Ministry that Multiplies

Ever since he was young, Michael Bedros has loved God and loved his church. Even when he was working in secular roles in his 20s, Michael would often consider how he could apply what he was learning into ministry at church. Fast forward to today: Michael is a Christ College graduate, and he’s the pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Strathfield.

Born in Egypt, where he spent the first six years of his life before moving to Australia, Michael is deeply grateful to God for the blessing of Christian parents who faithfully taught him the gospel. After studying Occupational Therapy at the University of Sydney, Michael spent the next decade working in  injury management and work health safety. 

“I did have some older, wiser people and some pastors who were sort of nudging me to think about pastoral ministry, but I actually didn’t want to become a pastor,” Michael admits. “I loved ministry, but I could see the challenges and the stresses involved in being a pastor, so I kept avoiding that path.”

After getting married, Michael and his wife did sense that God was leading them into some kind of gospel ministry, but they weren’t sure what that might look like. They prayed over it extensively, and Michael ended up enrolling in a counselling course. It was actually while he was studying counselling that he became convicted about pastoral ministry.

“I’ve always loved walking with people,” Michael explains, “but with lots of self-reflection and processing, I really felt that the Lord was saying, ‘I want you to walk with people—but I want you to walk with people and help them with eternal issues.’”

After much more prayer, and seeking counsel from others and feeling encouraged by their responses, Michael enrolled in a night class at Christ College to test the waters, so to speak. After a positive experience in that regard, Michael was approved as a candidate and began full-time study at Christ College in 2015.

“To be honest with you, I did not wrestle with where to study at all,” Michael reflects. “I was in a Presbyterian church. I wanted to be a Presbyterian minister—so I had no hesitation enrolling into Christ College. I’m still so thankful that God placed me there.”

Michael says that he loved his time at Christ College, despite the fact that the transition from full-time work to full-time study wasn’t easy. He acknowledges that, “whilst it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

One of the things Michael is grateful for is the way the lecturers cared for him deeply as a person. He says he was blessed by them while he also learnt so much from them.

“Not only did the lecturers teach us what to do, they also role modelled to us whilst we were at college. Their example helped me see how to approach different people and different scenarios.”

Since stepping into full-time pastoral ministry in 2019, Michael has embraced a crucial role in training the next generation of ministry leaders. Beyond pastoring his congregation, he is dedicated to equipping interns and trainees who will go on to shape their own ministries and disciple others. This commitment creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond his immediate sphere of influence, multiplying the impact of his ministry for years to come.

Michael views his time at Christ College as invaluable.

“The biblical theology and the systematic theology I was taught at college are two pillars in my ministry,” he says. “Having a solid biblical theology and a systematic theology underpins how I teach and preach the Bible.”

In Michael’s opinion, prospective students will not be disappointed if they choose to study at Christ College.

“You’re going to be receiving top class theological education and you’re going to be at the receiving end of people who genuinely care for you as they are teaching you, and they will invest in you,” he says. “They will care enough to tell you the things that you want to hear and the things that you may not want to hear—but the things that we all need to hear, to be formed. And who doesn’t want that?”