Church planters
Recognizing that planting new churches is our best hope for the evangelisation of the nation, the Trust is committed to supporting church planters in their training.
This is powerfully illustrated in the partnership between the Bonar Trust and Generation Church planting. Generation exists to build thriving gospel-centred local churches and communities in Scotland’s cities, suburbs, towns and villages. The aim is to plant churches that will in turn plant churches. Generation is part of the Free Church of Scotland, but reflecting the new spirit of gospel partnership, supports a number of churches outside the Free Church. Through networks like Generation, church planting is gaining increasing in Scotland.
Here is a story of five churches in the Generation network in partnership with the Bonar Trust.
To date, the Bonar Trust’s investment in training the people who are leading these new churches, and those now training in them is £240,000
The Trust anticipates ongoing investment in these churches as they train others, any in many more, as people supported in their training by the Trust plant churches.
There is a clear correlation between the people the Trust supports through their training and those appointed to lead church plants. The investment is developing quality leaders.
Haddington Community Church (Free Church of Scotland)
Ali Sewell (Church Leader) (Free Church Minister)
- Trained at Chalmers as an Apprentice (2 years) with Cornhill, supported by Bonar Trust
- Trained at Christ Church as a Church Leader in Training (3 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
- Trained at Cornerstone a Church Planter in Training (1 year), supported by Bonar Trust
Angus MacLeod (Church Leader Training) (Free Church Candidate)
- Trained at Chalmers as an Apprentice (2 years) with Cornhill, supported by Bonar Trust
- Training at Haddington as a Church Leader in Training (3 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
Charleston Community Church, Dundee (Free Church of Scotland/20schemes)
Andy Robertson (Church Leader) (Free Church Minister)
- Trained at Chalmers as an Apprentice (2 years) with Cornhill, supported by Bonar Trust
- Trained at Chalmers as a Church Leader in Training (4 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
Craig Anderson (Church Leader Training) (Free Church Minister)
- Trained at Chalmers as an Apprentice (2 years) with Cornhill, supported by Bonar Trust
- Training at Charleston as a Church Leader in Training (4 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
- Planting in Galashiels with Generation, summer 2022
- Trained at Chalmers as an Apprentice (2 years) with Cornhill, supported by Bonar Trust
- Training at Charleston as a Church Leader in Training (4 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
- Planting in Galashiels with Generation, summer 2022
Redeemer Church, Edinburgh (Independent Church)
Sam Orr (Church Leader)
- Trained at Chalmers as a Church Leader in Training (4 years) with HTC, supported by Bonar Trust
Iain Morrison (Church Leader Training) (Free Church Candidate)
- Trained at Chalmers as an Apprentice (2 years) with Cornhill, supported by Bonar Trust
- Trained at Chalmers / Redeemer as Church Leader in Training (4 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
Christ Church Queensferry (Independent Church)
Adam McNinch (Church Leader)
- Trained at Charlotte Chapel as a Church Leader in Training (3 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
- Trained at Charlotte Chapel as a Church Planter in Training (1 year), supported by Bonar Trust
Esk Valley (Free Church of Scotland)
James Murray (Church Leader Training) (Free Church Candidate)
- Trained at Esk Valley as a Church Leader in Training (3 years) with ETS, supported by Bonar Trust
It is likely that the Bonar Trust will continue to support people training in these churches.
Leaders supported by the Trust now training others
Many of those supported by the Trust through their training, and now in leadership roles, are training others. The vision for church planting is to plant churches that will plant churches. The vision for gospel workers is to train gospel workers who will train gospel workers. It is exciting to see this happening. In addition to the Generation church planters training others (highlighted above) here are brief profiles for some others.
Martin Smith
Martin trained at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh as an Apprentice (with Cornhill) and then Leader in Training (with Edinburgh Theological Seminary), funded by the Bonar Trust. A key event in Martin’s call to ministry was a Bonar Trust presentation on Apprenticeship Programmes.
Martin is now Pastor of Hawick Baptist Church in the Scottish Borders. The Borders Railways has brought new life and investment to the region, but there are currently very few gospel churches. Martin’s vision for establishing a network of training and planting churches across the region is inspiring. An Apprenticeship Programme at Hawick began in 2019, supported by the Trust.
Additionally, in summer 2022, Craig Anderson, currently a Leader in Training at Charleston Community Church in Dundee, will be planting in Galashiels, another town in the Scottish Borders.
Rachel Sloan
Rachel is the Women’s Ministry Co-ordinator at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh. A major part of her role is training others. Alongside her work at Charlotte, Rachel works part-time for the FIEC as Women’s Ministry Co-ordinator, a role she began in 2020. Again, a major component of the role is training others, including Women’s Workers serving in churches across the UK. Rachel is also a trustee of the Bonar Trust.
Rachel was one of the first people supported by the Bonar Trust while she trained as an Apprentice at Chalmers Church Edinburgh (with Cornhill) from 2010-2012. Before ministry, Rachel was a primary school teacher.
Graham Shanks and Alistair Chalmers
Graeme Shanks and Alistair Chalmers are Pastor and Assistant Pastor at Bruntsfield Evangelical Church in Edinburgh, both involved in training others. Graham trained at Bruntsfield (with Cornhill and Edinburgh Theological Seminary). Alistair trained at Chalmers and Bruntsfield (with the Faith Mission Bible College and Edinburgh Theological Seminary). Both were funded through their training by the Trust. Bruntsfield has trained a number of Apprentices and Leaders in Training.
Simon Attwood
Simon is a Leader in Training at St. Silas Church in Glasgow. Previously he worked as a UCCF Staff Worker in Glasgow and before that as an Apprentice at Chalmers Church in Edinburgh (with Cornhill). In both his Apprentice and Leader in Training programmes, Simon is funded by the Trust. Although still in training himself, Simon’s giftedness in training others is recognised in his involvement in the Apprenticeship Programme.
Supporting people on Leader in Training programmes
The Trust funds exceptional individuals in their post-Apprenticeship training through Leader in Training grants. An individual trains for three or four years in a local church alongside study at, for example, Edinburgh Theological Seminary, Crosslands, or the Pastors’ Training Course.
Supporting people on Apprenticeship programmes
The Trust funds individuals in their apprenticeship training. Apprenticeships are an important first step into ministry, where an individual can serve in a local church testing and developing their gifts. The most important part of an apprenticeship is learning the basic principles of how to understand and teach the Bible. Getting these foundations in place for a lifetime of ministry teaching the Bible is invaluable. The Trust will direct its funding to the most rigorous programmes, typically a two-year apprenticeship with an external training component like Cornhill which focuses on preaching and Bible teaching. Many of the apprentices funded by the Trust continue on a pathway to full-time vocational ministry. Some conclude that vocational ministry is not for them. That is an important function of an Apprenticeship programme.
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