workers harvest Field for the Ministry Apprenticeship Programme

Transcription

1 workers for the harvest Field Ministry Apprenticeship Programme

2 Ministry Apprenticeship Meeting a Need We live in godless times. Hundreds of thousands of people live without God and without hope. How do we reach them? How do they hear the news that saves them? How do we mobilise the church in this day and age? How do we equip the saints for works of ministry and how do we get better at doing ministry ourselves? One thing we can do is consider whether or not the Christian ministry you re called to as a believer should be done in a paid full-time capacity. And the best way to explore that is by enlisting in a Ministry Apprenticeship Programme. The Ministry Apprenticeship Programme at Charlotte Chapel promises to equip you with the tools you need to glorify God by making disciples of all nations. That s our vision. And if the Lord chooses to call you into paid ministry, like pastoral ministry, church planting or crosscultural missions, we offer a clear, manageable path towards that destination. Let us tell you more Immersing You in Local Church Ministry The Ministry Apprenticeship Programme at Charlotte Chapel plunges people into the everyday workings of local church ministry. That s the beauty of it. It provides opportunities to work alongside experienced gospel workers who teach and model what ministry should look like. It provides a range of ministry areas where an apprentice can get their hands dirty, learning through supervised practice and constructive feedback. It engages an apprentice in a process of intentional discipleship where holiness is as much a pursuit as honing any preaching gift. It introduces an apprentice to a range of essential doctrines and ministry practicalities that matter in the life of a gospel worker. And it enters every apprentice into a serious exploration of suitability for ministry. All of that together means that in addition to making the path into ministry possible, Ministry Apprenticeship makes that path formative. It s not only doable, but life-changing. So what do we seek to develop in our apprentices? What will an apprentice learn? What do Apprentices Learn? When you take and cluster what the Bible says about the necessary qualifications for gospel ministry, three vital categories emerge: CHARACTER, CONVICTION & COMPETENCE. The table below outlines what we, with God s gracious help, hope to teach our apprentices. That gives you a flavour of what an apprentice will learn. But how will they learn? What will an apprentice do?

3 CATEGORY GOAL OUTCOME Our intention is to train Ministry Apprentices to: Happily submit to the Word of God in obedience, making specific changes in thinking, attitude and actions. CHARACTER To see every apprentice walking in a manner worthy of the gospel Demonstrate a commitment to personal integrity, especially in the areas of faithfulness, truthfulness, purity and self-control. Cultivate a humble, self-giving attitude towards others. Exercise sober judgement and pastoral sensitivity. Grow in their listening abilities and skills in building rapport and trust. Be teachable and open to feedback. Work cooperatively with others and submit to leaders Explain why the Word of God is reliable. Explain the meaning of specific passages within their immediate context and the whole message of Scripture. CONVICTION To see every apprentice thinking theologically and growing in biblical knowledge Explain the gospel with clarity and with biblical reference. Explain the nature of sin, God s righteous judgement, the person and work of Christ, justification by faith. Explain the doctrine of revelation and critique alternative views of knowing God. Explain the elements of evangelical ministry and critique alternative views of Christian ministry.

4 Exegete and explain a passage of the Bible. Preach the Bible in a way that demonstrates faithfulness to the text and care for the listener. COMPETENCE To see every apprentice serving practically with humility and gladness in the local church Lead Bible studies in both group and 121 settings. Train others in personal evangelism / leading a Bible study / 121 Provide pastoral care (under supervision) in a range of situations (e.g. funerals, hospital visits, church non-attendance). Work at motivating, inspiring and organising people to work together in teams. Develop and implement ministry plans, providing leadership and direction for an identified area of ministry. Demonstrate the ability to pursue productiveness through time management and task prioritising. What do Apprentices Do? Given our focus on the three C s above, it s no surprise to find them shaping the layout of our programme. To help our apprentices to walk worthily, we provide mentorship. To help our apprentices think theologically, we provide training. To help our apprentices serve practically, we provide opportunities. The table below details some details (not all) regarding what apprentices do. AREA OF MINISTRY DRIVER Apprentices Will: Read the Bible and pray every day with their ministry mentor. INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP Meet weekly with a pastor to explore the personal, spiritual and missional elements of life as a follower of Jesus. Be involved in the life of pastors and their families to experience ministry in close quarters.

5 Study Bible handling in-house and via Proclamation Trust Resources. TRAINING FOR MINISTRY Attend selected local training workshops run by establishments like Edinburgh Theological Seminary. Enrol in tailored study specific to one s ministry pursuit and passion in keeping with your mentor s advice. Participate in a weekly RTG (Read To Grow) group, reading, critiquing and discussing books that are essential to ministry. Read and discuss a book a week with pastors. Prepare and deliver talks on texts from a range of bible genres in a range of ministry contexts (e.g. on Sundays, to men s ministry, youth). HANDS-ON MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT Serve in at least one ministry area in the life of the church (e.g. students, youth, children, internationals). Undertake a ministry project in an area allocated to them. Lead services. Attend weekly pastoral team meetings and biweekly Elders meetings. and more The Nuts & Bolts You Need to Know Here s what you need to know about the Ministry Apprentice at Charlotte Chapel: An apprentice Enters into a 1 year, Full-Time programme that runs from 1st September to mid July. Undertaking part-time work is not advised given the commitment to the programme and the flexible nature of local church ministry. Holiday allocation is in keeping with the pastoral team s annual leave plan. You receive 5 weeks holiday but there certain times in the year are restricted You will work 5½ days a week. It is a volunteer training position and therefore not salaried. All apprentices are required to sign a volunteer contract. Charlotte Chapel encourages apprentices to fund their apprenticeship by in a number of ways. Applying to grant making bodies like the Bonar Trust. Apprentices can apply for a grant of up to Seek prayer and financial support from your sending church, family and friends. Upon acceptance to the programme, you will be given a finance pack. You will be given a letter of endorsement from Charlotte Chapel that you can pass on to friends in order to garner their support. Every book assigned, every conference attended, every course studied is paid for by Charlotte Chapel. We pay all training costs. Applications are usually submitted between the end of October and the start of March. A successful applicant can usually expect to have their enrolment in the programme confirmed by 31st March.

6 Charlotte Chapel Charlotte Chapel is an independent evangelical church and part of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. Our building is situated in the centre of Edinburgh but our church is spread all over the city. On Sundays the church gathers to express our love for God and each other. We sit under the hearing of God s word so that we might grow to become more like Jesus. We seek to serve one another in love, building each other up in as many ways as we can. And we go out in the hope of spreading God s glorious fame in our city and to the nations. God has very graciously provided us with many things that make it a great place to engage in ministry training. We have a wide range of opportunities for service. Children s Ministry Youth Ministry Student Ministry International Ministry Men s Ministry Women s Ministry Evangelism We not only have a range of opportunities for service, we have a team of pastors who serve as mentors and examples. Paul Rees is the Lead Pastor. He s responsible for preaching, leadership and pastoral care. Liam Garvie is the Associate Pastor. He s responsible for preaching, discipleship and ministry training. Matt Round is the Assistant Pastor. He oversees the student ministry and is developing our church planting strategy. In addition, we have a Women s Ministry Co-ordinator, a Women s Pastoral Visitor, and 2 Pastor s In Training. Find out more by logging on to Why You Should Consider Gospel Ministry In Luke 10:2 Jesus looks out over a city full of lost people and sees an unparalleled need: a harvest without any harvesters. More labourers. That s what is needed. That s what Jesus calls people to pray for. We need gospel workers. We need more pastors, planters, missionaries to help equip the church for works of ministry and proclaim the gospel to the nations.

7 Jesus not only teaches us what is needed, he models what we should do. In Matthew 10:1-10, Jesus takes those he has trained and sends them out to do the same things they ve watched him do. He s multiplying ministry by training up gospel workers and sending them out into the harvest field. The same need exists today. Only 2% of people in Scotland today are bible-believing, gospel-centred, mission-oriented followers of Christ. We need to multiply ministry in this nation by training up and sending out gospel workers. Could you be one of them? Contact Us To find out more or to ask for an application form, contact the church office by info@charlottechapel.org Phone