Do you want to be better equipped in your Christian service but don’t have the time to study full-time? If so, then BroadBand may well be your answer to getting the kind of training you want that will fit into your lifestyle and give you the boost you are looking for. BroadBand is aimed for anyone who wants to equip themselves with a stronger biblical understanding and develop their leadership skills. The aim is to better equip individuals with the effect of better serving their local churches. It has been designed to draw people with mixed abilities and background and would be suitable for Elders, Deacons, Youth Leaders and Sunday School Teachers. The course will run monthly on Saturday mornings over two academic years and will be flexible for students to tailor their training according to their need and personal circumstances. The training sessions will comprise of six units and will cover Biblical Studies, Systematic Theology, Church History, Pastoral Studies, Preaching and Teaching and Leadership. Starting at 9.00 a.m. and located within the Middlesbrough area, these Saturday morning sessions will comprise of three 45-minute training modules and with breaks finish at 12.00 noon. This will minimise the use of ‘prime time’ and allow those with commitments in the evening and Lord’s Day to continue to do so. There will be some required reading and course work, the aim however is to keep mandatory work to a minimum and provide guidance for further work for those who wish to do so. One key aspect of the course is that each person who will act as a personal mentor who will typically be a Pastor or Teaching Elder. This ‘sponsor’ will help to guide and apply what is being taught to the local situation and also be a Barnabas – a Son of Encouragement!

BroadBand Programme  

Unit 1 Understanding the Bible - 15 sessions:

§  The Bible - it’s contents, authority and unity.
§  Old Testament – history and divine perspective
§  New Testament – history, inner reality and divine consummation Unit

2 Systematic Theology - 15 sessions:

§  The doctrine of God, The acts of God, The Doctrine of Man, The Person of Christ, The work of Christ, The Holy Spirit, Salvation, Predestination, The Last things, Baptism, The Lord’s Supper, The Doctrine of the Church its Nature and Members, The Ten Commandments and The Christian Life

Unit 3 Church History - 5 sessions:

§  Early Church, Middle Ages, Reformation and Puritan Period, The 18th Century and The 19th & 20th Centuries

Unit 4 Pastoral Studies - 5 sessions:

§  The definition of Pastoral Care, The challenges of suffering within the fellowship, Preparing and experiencing Christian marriage, Dealing with death and How to cope with difficult situations such as depression.

Unit 5 Teaching & Preaching - 10 sessions:

§  A mixture of lectures and workshops showing how to approach texts and recognise structures and themes. §  A study of book groupings - Epistles, Narrative, Wisdom, Gospels & Acts - including the place of The Law and OT Prophecy. Sermon preparation, bible helps and tools

Unit 6 Principles of Leadership- 10 sessions:

§  What are the spiritual qualities you need? Do you have them? Setting priorities. The dynamics of Christian Leadership – what is the job, how to work with people, mobilising members, coping with pressure & temptation and raising the next generation.

Send mail to paul@teesocs.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 09/24/08