Theological training -what is the standard we are looking for?

I’ve heard all kinds of analogies for theological training.  The one that sticks in my mind from those arguing for seminary training is the comparison to airline pilots. You wouldn’t want to be a passenger if the pilot had never been trained, had done the bare minimum or was learning on the job. Recently as… Continue reading Theological training -what is the standard we are looking for?

Faithroots Training – take a tour

One of my aims in starting Faithroots was to provide a teaching and training resource for those who wanted to dig deeper into aspects of Bible teaching, theology, practical pastoral care and leadership. I believe that there are a lot of people who would both welcome and benefit from further training for Gospel work but… Continue reading Faithroots Training – take a tour

Faithroots Live Wednesdays

After a Christmas/New Year break we’ll be back on Wednesday for Faithroots Live. One f my aims has been to provide teaching and training online, particularly but not exclusively with those called to urban contexts in mind.  So, with a little bit of free time on my hand as we await our next posting and… Continue reading Faithroots Live Wednesdays

Is it time to rethink – or even drop – our ministry training schemes?

What if we were to close down our Ministry Training Schemes and start again?  Up and down the country for the past 2-30 years, churches and Gospel partnerships have been running these schemes. They tend primarily (though not exclusively) to be run from churches with high student numbers and a scheme typically involves One day… Continue reading Is it time to rethink – or even drop – our ministry training schemes?

How Theological College helped prepare me for Gospel ministry

I’m republishing some articles I wrote a little while back about training for urban ministry. I want to share a few thoughts here about the positives of formal theological education and why I recommend it.[1]  There’s a temptation to see training as primarily academic and therefore irrelevant to the day to day life of ministry. … Continue reading How Theological College helped prepare me for Gospel ministry