MINISTRY TRAINING

Our Ministry Training Scheme is a one or two year programme for eager, servant-hearted men and women who want to be better trained for gospel ministry. Through a mix of on-the-job training, ministry experience, practical service, and one-to-one mentoring, our ministry training scheme provides opportunities to grow in Christ and test the waters for full-time gospel ministry.

As a church we are committed to serving Christ as we proclaim his gospel from the Bible. We are part of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and the Morecambe Bay Fellowship, which is seeking to work together to plant churches around the Morecambe Bay area. Our church is made up of a diverse range of people – with many students, young families, and people from overseas. We have an ongoing desire to reach the thousands of students and residents in our city who don’t know Jesus.

Our established ministry training programme has been running for over 15 years.

Here are the sorts of opportunities that our ministry training scheme offers:

  • Theological training through our in-house training course, covering topics such as church history, the doctrine of church, leadership, ethics, biblical theology, and many other practical ministry topics. This is one way we help our trainees to grow in their convictions.

  • Practical service such as organising evangelistic events, keeping our buildings clean, updating the church website, and helping with the hospitality team. These jobs vary depending on the person’s gifts and the needs at church. All of it is to help trainees grow in Christlike character.

  • Real ministry experience through leading one-to-ones with students, teaching the Bible in our student small groups, serving on ministry teams, and learning about church life from the inside. Through this, our prayer is that trainees would grow in competency.

  • Regular mentoring from an experienced ministry leader in church. This will enable our trainees to ask questions, discuss theology and ministry, and discern whether set-apart gospel ministry is right for them in the future.

The ministry training scheme is for :

  • People who have a ministry goal in mind

  • People who agree with the doctrinal distinctives of our church

  • People who are growing in Christian maturity

  • People who can work hard

  • People who can learn to organise their own time

  • People who are committed to fundraising

A Typical Week as a Trainee

As with any gospel ministry, it is hard to describe a typical week! Each week might look quite different, depending on the time of year and events going on. However, the timetable below will give you an idea of what a week might look like:

An example Training Course term

 Below is an example term from our in-house Ministry Training Course. This will give you an idea of the kind of topics we cover.

“Being a trainee has grown me in my love for God’s word as I’ve learned to read and understand it better, as well as teaching it to others and seeing it transform people. ”
— Katherine Marett
 
“No matter if I end up staying in the UK or going back to Hong Kong, I feel equipped to serve God and his church.”
— Chloe Woo
 

Practical information

 The start date for the ministry training scheme is September 2025. It is a one-year programme, with the option of a second year if appropriate.

 Ministry trainees are volunteers who will be paid a volunteer allowance of £700 per month, which is £8,400 per annum. We ask our ministry trainees to work to raise half that amount towards the cost of their training. We provide help and advice on how to do that.

 If you are interested in finding out more or would like to receive a formal application form, please contact Joe Standerwick below, who oversees the ministry training scheme. Interviews for MTS usually take place in January or February.