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John Hindley 540CF

Broadland church to host new theology course 

2016: BroadGrace church in Coltishall will be hosting a Union Learning Community from this September. Union is a new theology course aimed at trainee church planters, pastors and other Christian workers. Tony Rothe treports.

 
unionlogo 230CFUnion is the new incarnation of the Wales Evangelical School of Theology (WEST). They are moving away from offering primarily a residential, campus-based training, to a model of integrating theological study within the life of the local church. Union is led by Mike Reeves, and promises to be  an excellent course, which will get even better over time.
 
Union Norfolk will be hosted at The River Rooms, BroadGrace church’s building in Coltishall. BroadGrace leaders are hoping that their Learning Community will be a way to serve the churches in Norfolk. It will provide theologically rigorous study for trainee church planters, pastors and other Christian workers without leaving their own church to go to Bible college. It will also serve keen members of local churches who want to study to be better equipped for service in their church.
 
The courses offered by Union are University-level qualifications, accredited by the University of Chester through the Union School of Theology. They are part-time, with a day together each week during term-time and a further day or so of independent study.
 
Broadgracechurchlogo 248CFBroadGrace is a church that began in May 2010, to serve the people of Broadlands and North Norfolk. They meet at The River Rooms in Coltishall and would love to see more churches started so that the villages and towns of North Norfolk have relaxed, welcoming, Jesus-centred communities in them to follow Jesus together and introduce others to him.
 
John Hindley, pictured above, is pastor of BroadGrace church, and will be the lead mentor of Union Norfolk. He asks: "The simple question is- how hard would it be for your church to train a pastor or church planter? And if you don’t do it, who else is going to train the people needed to take the gospel to your village, town, city or region?
"We are blessed with some excellent residential training colleges in the UK but the cost and upheaval of attending them for two or three years puts them beyond the reach of many people and churches. With Union Learning Communities, on-the-job training for pastors and church planters requires far less compromise in terms of study than it used to."
 
Hannah Michael is the Learning Community manager. If you would like to know more about this opportunity, then you can contact John and Hannah at enquiries@broadgrace.org.uk
 
You find out more about Union at www.ust.ac.uk
 
Visit http://www.broadgrace.org.uk/
 


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