished his degree and had not yet started a long-term career. If he was ever going to explore church ministry seriously, this was the moment.

Discovering his love for ministry

Jesse began a two-year MTS apprenticeship, which proved to be a formative experience.

“It was a very full two years,” he says. “I was involved in a lot of different ministries, including preaching and pastoral work.”

During that time, Jesse not only discovered a deep enjoyment in ministry but also received encouragement from those around him. Members of his church affirmed his teaching and leadership, helping him recognise that God might be calling him further down this path.

At the same time, the apprenticeship highlighted something else: the need for deeper theological training.

“MTS is good in terms of trying out some practical skills,” Jesse says, “but you also realise how many gaps there are in your knowledge because you haven’t studied before.”

Jesse’s choice to study at Bible College was driven by his desire to be better equipped for church ministry and the future. 

God’s Direction

Interestingly, Christ College was not initially on Jesse’s radar. That changed through a providential encounter.

One evening, Jesse and Lillian hosted his parents’ friend who needed a place to stay for a few nights. The visitor had recently graduated from Christ College, and during their conversations Jesse shared his hopes of pursuing theological study.

As Jesse researched the college, he found himself increasingly drawn to its theological foundations.

For Jesse the key reasons for choosing Christ College were its theological convictions, grounding in a confession, and their increasing alignment with Presbyterian theology and the church model.

The Christ College Experience

For Jesse, Christ College offered more than theological alignment. Its size and structure also appealed to him.

“The size of classes is good in terms of getting to know lecturers, whilst connecting with students.”

The flexible class schedule was another significant benefit, particularly as Jesse has a young family with two children.  

“Most of my classes are on Tuesdays to Thursdays and that allows Lillian, my wife, to do some study as well,” Jesse explains. “She’s been doing MTW, which is the ministry training for women. She is loving that and it gives a lot more flexibility with us having two kids.”

Now in his second year at Christ College, Jesse has found it encouraging to see the depth of what he has been learning, giving him confidence in his spiritual development and understanding of God’s word for future ministry. Jesse accredits this to the unique  accessibility of lecturers Christ College offers combined with the rich community aspect surrounding the Christ College experience. 

Looking to the future

Looking ahead, Jesse is still prayerfully considering where God might lead after college. Whether in local church ministry or missions, his desire is to serve God in whichever way he is called to.

“I hope that my ministry is very grounded in all the wonderful theology and biblical insights that I’m learning through these years,” he explains. For Jesse, theology is never meant to remain abstract, but rather it should be connected to the lives of the people he is ministering to. 

When asked what he would say to someone considering studying at Christ College, his answer is straightforward.

“I would say, do it,” he says.

“If someone is interested in studying the Bible, no matter what they end up wanting to do afterwards, I don’t think it’s ever wasted,” he encourages. “I’d encourage anyone considering it, to do it, and I’d say especially Christ College for the clarity that they have around some of those great truths that Christians have confessed for a long time.”