After eight years as Director of the Proclamation Trust (PT) and Director of the Cornhill Training Course, Nigel Styles is to take up a new role from this summer working with Cross Connections to grow significantly PT’s commitment to expository preaching around the world. Cross Connections emerged from the Proclamation Trust many years ago and now has twenty ‘International Hubs’ training expository preachers. It will be a great benefit to the wider PT mission to have Nigel driving the work of Cross Connections with its heritage in, and close links with, the Proclamation Trust.

During the eight years of Nigel’s leadership, Cornhill has grown materially with over 220 students studying across its different courses, a threefold increase. These numbers include 50 international students studying on-line in their home country. Cornhill has also grown in complexity as its courses have been restructured, and with the addition of ‘Cornhill Plus’. A the same time, Nigel has found himself increasingly travelling to preach, train and ‘train the trainers’ in the UK and internationally. Nigel’s great love is teaching, and the Trustees of the Proclamation Trust are delighted that the changes at PT have facilitated his move into a role of promoting expository preaching through Cross Connections.

The Trustees of the Proclamation Trust are extremely grateful to Nigel for his leadership of PT over these past eight years. He has a huge passion for expository ministry and has built and led an excellent team at Cornhill to train up future generations of preachers and teachers.

The PT trustees are now finalising the requirements for the role of Director of the Proclamation Trust in its next season and will start the process of appointing a new Director to build on the growth that Nigel has overseen, and to continue the legacy of PT which Dick Lucas established in the mid-1980s.

When I was asked by a friend to join her at the Proclamation Trust Women in Ministry conference in January 2024 I had a few reservations.  Probably the most significant was the fear that the programme would be so intense that it would be mentally exhausting and possibly too overwhelming to be of real value for me.  Another concern was that I would be one of the oldest, yet least experienced, delegates – and I wasn’t far off with that one!  But I needn’t have worried on either count.  The programme was certainly packed full of wonderful, relevant and stimulating content, but somehow the organisers had managed to build in just the right amount of space and time for relaxation, reflection and rest.  

The theme of this year’s conference was teaching the epistles and I valued all the teaching sessions from Andrew Sach in 1 Peter and Amy Wicks teaching 2 Thessalonians as well as the workshop sessions during which delegates collaborated to refine their understanding of the text and its application.  If I had to pick out one conference highlight, I think it would be the opportunity to spend quality time in a small group across the 4 days, building relationships and connecting in a deeper way.

I found it very stimulating and refreshing to meet and exchange ideas with other women engaged in gospel ministry among women, some from high profile city churches and others holding the fort with grace and determination in smaller rural communities.  We all had so much in common and it was a real joy and privilege to learn together and pray for one another.

Since the conference, I have enjoyed the opportunity of applying what I learnt in preparing Bible studies for a group of women in my home church.  I discovered that I had a new motivation and clearer focus which was just wonderful!  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to bring this amazing conference together and please may I come again next year?

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EDITOR’S NOTE: We will be uploading the videos from this year’s Women in Ministry conference later this year, so keep an eye on our resources page!

We are delighted to announce that Kirsten Guthrie has been appointed Assistant Director of Women’s Ministry and will be joining the team, three days a week, from 1st September 2024.

She will be working alongside Carrie Sandom, the current Director of Women’s Ministry, and will be involved in teaching and tutoring women students at Cornhill, as well as helping to host and run the annual Women in Ministry conference.

Kirsten has been the Women’s Worker at Trinity Church, Islington, for over 10 years and has a wealth of experience of church-based ministry. She has also been a long-term member of the ever-increasing team of volunteers who lead teaching practice classes for F1, F2 and Core students. She will remain at Trinity, in a part-time capacity, ensuring that her church-based ministry experience continues to grow, albeit in a slightly different capacity. 
Please pray for Kirsten as she prepares for this exciting new role and for the church family at Trinity as they make decisions on how to cover her absence.

We can’t wait for her to join us. 

“You’ve come all the way from Paris?!”, she exclaimed. I grinned, failing to hide my enthusiasm “It’s not that far.” I fooled no one.

In a bright room, round tables and sprawling window seats welcome all. Coffee and tea are served “à volonté” alongside inviting conversation varying from hometowns and hobbies to theology. It’s easy to engage.

A few weeks earlier, I eagerly scanned my email for details, attempting to appease my anticipation for my second “Book In A Day” conference at Cornhill near Elephant and Castle in London . 

Coming together with like-minded folks to know God better, advance in applying His Word daily, and being equipped to transmit this to others, these days are powerful and deeply encouraging. It doesn’t seem “that far” to come from Paris. “Il vaut la peine”, as they say.

Believing God speaks to us through His Word, Cornhill trains people to teach the Bible. The focus on knowing God, while seeking to grow as Bible teachers, is paramount. We want to be followers of our King Jesus in every way personally, not only teachers of God’s Word. I believe this humble leading is what makes these days come alive.

The day starts with a devotional, prayer, worship. Invited to begin where we intend to stay and end up: with our eyes on Jesus. Today we’re diving into the book of Esther, with teaching from Kev Murdoch, the vicar of Euston church, London.

Accompanied by a student with whom I’d studied Esther 2 years earlier, this day was extra special. We loved doing this together! Sometimes furiously taking notes, sometimes pensively processing, the format is a complementary mix of teaching and discussion, and the attitude is always edifying—everyone has something to learn from God’s Word, everyone has something to offer in study.

The teaching here is par excellence. Beyond grateful for access to many resources in God’s Word, I learn, teach and train alongside pastors and leaders from many nations and generations. What’s offered by the Proclamation Trust is truly noteworthy.

Again, I came away resourced, built up in fellowship, and sinking my roots deeper into God’s Word, revealed in the peeling back of the layers of the book together. I leave each time with the desire to keep going!

A heartfelt thank you for every hour of work invested into these days, every prayer, every teacher, every servant-hearted facilitator. Thank you for pointing us to Jesus and helping us do the same for others. Continuez! Et à bientôt!

I wonder what you imagine when someone tells you they had a life-changing experience? I bet it’s not this. And yet – what I’m doing now really is transformational.

I am sitting in a small, brightly lit lecture room near Elephant & Castle, watching a man in a tweed jacket scribble on a whiteboard. He is drawing expansively swirly diagrams and several of us are attempting to copy them down – onto paper or into laptops. Peering at my neighbour’s notes it is clear that we have rather a long way to go before we are as good at diagrams as the man in tweed.

With me round the table, are among others, a Nepalese guitar player, an ex-journalist, a bearded German with a PhD in immunology, a music MA from one of Britain’s most respected universities, a Bermudan girl, someone whose parents own a fish and chip shop, a former pastry chef, a fifty year old stay-at-home -mum and a tanned Portuguese couple. There’s even someone from Essex (me). It’s about the most diverse environment I’ve ever been in – judged by ethnicity, gender, age and social class.

What do we all have in common? What has brought us to this unglamorous corner of South London on a freezing cold Thursday, braving snow, ice and train strikes? What compels us here every week? Today, it’s nearly the end of term and although we are universally exhausted and battling colds there is a lot of laughter and plenty of jokes.

In an icebreaker session last week we established that two of us have historic family ties to organised crime – but that’s not what unites us. Nor is this a support group for caffeine addicts, although as we cluster round the overworked coffee machine in our breaks, you could be forgiven for drawing that conclusion. We are here on the Cornhill Training Course because we love God and his Word. We have each, in various ways, been brought by his grace to believe that it is the big hope our world needs. And so we passionately long to understand it better so that we can teach it more clearly to others.

The Proclamation Trust runs the course through a progressive series of year-long programmes which aim to equip men and women with the understanding and skills necessary to teach the Bible. The emphasis is on rigorous study distilled into accessible, clear output. At every stage the main input is through study of a Bible book – and delivery of a talk of increasing length and complexity to a small group of peers where students and staff offer critiques and encouragement in a safe environment.

Taught by experienced pastors and lay people who are experts in their field, the focus is on developing students who don’t just parrot competently but are confident to grapple with God’s word for themselves. One of the striking aspects of the teaching I’ve received over the last three years has been the way in which difficult textual questions or live issues are not ducked, and engagement with them is encouraged. There are no ‘coffee questions’ – brushed aside, parked and ignored. Lecturers are up front about the way their own conclusions have evolved and why. They have modelled humility before God’s word and hard work in it.

The Foundation section of the course runs over two years, with one day a week of lectures and about half a day of prep. The advanced section comprises two days of seminars and lectures and correspondingly more study taking it into the full time student category. Being at the rather more mature end of the cohort I am ridiculously tickled to find myself suddenly eligible for a student rail card! In year 3, for example, students like me cover 16 books of the Bible as well as various thematic electives such as evangelistic talks and children’s work, through a combination of seminars, lectures and home study and deliver practice talks on a roughly monthly basis. The course covers practical issues too, like ethics, and ‘serving without sinking’.

On one level this is a course for full-time, paid Christian workers, and certainly many of the students are working for churches and planning on continuing to do so long term. Their studies are feeding into their day jobs – and vice versa. However a significant minority are volunteers who are self-funding. Anyone who is involved in teaching God’s word and wants to sharpen their skills will gain from the experience – whether you’re a lay person wanting to hone skills, already embarked on the first steps of full time Christian ministry or someone considering making the jump from secular work. It’s suitable for students of all levels of experience, and is open to anyone who loves the Bible and has a desire to share the good news with others. It’s totally flexible. You can dip in for a year or stay for several.

On the foundation course with me were an NHS junior doctor seeking to prepare himself for a lifetime of volunteering at church, a sheep farmer who preached part-time, a retired gentleman and a teenager on a gap year. Participants hailed from Romford through Fulham (and since this was on line) to Scotland. It brings a genuinely joyful diversity to classroom life. The Cornhill Training Course is a place where people form lasting friendships with fellow students and teachers, and become part of a community. And it’s a place where God’s word is taken seriously as the means to produce godliness in his people. One of the best things for me has been spending two days a week with a bunch of people who are serious about reflecting Jesus’ character in their own. It’s noticeable and humbling; a little foretaste of heaven transplanted to Southwark.

We’re probably all aware of the dangers and damage done by preaching God’s word badly – or not at all. An unchurched friend interrogated me about a service she’d pitched up to in the run up to Christmas, at a church which doesn’t take Bible teaching seriously:

‘They read this bit where it said those who don’t work shouldn’t eat!’ she said. ‘That doesn’t sit well with me – it seems cruel.’

‘How did they explain the passage?’ I asked.

They hadn’t. At all.

I opened up 2 Thessalonians right there in my local park and we were able to see how it communicates good news about God’s character rather than reflecting a cruel, harsh God! But it illustrated for me all too clearly the desperate need for Bible teachers, for people who believe that God’s word is brilliant news for humanity and who can share it effectively.

Cornhill is one part of the solution, offering flexible, part-time teaching so that people are trained to rightly handle or ‘cut God’s word straight’ [sic] (2 Tim. 2:15), in line with the intentions of the original Biblical authors and its ultimate Author. So that desperate seekers who don’t know their right hand from their left are not left wallowing in ignorance or damaging lies. So that those of us who struggle with life in this dark world (and really, who doesn’t?) can be built up and assured in their faith and stand firm.Jesus asked us to pray for labourers for the harvest. Paul urged us to eagerly desire the greater gifts of word ministry. If you’d like to sharpen your skills at cutting God’s word straight then check out Cornhill.London.

Alternatively, dip your toe in the water through one of the ‘Book in a Day’ courses or join the one-week Cornhill Summer school. Or pop in for a visit! Very few ‘life-changing’ experiences end up living up to the hype – but this one just might.

Tim Keller, who died a few days ago, is now experiencing the truth he articulated – that ‘all death can do to Christians is make their lives infinitely better’!

He was a good friend of the Proclamation Trust, speaking here in the UK, at the annual Evangelical Ministry Assembly, on five different occasions between 2005 and 2015 – our most frequent and popular visiting speaker of the 21st century.  Our back catalogue shows that thousands around the world have listened – and re-listened – to those talks.

Indulge me for a moment with two very personal memories of his influence.  In one of his early visits, he exploded open the category of ‘idolatry’, and many of us then became more thoughtful in our preaching about contemporary idols, moving from the simplistic (‘what are our idols today?’) to explore the subtle motivations and desires that lie behind (as Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5 suggest). 

Secondly, Tim impacted my preaching.  He thoroughly championed expository preaching, of course: if it provides the main diet of preaching for a Christian community, then God is setting the agenda (Preaching [London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2015] p.27-46).  We want, he said, a ‘pulpit-centred, not pulpit-restricted’ word ministry.  But his expository preaching had a strikingly different style: he sounded like a preacher for a new generation.  He was always engaging, his talks were packed with exegetical insights and stimulating ideas, but it was all delivered in a way that sounded so chatty and, well, normal.  I don’t think I ever had a one-to-one conversation with him.  But the way in which he preached genuinely made me feel he was in dialogue with me.  And that’s why his influence on me felt so personal.

Amongst the many tweets of his pithy aphorisms in the last few days, here’s a good one for preachers everywhere: ‘a good sermon is not like a club that beats upon the will but like a sword that cuts to the heart’.  We will miss his skilled pulpit surgery as we mourn with Kathy and his family.