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Ellel Ministries is a non-denominational ministry organisation renowned globally for their unique approach to discipleship and their unparalleled skill to guide healing. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1986, Ellel has since grown to serve in all five habitable continents around the world. Australia’s own centre was established in 2002, located in Menangle, New South Wales, on the property ‘Gilbulla’.

Like Australia’s centre, many Ellel sites across the globe are heritage-listed buildings on large properties, each a picturesque atmosphere providing an insight into ‘God’s workmanship’, as it says in Romans 1:20, and setting the scene for restoration.

Ellel Ministries, Gilbulla (photo by Eleanor Cooper, 2025)

Those who serve in a discipleship role at Ellel have an extraordinary understanding of how emotional wounds left to fester can hinder an individual’s spiritual journey, and are practised at leading them through a process of forgiveness and healing.

In 2007, Paul Ryan stepped up to one of twelve international leadership positions within Ellel Ministries and became Australia’s Centre Director, overseeing the ministry and ensuring it functions under its core values. Ryan describes Isaiah 61:1-4 as the best passage to underpin their ministry, “to comfort all who mourn”, “to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes”, “planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour” and to “renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations”. Ellel seeks to remove the “blockages” or “wounds” that prevent people from having a deeper relationship with God.

Identity and Character

With an unceasing propensity for analogies, Ryan compares the spiritual journey of healing to a game of ‘Kerplunk’, where players must remove the sticks from a tube without dropping any of the marbles they were supporting. He explains how each traumatic experience marring a person’s story is another false belief dictating their emotions and behaviour. This creates layers that must be peeled away “to remove the legal rights of the enemy that impact us”, removing each stick slowly from the tube, in order to reach the centre of your identity and build your character.

Ryan grieves the positions of power given based on skill sets, yet without the character to match. He recalls when he was appointed Senior Pastor due to his giftings, even as he was wrestling with anger and fear in a way that caused damage to the people around him. Ryan says, “Your gifting will take you to a place where your character can no longer sustain you.”

When the road toward destroying his marriage and becoming a poor role model for his children stretched clearly before him, he retreated to Ellel Ministries in the U.K. Expecting to be there for three months, he was surprised to find, “there was a lot more that had to be worked through.” Amidst three difficult years of growth and healing, Ryan realised how crucial character is to finding purpose. Now he is driven to ensure people leave Ellel with great giftings and skill sets, but also the character to match.

Paul Ryan speaking at the Taster Day (photo by Eleanor Cooper, 2025)

On 8 February 2025, Ellel hosted one of two annual ‘taster days’, where people could gain a greater insight into what the ministry provides. The day saw four sessions, including Foundations for Restoration and Discipleship, the Importance of Forgiveness, Overcoming Rejection and Four Principles of Acceptance, and the Impact of Fear and Anxiety. Each session offered teachings with a touch of humour, brimming with clever analogies and entirely centred around healing and restoration.

“You will have testing days ahead,” Ryan reminded those in the first session. “So what’s missing in your discipleship journey?”

Restoration ASAP

Ellel has begun to aim more discipleship courses at young adults aged 18-30. This has taken the form of the retreat ‘Redefined’ and the year-long course ‘Undivided’. “The most common thing we hear from people doing our courses is ‘I wish I’d heard about this ministry thirty or forty years ago’.” Ryan explains how this played on his heart: “I felt a profound responsibility to change that.”

Young adults have had less time to build defence mechanisms, and are thus more open to healing. “The thing about fear is it’s like leaven in bread,” said Ryan, “It’s never satisfied; it will only grow.” Ellel is working to take a proactive approach in bringing restoration before they grow to a stage that puts their relationships at risk. Ryan encourages local churches to send people within their congregation to Ellel earlier rather than later, in order to prevent damage rather than to fix it. He says, “If I could fill this place with young adults, that would be time well invested.”

Jordan Cranston, 26, first attended Ellel for a Young Adults retreat. “I saw God begin healing deep wounds in my life.” Following this, she enrolled in Ellel’s Explore A course, drawn to the prospect of further healing. “Through it, I’ve experienced major breakthroughs… It has helped me navigate C-PTSD; some triggers no longer hold the same power.” She is eager to continue with the Explore B course this year.

Ellel Ministries, Gilbulla (photo by Eleanor Cooper, 2025)

Ellel Ministries derives its name from the original site at Ellel Grange in Lancaster. As the ministry grew, they made sure to investigate the meaning of the name. In Old English, it translates to “All Hail”, in Hebrew “Towards God”, and in Mandarin “Love Flowing Outwards”. Together, the meaning was central to everything Ellel stood for.

Ryan smiled thoughtfully as he said, “We thought we’d keep the name.”

In the Foundations session of the Taster Day, Ryan used another apt analogy: life is like a thousand-piece puzzle with no guiding picture and thirty extra pieces thrown in. It would be impossible to navigate which pieces should be removed and where the correct pieces should go. Ryan believes this is like the beliefs formed by hardships, where you must sort through the pieces to find your identity and purpose.

He said, “We are being healed for a purpose. We are being restored for a destiny.”

Ryan was asked, ‘If everyone who came to Ellel in search of healing left with one message, what would you have it be?’

With no hesitation, he replied, “It’s gonna sound awfully simple, but… God loves you.”

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Image courtesy of Adobe.