In the chapel in Kerobokan prison one month ago, a small group of family and pastors gathered for the ordination of Andrew Chan, former heroin smuggling "ringleader", as a Christian minister.

After six years of study, and even more time tending to the drug addicted and damaged, Chan's ordination took place just days after he received an official letter confirming his plea for clemency had been rejected by Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

"It was a very difficult time for him," says Christie Buckingham, a senior pastor with the Bayside Church in Melbourne.

"It was a sober, sacred and very quiet moment."

Reverend Buckingham had come to Bali with a letter of accreditation formally recognising Chan as a Christian minister in Australia. It was awarded after an exhaustive process of study, practical work and, finally, the endorsement of five senior ministers from different denominations.

A group of Indonesian pastors also joined the ceremony in the chapel, where Chan has played a leading role in services for years, belting out hymns and songs of praise with his trademark bellowing voice.

Those present prayed and Chan was handed his certificate, a new Bible and an excerpt from the Second Epistle to Timothy to "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching".

As Reverend Buckingham explained, the passage, poignantly, instructs a pastor to "care for his flock whether the time was favourable or not".

"Andrew and his mother held it and each other and I turned my back to give them some privacy, as did the others. They were deeply moved," she recounts.

"He has wanted to become a pastor since the moment he began his transformation. For him his faith is his life and no half measures would work for him. He wants to do his best and be his best – not for himself but as part of the responsibility he feels towards others."

Several current and former inmates of Kerobokan have offered to replace Chan and face the firing squad, such is the depth of feeling for his work running drug counselling courses and comforting the sick.

Michael Chan said his brother's ordination was a subject of immense pride for the family, especially his parents, who have converted to Christianity.

"With all the bad news that's happening, it was really uplifting," he said.

Reverend Buckingham said his coursework was demanding and his elevation to the religious ministry difficult to achieve.

"I have never experienced a student like Andrew, and probably never will again. He is extraordinary. He has such a determination to learn, in fact almost a desperation," she said.

"He is the real deal, and Myuran [Sukumaran] is as well. They are living proof that people can change, circumstances can change. Indonesia should be proud of the impact they are having.

"Those making the decisions should actually meet these men and look into their eyes, see the work they have done and what their system can produce.

"We continue to pray for them. Where there is life, there is hope."