Course: Equipping God’s People
Please note:
the
EGP
course follows a normal
academic year. If you would like to find out more about the course,
please contact either:
Anne Claar Thomasson-Rosingh
(Adviser for Licensed Lay
Ministry Training (Reader)):
Email:
or Stella O'Brien
(Team Administrator):
Tel: 0117 906 0100
E-mail:
Information and
application pack for Autumn 2009:
EGP
general information >>
Course
dates 2009-2010 >>
Application
form 2009 >>
Course
syllabus >>
Equipping God’s People is a training course in basic Christian doctrine, but with a practical emphasis. Though primarily designed for those who wish to become Lay Ministers (Readers) in the Diocese, it is suitable for those who simply wish to serve the local church in some form of practical lay ministry. The practical emphasis of the course gives students experience early on, thus helping them to confirm or discover a call to Readership (or to some other role), and it provides opportunities for them to apply what they are learning to leading worship, writing and preaching sermons, and other activities such as Bible study leadership.
The course is derived from the Methodist Faith and Worship
course. Rather than study each of the traditional divisions
of theology in turn, the course takes an integrated approach, and works
in a spiral, so that, for example, work on the Gospels and the person
of Jesus early in the course is followed a few units later by different
aspects of Christology, and a few units later again, by the Atonement
and the Resurrection. This allows students to build on their
knowledge and deepen their understanding, as they encounter and revisit
new aspects of theology. In addition, the theological
disciplines are integrated with the acquiring of practical skills; so,
for example, when studying an Old Testament passage, the student may be
guided to look at a hymn which illustrates it, or invited to write a
prayer of adoration when reading about the nature of God.
While the course material is studied by students on their own, it is
written in an interactive style. In order to learn, students
interact with the units and through it with the people who have written
them. There are frequent opportunities to read the Bible, to
reflect, and to do various activities. Some issues designed
for discussion in the tutorial sessions are marked as such, allowing
tutors to see how students are engaging with the subject.
Tutorial sessions also include an overview of material studied,
clarifying anything which students have found difficult, some focus on
how they are coping with the practical demands of worship and
preaching, and a short time of worship, led by students in
turn. Further support will be available from your tutor by
email or phone.
The course is designed to help students increase in knowledge, in
Christian conviction, and in practical competence. As
knowledge and experience grows, and as convictions deepen, so
competence will increase.
For more information on this or any other course, simply get in touch with Ministry Development.