The local church is the setting God has chosen to nurture and grow his people.
The local church is the best place in which Christian character is learned and refined, and it’s the best place to conduct real ministry among real people. So we also believe it is the setting in which people are best trained to serve others. Our aim at Cornhill is therefore not to create a separate setting for training, but to act as a servant body to local churches, a training service, so that many churches can partner together when it comes to training. Because Cornhill is a part-time course, the centre of gravity in every student’s week will be firmly focused on ministry in their own local church. Anything they learn will be shaped by this ministry, and can be put into practice through this ministry straight away.
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 — as students are given some role within the church’s life that involves regularly opening the Bible with others. Training should take place in community — and we think the primary context in which students grow in the likeness of Christ and are best equipped for ministry is in the local church.
