The Core (final year) Cornhill Students recently went on Missions mostly in the UK but also overseas. It is a chance for them to experience different ministry contexts and be blessed by a local church congregation and be a blessing to them in return. We asked the mission teams to write a short report about what they got up to.

“What if we were made for love?” was the title of the evangelistic Bible study, led very ably by Richard, to conclude our 4 day mission week on the theme of love.

To see how different, and how much more desirable, the Bible’s account of the purpose of our existence is compared to the modern day orthodoxy that is naturalism. It was helpful and illuminating to go back to the beginning and to the beautiful creation account in Genesis 2. I am sure I can speak on behalf of all the leaders present in saying that the 14-18 year old participants were a real encouragement in their engagement with the Bible study and with the subsequent “Grill a Christian” panel (which could have gone on all night!).

We could thank God for similar encouragements at Fiona’s evangelistic women’s event, where she gave a talk on love in Luke 7 to a number of guests, as well as my evangelistic youth talk on John 3:16.

During the day, we had been doing home visits and praying for God to be working through us and in the hearts of those we were able to engage with at their front doors. Praise God that as a result of those visits, a few came to the evangelistic events and we pray, as a result of the continuing witness of Grace Church Brockley, that God’s word will continue to be sown in people’s hearts, to grow and yield a hundredfold ! (Luke 8:8).

Please pray for Grace Church Brockley and also for our Core Students as they consider their next steps after the summer.

If you are interested in applying to Cornhill for Sept 2018, then please click here.

The Core (final year) Cornhill Students recently went on Missions mostly in the UK but also overseas. It is a chance for them to experience different ministry contexts and be blessed by a local church congregation and be a blessing to them in return. We asked the mission teams to write a short report about what they got up to.

Luke Cornish and I (Toby Martin) had a great time serving on a Crosslinks/Langham Preachers’ Training Programme in Kathmandu, Nepal! The church is growing rapidly, with increasing numbers of indigenous pastor-teachers and evangelists, but very few of these gospel workers are trained in expository preaching. So, Neil Watkinson has been running these weeks of training in Kathmandu for a number of years.

The programme is an introduction to expository preaching, and includes a Bible overview, sessions on theme and aim sentences, sermon structure. There are also workshops where groups work together on theme and aim sentences for Bible passages, and model expositions on those passages. Luke and I were asked to give a ‘chapel talk’ each (similar to Cornhill morning expositions) and two ‘model expositions’ each. The course was attended by a combination of undergraduate students at Bible college, and gospel workers (pastors/evangelists).

I was hugely encouraged by the growth of the church in Nepal. At a time when we are told that evangelical churches in the UK are at 0% net growth, it is very heartening to hear many stories of people coming to Christ from Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds in Nepal – praise God!

But it was also wonderful to see how much people value this kind of training. One evangelist from the east of Nepal, Dinesh, said to me that his journey home would be 17 hours on a bus, 11 hours in another vehicle after that, and a 4 hour walk to finish off. He was full of joy at the training he had received and was eager to preach to people when he got back. Others on his team said they were going to share the training with several others on their evangelism team.

And yet, as we were reminded as we walked along the streets, there were idols everywhere. From our hotel we could see a large Buddhist temple, and there were images of Hindu gods in many of the shops by the side of the road. So there remains much work for God’s people in Nepal. But praise Jesus that so many people are coming to the obedience of faith!

Please pray for Nepal and also for our Core Students as they consider their next steps after the summer.

If you are interested in applying to Cornhill for Sept 2018, then please click here.

The Core (final year) Cornhill Students recently went on Missions mostly in the UK but also overseas. It is a chance for them to experience different ministry contexts and be blessed by a local church congregation and be a blessing to them in return. We asked the mission teams to write a short report about what they got up to.

We had a fantastic week helping the team at St Anne’s Church in Limehouse with their mission.

It’s a massively diverse area with seasoned East Enders, young city-working professionals, a huge Bangladeshi community and everything in between. The events ranged from evangelistic discussion in a coffee shop, to a family film night, to a men’s breakfast on life to the full, to a night with pie and mash and a rapper come pastor, as well as a great evangelistic Sunday service with Rico Tice.

The team helped reach the local area through door-knocking, teaching at the local school, speaking at all the events, helping setup and serve at the events, praying, and getting alongside people to talk about Jesus throughout. It was a great week of getting out of our comfort zones, seeing what God is doing in another part of London, hearing amazing testimonies about God’s grace, and growing as we served as different parts of Christ’s body together. What a week!

Please pray for St. Anne’s Limehouse and also for our Core Students as they consider their next steps after the summer.

If you are interested in applying to Cornhill for Sept 2018, then please click here.

The Core (final year) Cornhill Students recently went on Missions mostly in the UK but also overseas. It is a chance for them to experience different ministry contexts and be blessed by a local church congregation and be a blessing to them in return. We asked the mission teams to write a short report about what they got up to.

We give thanks to the Lord for a packed few days at Grace Church Sydenham. Our trip included a Vegan and Superfood Bistro event, coffee cart street evangelism and church family ‘billet’ dinners.

As a team we learnt about the importance of being ready to suffer for the gospel. There were lots of occasions where we were rejected by people at their front doors, or rejected while flyering in the freezing cold and rain. However amidst this hardship we also had the absolute joy of sharing the good news of Jesus with others who were seemingly more open – there is a profound joy in evangelism!!

We were also greatly blessed by the incredible hospitality and rich fellowship we enjoyed with the church. This taught us much about the unity that strangers experience when they have Jesus in common – we were so grateful to them for welcoming and loving us so warmly.

Please pray for Grace Church Sydenham and also for our Core Students as they consider their next steps after the summer.

If you are interested in applying to Cornhill for Sept 2018, then please click here.

The Core (final year) Cornhill Students recently went on Missions mostly in the UK but also overseas. It is a chance for them to experience different ministry contexts and be blessed by a local church congregation and be a blessing to them in return. We asked the mission teams to write a short report about what they got up to.

Our time at Sherbornes with Pamber (just north of Basingstoke) was filled with a wide variety of events, both big and small, where we were able to speak of Jesus and share the gospel, under the theme of Hope in a Hopeless World.

We enjoyed being put on the spot during the question time at the local primary school, and later that evening at the event in the local pub. Some of us visited a local care home, whilst others joined the Mum’s and Young Children for the afternoon tea. Over the weekend, there were parties for all the children and youth that we were able to join in with. Saturday morning was spent helping at a men’s breakfast, followed by a women’s coffee morning and finished with a Saturday night quiz. Our Cornhill team ran the entire Sunday morning service and this was followed by a bring-and-share lunch.

It was great to be able to encourage the church in proclaiming the gospel and living for Jesus, and for ourselves to be encouraged by the ways that Sherbornes with Pamber is going this. It was also a great reminder that we do not always have time  to prepare an answer, but can always give the reason for the hope that we have when asked.

by Kirsten Parker

Please pray for Sherbornes with Pamber and also for our Core Students as they consider their next steps after the summer.

If you are interested in applying to Cornhill for Sept 2018, then please click here.

Here is a book written not by a Psychologist but by a sufferer – a Christian sufferer. Cipollone is a Christian Minister who has experienced and continues to live with anxiety and depression. Chris uses his personal story to walk the reader through the process of understanding and addressing the multi-faceted nature of mental illness. He asks the hard questions that every sufferer and their carers ask. He tackles openly and honestly the issues that are sometimes taboo: Brokenness; feelings; attack; idols; suicide; healing and more.

Whilst Cipollone shamelessly shares his own story, at each point he also speaks God’s Word of truth into each situation. This is not a book that revolves around the author, it is a book that points to Jesus and reminds the reader of their Identity in Him. This is not done in a heavy, preachy way, but with accessible sensitivity and compassion. Cipollone carefully draws on passages from a variety of biblical genres to provide teaching, correction, empathy, encouragement and hope. By dividing this short book into small bitesize chunks with one word titles, the author has made this book an easy read for the person already feeling “down”. He clearly understands the limited capacity of the sufferer and the need to speak eternal bitesize truths into a particular moment in time.

As someone prone to having “downs”, I found this book extremely helpful. It is honest and real about how bad it feels and yet uncompromising in speaking the truth of the gospel of Jesus. This is what we all need and Cipollone does this with empathy and grace.

The brevity of the book does mean that there is a danger of a lack of depth. This can be read all too speedily and then quickly forgotten. However, each chapter ends with “Reflection” which no doubt aims to slow the reader down and digest each bite.

If you are looking for a more clinical book with definitions, causes, symptoms and treatments – look elsewhere. This is a book for a Christian sufferer and those who love them and who want to better understand how the great gospel of Jesus speaks mightily but gently into the hearts of those with a broken mind.

by Rebekah Brown

Reading level: Very accessible and easy to read.

Price: RRP £7.99

ISBN: 9781784981419

Publisher: The Good Book Company

Rating: *****

This is the fifth in our Preacher’s Profile Series. This time we asked Nigel Styles, the PT Director of Cornhill some questions about his life and preaching ministry.

Since April 2016, Nigel has been Director of the Cornhill Training Course in London.  Previously, he was involved in church leadership for over 35 years, most recently as Senior Minster of Emmanuel Church Bramcote, Nottingham.  He is enthusiastic to hear the Bible taught well and loves watching its impact in people’s lives.

Nigel is married to Lizzie, and they have six children and nine grandchildren.  He loves music, theatre and contemporary fiction. Nigel wishes he’d been a Blue Peter presenter.

 

1) When did you preach your first sermon and how long have you been preaching?

I don’t remember my first sermon, but I do remember my first sermon in front of Dick Lucas.  It was in a preaching group at one of the very earliest Proclamation Trust conferences at Fairmile Court.  My ‘gobbett’ was 1 Corinthians 10:12-13.  I had no idea what I was doing and cobbled something together from the Tyndale commentary.  My two points were: ‘1. this is a warning’ and ‘2. this is an encouragement’.   Dick’s single comment at the end was ‘Well, I think you’ve got to decide which it is, brother’.  Brilliantly incisive!

2) What was your journey to preaching ministry?

After working as an actor in a Christian Theatre company, and then as a Music Director in a local church, I ended up at that Fairmile Court preaching conference.  It was the first time someone had taught me how to be able to understand the Bible and teach it to others.  It was exhilarating.  After some years working at St Helens Bishopsgate, I grew in conviction about the powerful effectiveness of God’s word and that I wanted to give my life to teach it to others.

 

3) Describe the congregation/setting you regularly preach to.

In my role at Cornhill, I’m ‘on my feet’ with Bible in hand most days.  But my preaching is mostly now as a visiting preacher (- I prefer church weekends to a single sermon), and sometimes at the home church we attend as a family.

4) What are you currently preaching on/through?

I’ve always tried to have ‘a Book of the Year’.  In local church ministry, I obviously was preaching from more than one Bible book over the course of a year, but I tried to have one Bible book that I’d keep coming back to, and that I’d preach from whenever I had the chance.  In my role now, that’s much easier to maintain.  It’s been Daniel for the last 18 months.  And I’m just moving on to 2 Timothy.

 

5) What is your regular rhythm of sermon preparation, your usual process and how you schedule it in during the week?

I aim to get ahead with my ‘Book of the Year’ by reading it in personal quiet times, or going through it at church staff meetings about 6-18 months ahead.  Then I give some good time to ‘overview’ the whole book during the quieter summer months (as a preview for the new academic year).  I use an A5 notebook and, in the first section of that book, write up anything and everything I discover.  I’d aim to end that initial overview with three things clear: some sense of the ‘Melodic Line’ of the book (ie main subject), the pastoral intention of the author (ie purpose), and sections for preaching it.  (I break all my own rules, and read commentaries at this early stage … and always read at least two or three!)

Then I divide the rest of my notebook into those preaching sections.  When I come to preach on that particular passage, I’ve already got some clear sense of what the whole book is about and this passage fits in.  In a regular, preaching-every-week pattern, I spend the first part of the week taking the passage apart and using all kinds of techniques to make me read slowly.  ‘Teaching people to read’ is one of the first things we do at Cornhill!  Jotting down all these prep notes in a notebook means that I have a record of my Bible ‘text work’ that I can use again in the longer term future.

I’d aim (by Wednesday) to have a draft sermon outline with Theme Sentence, Aim Sentence, headings and (most importantly) the logic of what I’m seeking to persuade people from this Bible passage.  I handwrite all that onto a single side of A4.

And then immediately, at this early point, I begin to compile a script.  I type onto A5 (portrait), using Verdana 12pt (ie quite large font, so I don’t need my glasses to read in the pulpit!).  I start each new sentence on a new line, and I know that if any line continues into a second line, it is too long.  I leave lots of space on the pages of my notes to show me where to add fuller explanation, illustration, application, etc.  During the rest of the week, I’ll add to those notes.  I keep re-writing sentences/phrases.  I want to be as colloquial as possible, rich in word pictures, checking that there’s a rhythm to my phrases.  I’m on the look out for anything that might be useful, from TV, reading, news, chats with people, road signs, conversation overheard on a bus …  Yes, anything!

That script with its later additions and scribblings is what I take into the pulpit with me:

 

8) What is your routine before preaching on a ‪Sunday?

I’d normally get up very early to have lots of time to read through my notes – not simply so that I’m familiar with them, but so that I’m really clear about the simple, simple message.  I could preach that with no notes (if I had to … but I’d never choose that option!).  I want to pray myself into the text and into the people I’ll be speaking to.

9) What feedback structures do you utilise in improving on your preaching?

Nothing beats the regular feedback from a church staff – people I know and love, and who I know are absolutely committed to my good.  My regular pattern was that the first 15-20mins in the weekly staff meeting would review the previous Sunday’s sermon. 

The next best thing to that is giving feedback to others, because that keeps me analysing what makes good preaching.

 

10) What areas are you currently seeking to develop in your preaching?

I want to be simpler.  The main thing I notice when I look back at sermons I preached some years ago is that my sermons now are less jam-packed with ideas.  I think congregations need to be told less to hear more.  I always remember the advice of John Chapman: a book contains the maximum number of ideas in the minimum number of words … and a sermon is the exact opposite: the minimum number of ideas in the maximum number of words.   

And that is my main piece of advice to younger preachers.

 

11) What do you do on the days your preaching did not go very well?

Someone told me that the loneliest place on earth is the bottom of the pulpit steps, immediately before and after preaching.  That’s certainly my experience.  I am absolutely exhausted after I’ve preached.  Talking to people at the end of the service is hard work … but it is essential, so I simply won’t let myself run away (however much I might want to!).  And in that ‘down in the dumps’ feel at home afterwards, I simply give myself a talking to: ‘Did you, to the best of your ability, tell people what the Bible says and means?  Is the Bible powerful?  Well, trust God and go to bed.  Tomorrow is another day.’

 

Preaching is like skiing…

This new book from Yancey Arrington, teaching pastor at Clear Creek Community Church in Houston, is a fresh, clear and well written book on the delivery of a sermon.

It is a preaching book with a difference. It is not a book on the content of sermons, it is a book about the presentation and communication of sermons. This is definitely a weakness, we teach people well about the science of preaching, but are less strong on teaching people the art of preaching.

Yancey’s sneaking suspicion is that most sermons delivered in pulpits on Sunday are really lectures in disguise.

“My hope is that you will use this book to develop your delivery so you are more apt, by God’s grace, to preach in a way that moves people.”

Yancey is clear that this is not manipulative emotionalism , nor is it mere pragmatism. Yancey wants people to think hard about not just what goes into the sermon but how to arrange, deliver and use the treasure unearthed by careful exegesis and prayerful study, in a way that gives the greatest potential to make the greatest impact in the minds and hearts of the hearers.

The basic metaphor used throughout the book is that preaching is skiing, or more particularly it is like being a skiing guide. It is about getting the congregation down the mountain in a way that both showcases the Bible passage in the best possible way, but also is well paced, rightly stretching and exhilarating.

It is a basic 3-point plan.

• Arrange for Tension
• Build for Speed
• Chart for Bandwidth

It is very thought provoking material and whilst you won’t agree with every paragraph, insight or observation, it is an opportunity to reflect and think about your preaching.

I think the skiing metaphor is really helpful and gives a great picture to help people reflect and give feedback on sermons. I loved the chapter on Arrange for Tension (2), with the premise that Tension = Attention, and reflecting wonder if I give ‘spoilers’ too early in my sermon which gives the game away too early.

I think this book is particular helpful for the seasoned preacher who has been delivering sermon for a while, I think it helps identify the ruts we have retreated into and reflect on how we can preach more fruitfully.

This book will not help with the what of preaching, but it will definitely sharpen you in the realm of the how of preaching.

Useful for: Anyone who preaches, but particularly those who have been doing it for a while.

Reading level: Very accessible and easy to read.

Price: RRP £11.25

ISBN: 997946903

Publisher: Clear Creek Resources

Rating: *****

Carrie Sandom is the Director of Women’s Ministry at The Proclamation Trust. I asked her a few questions about Women’s Ministry.

Here is part 4 of our 4 part series, Wednesday is for Women’s Ministry.

How can pastors better encourage gifted women in their churches?

First of all by seeing the need and having a vision for women’s ministry in the local church – and then secondly by spotting who the gifted women are! I would never have got into ministry if it hadn’t been for the senior minister who heard me teach in the Sunday school and encouraged me to get some training. I reckon there are many church families who have under-used godly and gifted women in them! Encouraging women to get involved in one to one Bible studies, teaching at a women’s breakfast or leading at a Christian summer house-party is a great way for them to test the water and, crucially, to get some constructive feedback from those who hear them teach the Bible. Then they can mobilise other women in the church by getting them doing one to ones with other women.

It’s not rocket science – all you need for really fruitful women’s ministry is an open Bible and a cup of tea! For those who want to take things further, there are many more training opportunities for women than there used to be (through the regional ministry training courses, Cornhill, and the Oak Hill youth and children’s course to name but a few).

How should keen women investigate pursuing a ministry role amongst women?

The key thing, first of all, is to talk to people in the home church who know them well and have heard them teach the Bible in some context – this should at some point include the senior minister of their church. When women talk to me I tell I’m looking for three things – character (are they godly and known to be godly); convictions (do they hold firmly to the teaching of the Bible); and competence (are they able to teach the Bible with clarity and winsomeness).

Secondly, they should get on and serve where they are in some way (if they’re not already). Too many women think they need a title or a recognised position in the church before they do Word ministry. They don’t! It’s often the ones who are already studying the Bible one to one or leading in the Sunday School or leading a women’s group who are best suited for this work.

Thirdly, they should think about getting some extra training – may be a one day a week regional training course or a ministry apprenticeship (not just for gap year graduates) or something like Cornhill. And if they have the time and opportunity I always encourage women to think about getting some theological training as well. The investment of two or three years of full time study will never be wasted – however people sue it afterwards.

What resources would you point someone to if they wanted to be better equipped for women’s ministry?

Women’s ministry is about teaching the Bible to women NOT teaching women’s issues to women! At some point you will need to consider the role of women in the family and the church and how women’s ministry works out in the local church but it’s God’s Word that sets the agenda in women’s ministry – just as it does in any other Bible teaching ministry. To that end the resources people need are good Bible handling skills, which is what we’re aiming to give to women at Cornhill. Many of the gospel partnerships have Ministry Training Courses that people can access (usually one day a week during term-time). Some also run Saturday morning and/or evening courses for those who aren’t available during the day. For those who don’t have time for a weekly course, the Equipped online resource is proving very popular – which can be accessed via the PT website and is suitable for groups or individuals. The PT Media books are also very user friendly and a good place to start if people want to work their way through a Bible book either on their own or with a group.

You have travelled extensively teaching the Bible to women in different circumstances and settings. How do you think the UK church is doing compared to other countries in the realm of Women’s Ministry?

We’re doing okay but there is room for improvement. Lots of women are being trained through the regional ministry training courses but only a very few go onto theological college. The Australians are way ahead of us on that front. We are better at networking across the denominational divide than we have been in the past but we do not have the same networks or resources as the Americans. I think the Brits are just a bit too cautious with each other sometimes! And as for the South Africans – they seem to have so little in the way of financial resources but their churches are growing and they seem to be the most joyful of all of us!

Alice Cornes works for St Philemon’s Church, Toxteth, Liverpool.

The first thing I did when I came home from the PT Women in Ministry conference was to put the dates of the 2019 conference into my diary!

The second thing was to bound in to the room of my just-finished-night-shifts flatmate announcing ‘Jesus is wonderful in Psalm 45! Can I show it to you?!’ The poor girl then sat through my rendition of the psalm, in the song we’d learnt on the conference. All 4 very long verses of it. My timing may not have been thoughtful, but I did come home with my heart full of Jesus.

We were thinking about how to handle Wisdom Literature this year. Soaking it in for ourselves, and learning how to teach it back in our church families. The workshop groups were useful for that. Most of us don’t get much feedback on the Bible teaching we do through the year but we want to get sharper. So it’s wonderful to have a group of women who’ll listen to me teach a bit of the Bible and then gently show me what my strengths are and what I can work on. I came away challenged to use NT controls better (commentaries are my friends, I’m told!) and buoyed by their encouragement that I am able to teach.

The main teaching sessions this year were taught by Robin Weekes (Minister of Emmanuel Wimbledon) teaching us from the Psalms and Jenny Salt (Dean of Students, Sydney Missionary & Bible College) teaching us from Ecclesiastes.

It’s a joy to have time talking with other women there. It stretches my outlook when I talk to women’s workers, children and youth workers, people teaching the Bible part-time or in their free time when they’re not at work, missionaries based in Slovakia or Jordan, women with years of experience and women who are just starting out, the whole gamut. This year it struck me what a useful part of the conference that is. We all need encouragement, some of us particularly strongly when we’re close to giving up. For a number of women I spoke to, the conference was a key time for gaining direction on what next. For me, it was a great time for stealing other people’s ideas for events, models of ministry, ways to make ministry sustainable etc. These conferences are a great combination of equipping, encouragement and being re-energised to better serve the Lord Jesus.

There was time to rest, too. I’m not very good at resting and I’m especially bad at the kind of rest that actively engages with God. I’m more likely to knock around a squash ball than to chew the cud with my Father. The conference was super for both! Good food, lots of time to sleep, and walks in the countryside, but also lots of breaks between one bit of Bible teaching and another, when my head is full of Christ and there’s space to speak to him. I was grateful for time talking through my fear of man with him.

When you dunk a sponge in water, and then walk with it across the kitchen, the floor is bound to get splashed. The conference felt like dunking us for 3 days in superb teaching and useful conversations. I hope, now I’m home, the people around me will get splashed!

Next year’s Women in Ministry conference is 21st-24th January at Hothorpe Hall, near Market Harborough. In 2019 we will be thinking about Apocalyptic Literature with Nigel Styles (Cornhill Director) and Andrea Trevenna (Associate for Women’s Ministry at St. Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks).

To book on to Women in Ministry 2019 click here.