Meet Bruce Bennett

Vocational Bible College is blessed to have a Community Liaison Officer working with us to grow partnerships with local churches. So who is this person who hopes to increase awareness of VBC?

It’s safe to say that after more than 30 years in ministry, Bruce Bennett has gained a few connections. VBC is grateful to Bruce for using those connections to get the word out about its existence!

Bruce grew up in Bilipin in the Blue Mountains. He was one of seven children, and he feels deeply grateful for the way his parents brought him up to know and trust the Lord.

“I don't think there was ever a time I didn't know about or trust in Jesus,” Bruce shares. “I look back and think, ‘What a privileged life I've had.’”

After finishing high school Bruce trained as a carpenter, but his heart was set on farming.

At 20 years old he moved to the Nyngan district, west of Dubbo, where he started share farming. He eventually ended up buying land with his dad and his brother. 

During that time, Bruce became increasingly involved in church ministry. In the end, after the church he was part of stopped faithfully teaching the Bible, he started a church on his own.

“The church I grew up in was actually started by my grandfather when he became a Christian,” Bruce explains. “So I thought, well, that's what you do when you need a church that teaches the Bible—you just start it.”

He led the church for about seven years, and during that time Bruce learnt that he did in fact have gifts in ministry. He also learnt that gospel ministry was worthy of his time.

“It taught me that there are more important things than growing wheat and sheep,” Bruce says. 

He was certain that if he was going to move into full-time ministry, he wanted to be equipped. 

“I knew that I needed to know the Bible well, and I needed to be able to understand it and explain it,” Bruce says. So Bruce and his wife Robyn decided to sell up and move to Moore College. 

It was a huge life change.

“I knew that I wasn't dumb,” Bruce laughs, “but I’d never written an essay in my life. I’d lived in the country all my life. It was a big change—from working hard physically every day, to sitting down and thinking every day, and learning how to write.”

Bruce says the change was worth it because there was a purpose to it.

“We really felt that it was something God wanted us to do,” Bruce explains.

After graduating, Bruce says he was “talked into becoming an Anglican.” He ended up in pastoral roles at churches in Tamworth and Warialda. Nine years later, he accepted a role as Senior Pastor at Orange Evangelical Church.

It was while he was ministering in Orange that Bruce realised the need for something like VBC.

“In a country town, we were quite a professional church—we didn't have a lot of tradies,” Bruce explains. “Because I'm basically a tradie, we started to attract everyday people like myself. I saw the need to be training them.”

The courses that Bruce offered, however, weren’t quite the right fit for this demographic.

“I realised that the academic tilt to it just scared them off,” Bruce shares. “They didn’t want to do exams. They didn’t want to write essays. They were a bit daunted by that.”

So Bruce started thinking about how he could provide training for these everyday people. In the process of thinking it through, Bruce met Andrew Beddoe.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Bruce has been on the board of VBC right from the beginning. Last year we realised we needed someone to start connecting with more people. We created a role called a ‘Community Liaison Officer.’

“When we created this position for VBC, I thought, “This is a big job. I don't know anyone who can do this.’ And then I thought, ‘Yes, I do—it’s probably me!’”

So Bruce applied for a job that he helped create. He’s very much looking forward to seeing how God will use him in this role. 

“Because we're delivering training online now, I realised the vast potential of VBC being able to train people right across Australia,” Bruce explains. “People can join from anywhere and be taught, be encouraged and get a different vision for life.”

His advice to anyone on the fence about training with VBC?

“Whatever the barrier is, jump over it and start doing it,” Bruce says. “Jesus made disciples who made disciples who made disciples—and every one of us needs to extend our discipleship past ourselves.”