Evangelicals Now have published two articles on ministry pathways and training recently. There’s this one by Clive Bowsher, Provost at Union School of Theology and this one by Carrie Sandom of the Proclamation Trust. Each article offers some helpful thoughts and reflection but also there are questions I would like to ask and challenges to… Continue reading More discussion on ministry pathways and training
Tag: Theological Training
Spurgeons College and choosing the lessons we want to learn
In an article about why Spurgeon’s College suddenly closed, Evangelicals Now picks up on comments from three men trying to explain it. Peter Williams of Tyndale House picks up on the financial situation, the college spent more money than it had. We know that a primary donor had pulled out. Bill James, principal of London… Continue reading Spurgeons College and choosing the lessons we want to learn
Pipelines and pathways: A response to “Strange Times: On (Not) Considering Theological Training”
My friend, Dan Strange of Crosslands has recently contributed to the discussion about ministry pathways and pipelines in the latest edition of Themelios. Here’s my response to the article which I shared with Dan via Facebook inititially. Thanks Dan, There is much that chimes here with things I’ve been saying for some time, not least… Continue reading Pipelines and pathways: A response to “Strange Times: On (Not) Considering Theological Training”
Spurgeon’s college: A shock closure and thoughts about the future of theological training
Yesterday saw the shock announcement that Spurgeon’s College is closing. I say that it was a shock because it seemed to come out of nowhere. However, those who have been following the situation with theological education maybe won’t be so surprised that some places are closing. There have been issues with student numbers and finance… Continue reading Spurgeon’s college: A shock closure and thoughts about the future of theological training
What really are the qualifications of an elder/pastor?
I’ve been thinking about this because there is a trend amongst theological educators to talk about the need to emphasise spiritual formation as much as theological training for potential pastors. However, when you look at what the Bible says about the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3, it says that they are to… Continue reading What really are the qualifications of an elder/pastor?
Is the ministry pipeline broken? Starting to get some data
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been looking at the question of ministry pipelines. This was sparked by reading a number of comments back in 2024 to the effect that the pipeline had dried up and that churches were struggling to recruit people into Gospel ministry whilst traditional seminary style training schemes were… Continue reading Is the ministry pipeline broken? Starting to get some data
Is there a shortage of new pastors/church leaders? A discussion about recruitment and training
Last year, I picked up on some discussion about whether there was a problem with the ministry pipeline. Were we struggling to recruit people into church leadership, especially pastoral positions. I thought I’d do a little further digging. First I sent out a short survey (I’ll share results form this in a further article. Then… Continue reading Is there a shortage of new pastors/church leaders? A discussion about recruitment and training
If a “learned ministry” is important then what is it?
Josh Moody writes with a US Evangelical perspective in mind about the relocation of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to Canada in Evangelicals Now. He observed that the relocation has provoked a significant discussion about theological training. It might be helpful for him to know that such a conversation has been going on, at least at… Continue reading If a “learned ministry” is important then what is it?
Healthy theological training – learning from the strengths and weaknesses of the college system
In my last post on the topic I reflected on the way in which theological college helped because: In effect these two things are closely linked. We want to make sure that if training happens primarily in house that this does not happen in a silo. First of all, Theological Colleges and academics have a… Continue reading Healthy theological training – learning from the strengths and weaknesses of the college system
Healthy Theological training. The benefits and challenges of College
There’s much I appreciate about my training at Theological College. A key benefit for me was the support and discipline provided to help me learn the Biblical languages. There was access to a phenomenal theological library and more importantly there were lasting friendships with fellow students and with staff, not just faculty. One particular advantage… Continue reading Healthy Theological training. The benefits and challenges of College
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