Associate Pastor, Franz Brosch – Wynyard
Ministry Profile
Introducing: Franz Brosch
Associate Pastor Franz Brosch was inducted at Wynyard Baptist Church on Sunday 12th February, 2023. He will work alongside Senior Pastor Owen Muskett. Franz and Heidi are excited to be in Tassie, after God brought them on quite a journey!
A long time ago in a country far, far away . . .
I was born and grew up in a town in Southwest Germany called Mühlacker. It wasn’t exactly a rural setting, but still a reasonably small and well-connected community, with neighbours having chats across their fences. Our suburb was beautifully located, surrounded by fields and forests, and it had a river flowing through. It was a good place to grow up.
At the age of 20, I moved 40km away to Karlsruhe – a city of 300,000 – in order to study Computer Science at university.
My wife Heidi and I moved to Tassie after having spent the last eight years in the Camden area, near Sydney. It has been lovely to explore our new hometown, Wynyard, and its surrounds.
We love the stunning beauty of the sea shore, but also the rolling hills and mountains inland. We have also enjoyed getting to know the community here. People are friendly, and everyone has time for a chat!
Both Heidi and I come from relatively small families. I have my parents and two older brothers living back in Germany. All of them have visited us at some stage after our migration to Australia in 2012.
Since it was only Heidi and me who came out, we are thankful for modern technology. It enables us to stay in touch through phone calls and video chats.
As far as I can think back, I have always believed in God. As a child I was part of the Catholic Church. However, in secondary school a group of evangelical students invited me join them. They met in the breaks between classes for prayer and Bible reading. Being part of this group greatly increased my understanding of the Gospel.
As an adult, I joined an evangelical church, where I was baptised. While I had been baptised as an infant, I took this step to make a conscious declaration of my faith.
The path towards leadership
My first career was in IT, working as a software engineer. I loved the work, yet over time it became increasingly clear I was not really passionate about it. I wanted to dedicate myself more fully to Christian ministry, but I did not know which direction to take.
After moving to Australia, the Lord brought us in contact with a number of Christian ministries and communities. This gave me a much better understanding of what it would mean to pursue vocational ministry. Looking back, I think all these experiences worked together to make me ready to accept leadership responsibility for a community of believers.
I think all these experiences worked together to make me ready to accept leadership responsibility for a community of believers.
Having served as a ministry intern at Narellan Community Congregational Church, near Sydney, for three years, I felt it was time to seek a new ministry position to broaden the scope of my experience.
I was hoping I would still be able to serve under a senior pastor, rather than on my own. Plus, I wanted to work part-time, to allow for the completion of my ongoing theological studies.
At Wynyard Baptist Church, exactly such an opportunity opened up! I am excited the church accepted me as their new Associate Pastor. Heidi and I moved to Wynyard in January 2023, and I started work in February.
Loving, teaching, serving
I have received so much valuable advice over the years, and it is impossible to single out one piece of advice above all others. But one that proved to be crucial was for me to take up theological studies. The advice came first from Heidi. Then from a friend who noticed my growing love for God’s Word, and my desire to understand it more deeply.
My Master of Divinity studies at Morling College have shaped me a lot. They have greatly increased my readiness for vocational ministry in the Church.
Having only just started the Associate Pastor role at Wynyard Baptist, the working out of my focus areas is an ongoing process that will still take time. At the moment, I am working three days/week, and spending time getting to know all aspects of the life and ministry of the church.
I love worship, and have been playing the keyboard in our Sunday services. As well, I am on the church’s preaching roster. More things will come in time.
I am greatly excited to see that God uses deep passions within me, such as worship and teaching, to serve his people and to bring fruit for his kingdom. I love the fact that I can spend my time and energy in ways that really matter and have eternal value.is becoming more and more post-Christian.
Many of the older ways of reaching the lost are simply no longer effective. Part of the challenge of ministry today is thinking of new ways to re-engage people with the message of Jesus.
My challenge
I feel the work of ministry can bring out the worst of our brokenness, both in myself as well as in others, as it is a ministry from and to the heart. The process of spiritual transformation can be frustratingly slow and suffer all kinds of setbacks.
The challenge, then, is to keep looking to Christ and trusting him to take our efforts, imperfect as they are, and use them to continue to build his Church.
At this stage, I would appreciate prayer for the continued process of settling in at Wynyard Baptist Church, as well as life in Wynyard.
Pray my ministry in the church will grow and mature over time, and that as a church we will be a blessing to the community, to all those whose lives we touch. Pray, too, we will cooperate well with other churches in the area in proclaiming the Gospel, and many in our town turn to Christ.
And briefly
I am looking forward to . . . the year ahead with Wynyard Baptist Church.
I am worried about . . . the increasing secularization of Australia and other Western nations.
I am confident that . . . coming to Wynyard was the right step to take.
I am joyful about . . . the beauty of creation across Tassie.
I would like to change . . . myself to do more exercise and eat less sweets.
I am at my best when . . . what I do corresponds with the passion that God has laid on my heart.
Franz Brosch
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