In partnership with The Bonar Trust
Training Providers
The changing landscape in Scotland has given the opportunity for people to think carefully and biblically about the best way to train church leaders. The model for training that is emerging - and that The Bonar Trust is keen to promote - is a partnership between the local church and training providers. While local churches provide opportunities for training in regular preaching, pastoral care and the practicalities of how to lead a church, in areas such as doctrine, biblical studies, biblical languages and church history, the training provider has the primary responsibility.
Edinburgh Theological Seminary (ETS), formerly the Free Church College, is strategically located in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital. ETS (which awards degrees from Glasgow University) represents a significant step forward in training church leaders. The pursuit of ‘seminary’ education has provided a context and catalyst for genuine partnership between training churches and ETS. Added to this, opening its doors to welcome people from independent churches to train alongside Free Church candidates is visionary. In 2018, the General Assembly of the Free Church approved a report advocating the Leader in Training concept for training ministers across the denomination. Many at the Assembly spoke warmly of the development and funding aspects of the Trust's work in influencing these changes.
Cornhill Scotland embraces the Cornhill Training Course (CTC) and Pastors’ Training Course (PTC). The vast majority of Apprentices funded by the Trust study part-time at CTC over two years. Cornhill offers an excellent foundation in teaching the Bible for a lifetime of ministry. It also develops a culture of listening to and giving constructive feedback. PTC is the next level, for Leaders in Training, offering a curriculum and mode of training that works in parallel with local church-based training. A feature of PTC is intensive training weeks with experienced Christian leaders and teachers from around the world and an optional Masters in Systematic Theology from Union Theological College, Belfast. Graduates of CTC go on to PTC, ETS or Crosslands..
Crosslands Training offers distance-learning theological education, national residential weeks and mentoring, which are all focused on partnering with parallel local church-based training. Crosslands is a partnership between Oak Hill Theological College, Acts 29 church planting network and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in the US.
Newly established in Aberdeen in 2023, Ministry Training Academy has the primary aim of training men for preaching. The course is open to both men and women, however, who would like to pursue excellence in the study and understanding of the Bible in order to deepen love for God and his gospel. The MTA aims to prepare men and women for works of service in the church and the world.
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