Cornhill Plus

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About the Course

The overall aim of the Proclamation Trust is to multiply faithful Word ministry, so that churches are strengthened and the gospel of Jesus Christ is heard more clearly and more widely in the UK and across the world.

In Cornhill Plus, we pursue this goal by training those who will be future leaders and primary teachers in Bible-centred churches. We want their Word ministry to be as biblically faithful as possible. And we also want to train them to be trainers themselves, further multiplying Word ministry among the people they will serve in the future.

Like the rest of Cornhill, this training is non-residential and part-time, under the conviction that the best context to be trained for Word ministry is alongside doing Word ministry in a local church.

It is crystal clear in the Bible that leaders and teachers in churches are to have and exhibit exemplary character. It is also clear that the Bible itself is sufficient for training and growing leaders in godly character in every area of their ministry and lives. Alongside the training and supervision each Cornhill Plus student receives in their local church setting, every module on the course has the goal to grow our students in faith and godliness.

Every leader and teacher in a local church needs a good grasp of systematic doctrine, key issues in church history, apologetics and ethics, in order to do their teaching and pastoral ministry well, and to deal with questions and issues that arise in the ups and downs of church family life. Although Cornhill Plus has the same focus on whole books of the Bible as the rest of Cornhill, each module explores a theological or pastoral theme related to the book being studied. Over the whole Cornhill Plus course, students study a full curriculum of systematic theology.

…the Bible is a work of theology, not simply a primary text upon which theology is based.

- Marilynne Robinson, Reading Genesis (Virago, 2024), p.3

Structure

Format

Cornhill Plus works on a rolling program, working on a four-year cycle. This means it is possible to complete the course attending on a Thursday over four years, or on a Friday over four years. It is also possible to do an accelerated version, attending on both Thursdays and Fridays over two years.

Year Thursday Friday
2024-25 Stream A Stream B
2025-26 Stream C Stream D
2026-27 Stream B Stream A
2027-28 Stream D Stream C

For more information about what the streams involve, click on the ‘Mega-modules’ tab below

In any one calendar year, a student will be required to attend classes on Thursdays OR Fridays during term-time (30 weeks), to set aside additional time for study, preparation and language learning (minimum 3 hours a week), as well as attend two four-day residentials, attend the EMA, and complete a written study project over six days in the Summer.

For those completing the course at the accelerated pace (lasting just two calendar years), each year they will be required to attend classes on Thursdays AND Fridays during term-time (30 weeks), to set aside additional time for study, preparation and language learning (minimum 6 hours a week), as well as attend two-four day residentials, attend the EMA and complete a written study project over twelve days in the Summer.

Students are required to arrive at 9am on their Cornhill Plus day, and the day will finish at approximately 4.30pm. The classroom time will include time spent in lectures, seminars, student-led presentations, language classes (Greek & Hebrew) or teaching practice. There will also be time for preparation within the teaching day (approx. 2 hrs) and students are required to complete additional preparation outside of the teaching day.

A key characteristic of Cornhill Plus is the ‘mega-module’ where we combine in-depth study of a book in the Bible with an exploration of theological or pastoral themes to which that part of Scripture makes an important contribution. The doctrinal discussion is not restricted to that Bible book, and students are expected to engage with a variety of secondary literature, but the fact that it is rooted in a part of the Bible that we know well means that our systematic theology is informed by exegesis and vice versa. The table below shows what mega-modules will be studied across the next four academic years.

2024-25

Thursday

Stream A

John and the Doctrine of the Trinity

(20 weeks)

Jeremiah and the Doctrine of Scripture

(10 weeks)

Friday

Stream B

Genesis and Doctrinal Foundations

(20 weeks)

Revelation and the Doctrine of Eschatology

(10 weeks)

2025-26

Thursday

Stream C

Pastoral Epistles and Christian leadership

(20 weeks)

Ephesians, Identity and Pastoral Ministry

(10 weeks)

Friday

Stream D

Leviticus, Hebrews and the Doctrine of the Atonement

(20 weeks)

Matthew and Discipleship

(10 weeks)

2026-27

Thursday

Stream B

Genesis and Doctrinal Foundations

(20 weeks)

Revelation and the Doctrine of Eschatology

(10 weeks)

Friday

Stream A

John and the Doctrine of the Trinity

(20 weeks)

Jeremiah and the Doctrine of Scripture

(10 weeks)

2027-28

Thursday

Stream D

Leviticus, Hebrews and the Doctrine of the Atonement

(20 weeks)

Matthew and Discipleship

(10 weeks)

Friday

Stream C

Pastoral Epistles and Christian leadership

(20 weeks)

Ephesians, Identity and Pastoral Ministry

(10 weeks)

Students begin or continue their studies in Greek and Hebrew via the online courses offered by BibleMesh.com. This is supplemented with weekly exegetical classes in the original languages. Additional prep time is required for language learning.

There are two residential study weeks in each calendar year, covering more Bible input, alongside a topic in systematic theology or church history. These weeks combine teaching, personal study and group study.

Those completing Cornhill Plus over four years will attend two residential weeks in each of the four years of the course. Those completing the accelerated course (lasting just two calendar years) will also attend two study weeks in each of those two calendar years of the course. Their Cornhill Plus fees will also have pre-paid attendance at two additional study weeks in the first two years after graduation: this will help to kick-start a process of continuing ministerial training.

Here are a few examples of themes discussed at previous residentials:

  • Doctrine of God and Isaiah 40-55
  • The Church and 1 Corinthians
  • Mission and Acts

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed through the course by means of continual assessment including:

  • Feedback on expository talks (both in Teaching Practice at Cornhill Plus, and also from the local church supervisor)
  • Feedback on other mega module presentations on the topics and issues considered (including some ‘oral examinations’)
  • Assessment of students’ weekly class contributions
  • Feedback on written pieces used to consolidate learning at the end of each mega-module
  • Written feedback from students’ church supervisors

Entry Requirements

The course was originally designed for those who have completed the Cornhill Core course. However, applications by those with previous ministry and training experience will be considered on an individual basis. Prospective applicants are encouraged to get in touch with the Cornhill Plus administrator to discuss this further on cornhill.plus@proctrust.org.uk.

Local Church Partnership

The Proclamation Trust believe that the local church is the setting God has chosen to nurture and grow his people.

There is always a danger that Christian ministry training will separate the academic activities of the classroom from the realities of Christian service in the Church. Cornhill Plus is a practical and integrated course that seeks to marry the two together, and this is why our partnership with the local church is so important. Those who supervise in the local church and those who teach at Cornhill Plus work together in a strategic work of shaping Christian servants of the future. More than that, we understand that our role is to serve and support the local church as they seek to do this.

Every student applies to us from a local church, with the support of their leaders and we ask that each church appoint a local supervisor to oversee the student’s ministry in that local context. Students are only joining us for one or two days each week. During the rest of the week, the amount of time a student is available for local church ministry roles will vary, but they are all expected to be actively involved as time allows. Although we try to make our teaching as interactive as possible (including significant elements of small group participatory work), we know that even the most practical exercises inevitably have an artificial feel to them. We expect that students have opportunities to teach the Bible to others in supervised ministry contexts, mentored by experienced teachers and trainers, and offered warm encouragement and constructive criticism.

Term Dates

Autumn term 2024
Monday 9 September – Friday 13 December 2024

Half term holidays: Monday 28 October – Friday 1 November

Compulsory residential: Monday 04 - Friday 08 November

Spring term 2025
Monday 06 January – Friday 04 April 2025

Half term holidays: Monday 17 February – Friday 21 February

Compulsory residential: Monday 10 - Friday 14 March

Summer term 2025
Monday 28 April – Friday 27 June 2025

Half term holidays: Tuesday 27 May – Friday 30 May

We are planning that the Evangelical Ministry Assembly will take place from 24 – 26 June 2025. All students will be expected to attend, unless there are exceptional circumstances which prevent them from doing so. The fee for this conference is included in the course fees.

Fees for 2024-25

Cost per term Cost for the year
One-day a week (Thursday OR Friday) £1,550 £4,650
Two-days a week (Thursday AND Friday) £3,100 £9,300

The cost for the year includes all tuition, materials, residential conferences and attendance at the EMA conference.

For new Cornhill Plus students, there will be an additional one-off payment to pay for ten years’ access to the full Biblical Languages Bundle on BibleMesh. More details will be given about this in due course.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for Cornhill Plus or if you have any questions about the course, please get in touch.
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