Meet Fiona Millar
Fiona Millar is the guest speaker at our upcoming Sydney Anglican Ministry Wives Conference. We asked Fiona a few questions…
update | 14 september 2021
our conference has been rescheduled for 28-30 july, 2022.
Any further questions, please contact us at ministrywives@sydney.anglican.asn.au
Q: Fiona, tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in the high Andes of Peru, of Scottish missionary parents and grew up as a pastor’s kid in industrial central Scotland. More recently, I live in the leafy suburb of Ashgrove in Brisbane with my husband Gary, three teenage daughters and our labradoodle, Nessie.
“I’m passionate about sharing Jesus with women and children and enjoy opening up the Bible with groups of women, and having God challenge and shape me in the process.”
After 18 roller-coaster years of ministry in Presbyterian Churches in Ireland, I now serve Jesus at Queensland Theological College (QTC) and in my local church; with friends who don’t yet know Jesus and with other pastor’s wives. I love teaching Scripture and training others to do that throughout Queensland. I’m also finishing a Masters in Advanced Educational Learning with UCL. I revel in waking up each day in this land of blue skies and bold colours.
Q: How did you become a Christian?
I have known the reality of God’s love shaping my life from day one – what a privilege! My parents’ passion and purpose has consistently been to live for Jesus their King and so my choice was whether to opt out of following Christ, rather than whether to opt in.
“I asked Jesus to forgive my sin as a four-year-old, when Mum read my sister and I the chapter on Hell from ‘Leading little Ones to God.’ I have been a poor follower of Jesus at times. Frequently convinced, that I know better than God, what is best for me and often doubting his goodness.”
But God has been utterly faithful, patiently moulding me into the likeness of his Son. It thrills and astounds me that God chooses to use people like me to partner with him in pointing others to Jesus and this is my chief joy and reason for living.
Q: How would you describe your ministry?
Great question! If ministry is the lifestyle of the body of Christ, then I’ve been involved in showing, sharing and delighting in Jesus since I was a little girl. What that looks like, has changed in each situation I’ve found myself. But certain things have been consistent throughout. I’m not claiming to have lived these out well but they form the DNA of my life with Gary, before God, wherever He puts us.
Firstly, prayer…whenever I think that anything else is more important or demands my immediate attention as a higher priority, I am in danger of self-sufficiency, hard-heartedness, pride, or spiritual malnutrition.
Secondly, sharing Jesus with those who don’t yet know him… has been a constant thrill to me and I get to do this in a variety of ways each week. Delighting in Jesus, digging into God’s word with others who belong to Him, teaching and training others to clearly proclaim and humbly live out what we expound - have become a bigger focus of my time and energy in recent years. As I’ve become convicted that as our God is a talking God, our words matter profoundly. What we believe determines how we live and what we communicate as his followers.
And loving people as Christ loves me… our godly old minister in Aberdeen used to delight in reminding us young ambitious students that in God’s kingdom the way up is down. And sacrificial service of others with no expectation of anything in return brings gospel-shaped joy. But ministry isn’t something I ‘do’ to people, it’s mutual. I don’t want to miss out on all that God has for me by forgetting that every member of the body can encourage and help me grow to be more like Jesus. I love the way God uses surprising people to rebuke and inspire me, to comfort and thrill me as I walk side by side with them.
If you’d asked me this question ten or fifteen years ago, you’d have got a CV. I’m thankful that God has worked to shift my perspective and long that he continues that process in me until I see him face to face!
Q: What's something that you’d tell your younger self?
Live in acknowledged weakness, cling to you Heavenly Father as his needy, hungry, limited creature - deeply sinful but dearly loved! This still makes me gasp in wonder at our awesome God and stops me from taking myself too seriously!
Q: You'll be teaching us on the book of Joel. What's so great about this part of God's Word?
In the aftermath of disaster, God’s people are being summoned to stop pretending or putting on a show, to stop just going through the motions and to meet with their God, do business with Him, to trust his character and live in real satisfying relationship with Him.
“Joel encourages us to gasp at God’s greatness, to take our sin seriously, to marvel in his mighty power and delight in his just judgement.”
This book is packed full of God’s tender mercy and encourages us to draw near to this God in awe and wonder, put away all pretending and performing and then to live in humble dependence, making his name known in our world where “everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved!”