Fellows scholarship gives Exponential opportunities
Fellows scholarship gives Exponential opportunities
23 October 2018
The Salvation Army's Fellows Program made it possible for two Salvo Volunteers to grow further in their passion for disciple-making.
Aged Care Plus Fellows Program scholarship recipients, Nina Sampson and Lauren Martin from 2508 Salvos in Helensburgh, south of Sydney, recently attended the Exponential discipleship multiplication conference in Los Angeles, United States.
Nina, a part-time Salvation Army community worker, and Lauren, a volunteer ministry leader, say the experience was foundational to the formation of their ministry and wouldn’t have been possible without The Salvation Army’s Fellows Program.
“When we applied for a Fellows scholarship last year, we really didn’t think we’d get it,” says Lauren. “We’re just two Salvos, passionate about Jesus and passionate about people, running a ‘start-up’ ministry in our home town. We knew that going to Exponential would be an experience that would shape the future of our ministry, so we thought we’d just throw our hat in the ring, and if God wanted us there, then we’d be given a grant to go. And we were!” 
During Exponential, Nina and Lauren sat under teaching from the Forge, a mission training network that started in Australia and has now spread across the world.
“For me, the workshops with Forge were the highlight,” says Nina. “We heard real-life stories from people who are taking ‘church’ outside the building ... just being church in their community, loving others in radical ways and partnering with God in his work every day, not just on Sundays.”
The teaching focused on encouraging all Christians, not just ministry leaders or clergy, to step into the great commission that God has for everyone. “Evangelism goes much further than simply inviting people to church,” says Lauren. “It’s about empowering Christians to be disciple-makers themselves.”
While in Los Angeles, Nina and Lauren had the opportunity to spend time with Neil Cole, author and organic church planter, who has been working with The Salvation Army in Australia for a number of years on discipleship multiplication.
“It was really powerful to be able to ask Neil questions specific to my current context in facilitating an organic church here in Helensburgh,” says Lauren, who leads what’s called a ‘Community Table’ in the NSW/ACT Divisional Hope Rising strategy – a small group church that meets during the week and does life and mission together, as well as prayer and Bible study.
The pair also met with Captains Cheryl and Nesan Kistan, Australian Salvation Army officers, who are the Corps Officers of Tustin Ranch and County Coordinators in Orange County, California. 
“It was amazing to meet with them and get some perspective on what life and ministry is like in the United States,” says Nina (pictured right with Captain Kistan). “Also, to sit with them and some of their corps folk during the Exponential conference was really great, we met lovely Salvation Army brothers and sisters and have come away knowing that they are praying for us and them knowing that we are praying for them!”
Nina and Lauren say they’ll be using the experience and teachings from their Fellows scholarship trip to the United States to implement solid discipleship multiplication processes in their ministry. They’re also keen to share their learnings with others.
And, they would recommend that anyone who has a leading from God to further themselves and The Salvation Army’s mission, to apply for a The Salvation Army Fellows scholarship. “Why not just apply? You never know where the Fellows Program could take you and what God has in store if you just step out in faith towards the plans He has for you,” says Lauren.
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