"Him we proclaim…
that we may present everyone mature in Christ"

Colossians 1:28 ESV

Training for Ministry

The Associate Scheme Training Programme

The Associate Scheme is designed to prepare and equip Associates to be really good servant-leaders in God’s church, people who are able to understand what God is saying in His Word and to teach and apply it to people. There are three parts to the scheme and each of them contributes to this aim.

Training through being taught

Associates spend about a third of their time being taught the Bible and how to study it for themselves. One of the greatest needs of the church throughout the world is for really good Bible teachers, so our goal is to help Associates maximize their potential in this area. In order to be a good Bible teacher it is essential to know how to hear what God is saying in His word, how to think about it, how to apply it to our lives and then how to teach it to others. So this is what we focus on in our teaching.

The teaching programme can vary a bit from year to year, but currently the main programme for first year Associates is:

A morning a week going through the letters to the Ephesians and the Galatians in depth. This key session teaches Associates how to study Bible books for themselves – a skill full-time Bible teachers need to use daily. They also learn the vital truths God is revealing in these books and the major implications these have for us today. Several hours preparation is required each week and all Associates are expected to work hard at the biblical text and to participate actively in the discussion, in order to help each other hear more clearly what God is saying.

An afternoon a week learning theology and ministry skills. This teaches Associates how the whole Bible fits together and so what it says about some key themes, i.e. how to do theology in a Biblical way. The radical nature of the Bible becomes clear as we do this. We also look at different facets of Christian ministry. Again, preparation is required and everyone is expected to participate actively.

A morning a week learning how to handle different types of biblical literature. This session is provided at the Cornhill Training Course which is nearby and Associates will be taught alongside the Cornhill students.

The main teaching programme currently for second year Associates is:

An afternoon a week working on understanding the book of Isaiah. This helps Associates to continue to develop their ability to read the Bible for themselves as they get more practice at it. They also learn how to work with a much harder book and a different genre of Bible literature and this immeasurably boosts their confidence to study the Bible. Isaiah is also one of the great books of the Bible which teaches key theological truths. Significant preparation is essential.

An afternoon a week working through every book of the Bible seeing the main thing God is revealing in it and how every book makes its own important contribution to God’s great plan for all eternity. Associates love this session as they see for themselves how each book of the Bible makes its own distinctive point which adds to God’s developing revelation of who He is and what He is doing. Again, lots of preparation is essential.

There is also teaching input at the weekly staff meetings and in many other areas of the church’s life. Associates learn a huge amount by osmosis as they experience life in a thriving, gospel focused church and see how things are done and hear issues being discussed.

Training through involvement in Christian ministry

Associates spend a further third of their time involved in Christian ministry. The best way to learn how to do Christian ministry is actually to do it in a supportive environment where there is lots of guidance and advice. Associates, therefore, are given a significant amount of hands on experience of some of the key areas of Christian ministry. As they do this they have training and feedback from those with more experience in ministry than them and the benefit of working as a team.

The ministry an Associate does will depend on their experience and gifts, but normally every Associate will:

Have an area of the church’s ministry to develop. The ability to be responsible, take the initiative and grow a work are key to being a Christian leader. We seek to develop these in Associates by giving them a relatively small patch where they can experiment and learn in a safe setting. This teaches them the importance of prayer and godliness, and key skills like working with, motivating and leading others, and also strategy and judgement. A wide variety of opportunities are available to suit different levels of maturity, e.g. working with students from a particular college or developing the nucleus of a new lunchtime ministry in a different part of London.

Study the Bible one-to-one with several individuals. Working with someone individually is a great way to disciple a young Christian, train a potential leader or help a non-Christian understand the gospel. These are all core skills for anyone seeking to serve God, so our aim is that each Associate leaves able to do all three.

Lead a Bible study group. A well led Bible study group is a superb means of teaching the Bible and building up individuals in the church, so we work hard to ensure our Bible study groups are led as well as possible. Involvement in this area will help Associates grow in the vital skill of leading a group and will help them develop significantly in the most crucial ability of all for a Bible teacher, teaching the Bible.

Most Associates will have additional areas of responsibility, including running evangelistic groups and giving talks in various settings.

In their second year Associates build on the ministry they do in the first year, learning from their experience and seeing how much further ministry can be taken. Often they are given more responsibility in their second year which also helps them grow in their ability to do ministry.

By the end of their time on the scheme, Associates should be able to engage in some of the most important areas of ministry in a church’s life. They will also be much more ‘ministry minded’ and be seeking in everything they do to serve God and His people and to advance the gospel. If they go on to theological college then this ministry experience will help them get much more out of their time there. If they go on to work for another church or to ministry in the secular workplace this experience will enable them to be much more effective ministers of the gospel.

Training through doing practical tasks

Associates spend the remainder of their time involved in practical tasks around the church. These include setting up rooms and buildings for meetings, cleaning and performing administrative tasks in the church office. As well as being essential to the running of the church, this enables Associates to grow in three important areas:

It teaches Associates what is involved in running a church and enabling Christian ministry to happen. It is easy to get the wrong impression of Christian ministry and think it is all glamorous, upfront work. However, there is a lot of behind the scenes work involved in all Christian ministry and it is important for anyone going into Christian leadership to learn what is involved. To help Associates further see what happens behind the scenes in a church, they are fully involved in the church staff team.

It develops a servant heart. Christian service is just that, service, and again it is vital that everyone seeking to serve God develops the attitude of looking for what needs doing and then getting on with it, even if it is a humble, dirty, unseen job.

It teaches Associates to work as part of a team. Christian ministry should never be a one man show, so learning to function well in a team is an important part of an Associate’s training. Previous Associates have also found that they thoroughly enjoyed working as part of a team and have found it a great opportunity to put into practice much of what they have been learning about godliness and serving Christ’s body, the church

Associates continue to do practical work in their second year, but again they are usually given more responsibility. As well as being essential for the life of the church, this teaches them valuable lessons about things like how to do all the administration for a significant area of the church’s ministry.

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