Interview with Sam Hamer from Queensland, Australia

Sam Hamer is a solid New Zealander, or Kiwi as they are called in Australia. Sam moved to Australia 12 years ago and he has been living in Queensland on the Gold Coast ever since.

Sam is doing the Diploma course in Pastoral Leadership

Why did you decide to go to Bible college?
In High school I decided I wanted to become a pastor. I looked at a few different Bible Schools in Australia, both some local ones and some others in Australia but I decided for Hillsong International Leadership College.
 

Why did you decide for Hillsong International Leadership College?
I had been at Hillsong Conference and seen what Hillsong was about, and that made me make the decision. I really liked the atmosphere, it was very appealing.
 

Now you are here - what was your first impressions about Hillsong International Leadership college?
An interesting thing is, that it is not only aussies that study here. There are a lot of international students here - and that’s really cool. It has been really interesting to be around so many different people and cultures.
 

What has surprised you, about Hillsong International Leadership College?
The biggest thing for me has been the fact that the more I get to know Hillsong, the more I see it is a completely normal church. The one difference is, that it has a lot of people. Senior Pastor Brian Houston often say something like this: “We are just a small church with lots of people”.
Other than that there is the all the music and the name that Hillsong has got from that. It can give you the impression of a “superstar” church, but it’s not. When you get to know it and get to know the culture, you learn that it is all about the people in church and the people that come in from the streets.
 

In college you are supposed to be involved in the life of the church. What are your church life involvements?
I serve in our 18-25 year youth ministry - Powerhouse. I also do “Red frogs”, an outreach among young people, mainly in High school or Uni. We have a service at 5 different Universities, where we minister to many young people. I help out at an extension service in Macquarie. That is Hillsong church in a small setting. It’s a satellite church planted by Hillsong in another suburb.
 

What has been your favorite subject during the years you have been at college?
Definitely a class called New Testament introduction with Amanda Ferguson and Duncan Corby. A great class that gives you a great introduction to New Testament and the backgrounds of it. That really helped me understand the Bible better.
We had another class with one of the pastors of the church called Robert Ferguson. The class was called “Preaching”. It was a good solid and practical introduction on how to preach the word of God. He was practical and amazing and full of knowledge. He really opened my mind.
 

What has challenged you the most during your stay?
My own church is similar to Hillsong, in the way we do things, so Hillsong culture was familiar to me, so for me the biggest challenge was understanding other peoples cultures. It has been really interesting to learn to understand each other and where others are coming from. Especially living with people from other countries and cultures. I have the best housemates!
 

What, out of the things you have learned at Hillsong College, will you still be using 10 years from now?
I think it would be the concept of always looking for the best in people. Hillsong culture is incredibly encouraging. Here we focus on building people up. We don’t focus too much on peoples mistakes, but focus on what they can do, and then we take it from there.
I would also want to continue to have a willingness for change. At Hillsong you learn to not become too familiar with things. You learn to be looking for new ways of doing things, to not become stuck in old ways. Change is great because it keeps us on our toes.
 

Do you feel better equipped to do what God has called you to do after having been at college?
Meeting people here and connecting with people has been great. I have gotten some great friendships here and I know that they will continue to bless me in the future.
And as I touched on earlier, being in the Hillsong environment has opened my mind to the possibilities and to things I can do. I have stopped focusing on limitations and barriers. Hillsong has stretched my way of thinking.
I’ve gotten a lot more confidence, and I understand myself better.

In what areas do you think you have grown the most?
I would say that my mind sets have been challenged. I have gotten rid of small thinking. Especially in the area of what I can do, but also in regards to the church and what that could become.
 

So would you say you have gotten what you came for?
Well that’s a funny question, because I only came for one year in the beginning. I ended up staying for two years, so I guess you can say I got way more than I expected. And now I’m even thinking about doing further studies in theology.
 

What are you going to do after college?
I’m not quite sure, but I am looking into further studies in theology.
 

The final question: Is college worth it?
Definitely - Even for someone who does not want to go into ministry - I’d recommend it to anyone. It’s the foundation I think any christian needs.