FAQs

About Artizo

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.

In 1998, the rector of St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church, David Short, and a few members of the congregation saw a huge and growing need to train faithful gospel leaders for the future in Canada. The idea was born out of these discussions, and the organization has grown from there.

In 2025, Artizo counts 150 graduations from the program! Over 80% of the apprentices trained have continued on to ministry in the church. While many have stayed in Canada, you can also find our alumni in the US, UK, Australia, and other parts of the world, and some have planted new churches.

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.

Artizo is currently based in Vancouver. The Director of Training, Ben Roberts, maintains an office at the St. John’s Vancouver church office location. Apprentices meet for training at the church office, at Regent College on the UBC campus, and in other locations around Vancouver. Training churches are located throughout the Vancouver Lower Mainland. It is our desire to extend the program geographically.

Artizo has a small board of directors who review progress, direct strategy, approve budgets, and oversee the legal compliance and general governance necessary for charitable organizations. The directors are listed on this website.

Artizo was formed to answer the pressing need for biblically faithful ministers in the Canadian Anglican Church. Artizo holds to the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008. You can read the Declaration and find out more about it here

If you need more information than is provided on this site, please contact us directly by email

Supporting Artizo

Artizo is supported by your donations, by the prayers of our supporters, by the churches that provide training opportunities, by the many volunteers who give of their time – and by the grace of God.

Donations can be made directly from our ‘donate’ page or by sending a cheque to the Artizo office. You might also want to consider planned giving. Securities, property, annuities, registered accounts, bequests and other donation vehicles are possible. Ask for our Planned Giving Guide.

Near the end of the New Testament era the Apostles wrote to local churches shaping them as incubators and greenhouses for growing Christian believers in all kinds of ministry. The foundation for the flourishing of spiritual gifts and growth into the image of Christ is the gospel, taught by those who are set aside for the ministry of the word. The Apostles’ letters expect congregations to train some for ministry, for the health and growth of the whole church.

Artizo has made this widely recognized mandate our own. Writing to his beloved younger co-worker Timothy, the Apostle Paul commands him:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” [2 Tim. 2:1-2]

This letter closes with a plural greeting “Grace be with you,” so the Apostle expects the letter to be read aloud and treasured by the entire congregation. This is important because it takes a church to raise up teachers of God’s word. It is not merely the work of the current minister or the role of denominational bodies to ensure a secure future. It is of the utmost importance that this work is carried on by congregations to ensure the spread of the gospel and the ongoing health of the local congregation.

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 apprentices. Pray for them to grow in wisdom, understanding and effective communication, and pray for them to know and be able to faithfully pass on the love of God to others. Second, you can encourage. If you can, please attend our events. An annual Meet the Apprentices event is held each fall. This is a great way to get to know apprentices, 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.

Apprentices

There are limited spaces available each year. The number depends chiefly on Artizo’s capacity to provide quality one-to-one training, the availability of hands-on training opportunities at our training churches, and finances.

The selection process is necessarily rigorous, with applicants expected to attend interviews by our trainers and provide written submissions. In some cases a minister will suggest a candidate, or candidates may apply directly to Artizo.

Not all applicants are successful. For example, a candidate may not yet have reached a level of maturity necessary for entry to the program or may not be prepared for the hard work required, often in addition to their regular studies.

Applicants articulate a lively faith in Jesus Christ and hold to the historic teaching of the church in their life and doctrine. They must demonstrate a commitment to and aptitude for service in the local church, as evidenced by their pastoral recommendation. Applicants must be discerning vocational ministry. Generally, applicants need to have completed an undergraduate degree in an accredited educational institution.

Operating under the notion that ministry is more caught than taught, mentorship plays a huge role in the training of apprentices. Each apprentice 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, for instance: 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, achieved through ongoing coaching and practising in preaching the word to congregations in our training churches.

Our staff trainers are shown on our ‘about’ page. In addition, ministers at our training churches are trained in applying Artizo and provide coaching and mentoring before, during and after the ministry opportunities provided to the apprentice.

Artizo has developed an extensive curriculum which you can read more about on the ‘apprenticeship’ page of this website. The curriculum and training opportunities are, to some extent, adapted to the individual’s needs.

It should be emphasized that the Artizo program is focused on development of conviction, character and competence. Artizo is not a theological degree program. Rather, we provide a practical apprenticeship training for the pastorate within the local church, under the guidance of experienced trainer, pastors, and mentors.

Apprentices do not pay for the program. A small stipend is provided. This often makes it possible for candidates to consider the program who would otherwise not have the means to do so.

No. While there are aspects of Artizo training that could be delivered remotely, the core of the program is development of the individual and practical hands-on ministry training.

At this time, credits are not available. We are considering whether this is the right approach for the future.

Our ‘apprenticeship’ page provides three forms to download and complete. But we encourage you to contact us for an initial discussion before spending time on form-filling.

Training Churches

Artizo considers it a biblically mandated responsibility of the individual church to train the next generation of faithful ministers. Artizo helps by providing training materials and by training those who will provide mentorship of the assigned apprentices so that they can maximize the benefit they receive from engaging in ministry. It is wonderful to see how apprentices develop and mature as they go through the program. Possibly, they may continue in ministry at your church if a position is available.

Artizo training churches are asked to provide a small annual contribution for the use of training materials.

Often, ministers feel overwhelmed by their current responsibilities and unable to commit to providing training time. This, of course, becomes self-fulfilling: without more trained ministers of the gospel, there will never be more time to train. However, Artizo apprentices are already very capable and ready to apply their gifts.

In the Artizo program, your time as a training church minister will shift toward coaching and mentoring, while the apprentice engages more directly in ministry. This does not mean ‘giving up your pulpit’ but, for the length of the assignment, providing opportunities for the apprentice to step in and learn by doing in different ministries.

If this is a concern, Artizo would be pleased to put you in contact with our training church ministers to answer any questions you have.