“OUR CHURCH LAUNCHED ON EPIPHANY OF 2019 WITH 175 ADULTS AND 80 CHILDREN
Artizo profile: Rev. Tripp Prince
Years at Artizo: 2008-2010
Status: Pastor, Trinity Anglican Church (Northside), Brookhaven, GA
REV. TRIPP PRINCE
“There’s an old Greek proverb that says, ‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never enjoy.’ I think of this saying when I think of those who choose to invest in Artizo. Women and men generously and sacrificially donated to Artizo so I could be formed and shaped for service in the Anglican Church, though they knew this service likely wouldn’t impact them directly or be lived out within their parish. And yet, their love for the Kingdom and deep belief in the need for faithful, well-formed ministers was clearly felt from day one. I am deeply grateful for their investment and pray that the Lord will continue to raise up donors who are able to give to future apprentices the incredible gift given to me and my family.
I came to seminary thinking that it was the primary way in which I was to be shaped and formed as a minister. However, I am convinced the Lord used Artizo to prepare me for pastoral ministry as much if not more so than my formal coursework. Artizo bridges the gap between formal education and ministry in a parish better than anything I have seen before or since.
Artizo gave me a very realistic picture of what pastoral ministry looks like in a holistic and healthy way. It encouraged me to pursue personal holiness and disciplined standards of worship and study. Artizo also gave me regular exposure to more seasoned ministers who offered wisdom, support, and care in countless ways.
With a decade now under my belt, I continue to find new and surprising ways that Artizo helped prepare me for ministry. In particular, I loved the diversity of ministry exposure within the life of a parish. In post-Christian Canada, we were consistently reminded that ministers in today’s culture had to be willing and able to serve in any and every area of church life. Gone are the days of 25+ hours of weekly sermon preparation with a few pastoral meetings sprinkled in. We were taught to be flexible, adaptable, and joyful in any role given to us for the sake of the Kingdom. Artizo helped me by inviting J.I. Packer to listen to my sermons and offer feedback, but also prepared me just as much by inviting me to spend a semester teaching Sunday school to sixth grade boys.
As I launch into this church plant, even though we are a well resourced church, the staffing for the church plant is small. I am the only full time staff. On Sundays we rent a church, so I am there early setting up the sound system, altar for communion, kids rooms, and coffee hour, and then must immediately switch right into leading the service, preaching, casting vision and building community.
The reason I find all of this exciting and not incredibly overwhelming is largely due to the preparation I received as an Artizo apprentice. Artizo did a very good job of not just teaching us one or two things, but preparing us to be ministers in all sorts of situations. Our church launched on Epiphany of 2019 with 175 adults and 80 children and it is a joy to enter into this new ministry feeling prepared and ready for this new journey.
Artizo prepares ministers for a long obedience in the same direction. Far too many people fail to consider the cost and prepare for this work, and burn out or move on within just a few years. Artizo gave me the courage and community to stay the course, and for that I’m forever grateful.
For example, I was given 3-4 weeks notice for my first preaching assignment at Artizo. But I was asked to restrict myself to spending no more than 6-8 hours on the sermon knowing that if and when I did become a pastor of a church plant, I wouldn’t have the luxury of weeks to spend on a sermon.
In addition to sermon preparation, Artizo encouraged the creation of intentional rhythms of health in the areas of personal soul care, my family, prioritizing my relationship with my spouse, and sabbath keeping. This kind of preparation has allowed me to spend nearly 10 years serving in parish ministry and now still have the energy and desire to plant a church.
On a more practical level, Artizo was also one of the primary reasons I was able to find a full-time position as an associate priest at a vibrant and flourishing Anglican parish. The rector who hired me was deeply impressed with the Artizo program and saw the ways in which it complemented and deepened the seminary experience.”
Rev. Tripp Prince serves as the Parish Pastor at Trinity Anglican Church (Northside), located in Brookhaven, Georgia. Prior to this, Tripp served as a priest at Anglican parishes in Florida and Texas. He is a graduate of Regent College in Vancouver, BC, and a graduate of The Artizo Institute. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in the area of Spiritual Formation and Catechesis at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Tripp and his wife, Rachel, live in Atlanta with their three young children.
100 + 21 = 10,369? Supernatural math? We now have 100 Artizo graduates trained over the last 21 years, the majority of whom are in full time ministry. The product of the formula is an educated guess at the number of people who regularly listen to an Artizo minister teach and preach. With God’s help, Artizo will continue to obey the New Testament imperative of entrusting the Gospel to faithful men. We continue to trust God for supernatural results.