Rev. Ben Roberts
Director of Training
Born and raised in Ohio, there is a soft spot in Ben’s heart for Mid-Western life. Growing up, he loved cycling, running, and his part-time job at a farm (he was the cow-milker). Ben went to Wheaton College for his undergrad, where he studied Theology. More importantly, he met his wife Karyn there. After graduation Ben and Karyn spent three years in Connecticut. Karyn served as an English teacher; Ben worked as the youth minister in an Episcopal Church. In 2008, Ben and Karyn drove to Vancouver, where he began work on his MDiv at Regent College, while doing an apprenticeship with Artizo. Ben was able to enter into full-time ministry with St. John’s Richmond in 2011 and was ordained a priest in the Anglican Communion on February 5th, 2012.
Susan Norman
Trainer
Susan has been teaching the Bible for many years to women in a variety of women’s groups, to university students, to youth and seniors, in churches, university campuses, at retreats, and in her home. She has a long history of training Christian leaders. Susan has a long history working for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship and currently works with IVCF mentoring, training, directing, and participating in ministry with leaders and students. She has a deep love for God and a sincere passion for his work.
The Artizo Institute started in 1998. We have mentored and trained 99 faithful ministers, 81 of which are in paid ministry.
Currently, Artizo is refocusing its efforts by renewing its training curriculum to deepen and intensify ‘learning-by-doing’, reorganizing its structure, and refreshing its engagement with St. John’s Vancouver and other churches and church organizations.
Artizo aims to fill Canada
with the sound of God's word
WHY SHOULD I HELP?
In a noisy world clear communication of God’s love in Christ Jesus can easily be stifled. By helping Artizo you are partnering in the work of the Gospel by training leaders to go out and share the good news in ways that are honest, contemporary and effective.
THE TRAINING CHURCH
An Artizo apprentice receives training and mentorship from Artizo Trainers as well as from the rector of the training church. In this article, Rev. Ben Roberts, Rev. Sean Love and Artizo Chair Lesley Bentley speak about six different aspects of a training church. read more
5th Generation – The Imperative
The gospel is death defying. Not just because it brings us eternal life through Jesus Christ, but because we defy the power of death by training up others who are able to pass the gospel of life to the next generation. It is a critical investment of our time, prayer and resources. It is a clear New Testament expectation, priority and imperative. read whitepaper
FAQs
Artizo aims to fill Canada with the sound of God’s word. We do this by equipping young leaders for gospel ministry.
Artizo provides an intensive hands-on 2-year apprenticeship program. The comprehensive curriculum focuses on mentoring and equipping future ministers and leaders to faithfully proclaim the Gospel and in turn entrust it to others.
Artizo is solely funded by donations.
In 1998 St. John’s Vancouver’s rector, David Short, and a few members of the congregation saw a huge and growing need to train up faithful Gospel leaders for the future in Canada. The idea was born out of these discussions and the organization has grown from there.
In 2019 Artizo will graduate its 100th intern! 80% of the interns trained have continued on to ministry in the church. While many have stayed in Canada, in this time of globalization, you can also find our interns in The US, UK, Australia, and other parts of the world.
Artizo is from the Greek word ‘to equip’. The work of Artizo is to train and equip leaders for the church so they may faithfully deliver the Gospel and, in time, raise up and equip the next generation beyond them.
Operating under the notion that ministry is more caught than taught mentorship plays a huge role in the training of interns. Each intern goes through a 2 year curriculum which includes serving in most areas of church ministry. So, time will be spent working with active ministers in pastoral care including home and hospital visits, working in children’s and family ministry, helping to organize, run and lead small groups, learning and teaching catechism and other areas of church life. Through all of this Artizo places a strong emphasis on learning expositional preaching and effective Gospel communication through ongoing coaching and practising in preaching the word.
Ben Roberts is, first and foremost, an Artizo grad himself. Ben graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois. While completing his Masters of Divinity at Regent College he was an Artizo apprentice at St. John’s Vancouver. He then went on to become a curate and then assistant minister at St. John’s Richmond. In September 2018 he joined Artizo as Director of Training. Ben lives in Vancouver with his wife Karen and three children, Adelaide, Ambrose and Olive.
Artizo is currently Vancouver based. Ben Roberts maintains an office at the St. John’s Vancouver office location. Interns meet for training at the church office, at Regent College on the UBC campus and in other locations around Vancouver.
Artizo was born out of St. John’s Vancouver. SJV rector David Short and a number of members of the SJV congregation came together in 1998 to set up Artizo. Since that time SJV has been the primary (but not only) training site for Artizo interns. In 2018 the strong relationship between SJV and Artizo was strengthened and a formal partnership was entered in to.
Artizo has a small board of directors who oversee legal compliance for charitable organizations and the general governance of the organization.
In a noisy world clear communication of God’s love in Christ Jesus can easily be stifled. By helping Artizo you are partnering in the work of the Gospel by training leaders to go out and share the good news in ways that are honest, contemporary and effective.
Artizo needs your prayers, your encouragement and your resources. First, you can pray. Please pray for the leadership to be wise in their training and management and then pray for the interns. Pray for them to grow in wisdom, understanding and effective communication and pray for them to know and be able to pass on the love of God to others. Second, you can encourage. If you are in Vancouver please attend our events. An annual Meet The Interns Night is held each fall. This is a great way to get to know interns, hear their stories and learn directly from them how you can pray for and encourage them. Finally, Artizo needs money! Artizo is 100% funded by donations and we rely on faithful supporters who have caught our vision to support every part of our operations. We accept bequests, one-off gifts or annual, or monthly donations. There is a link to donate on our website or you are welcome to contact Ben, David or a board member to find out more.
Spend some time and roam around our website. There is a lot of information about Artizo whether you are interested in the possibility of becoming an Artizo intern or supporting the organization. You can also contact us directly. Please reach out to Ben Roberts with questions, thoughts and ideas.
Board of Directors
Overseeing the vision and mission of the Artizo Institute, the Board of Directors works behind the scenes to keep the organization on track.