I’ve had the joy of being involved in theological education in the Republic of Ireland for over 25 years. We’ve seen hundreds of students complete courses and go on to serve the Lord in churches and ministries all over Ireland and beyond. 

But why go to Bible College? Sometimes people say to me that Bible College is unnecessary or even spiritually dangerous. I find such attitudes ill-informed because they show a lack of awareness of just how important and relevant good theological education is. 

So let me offer ten reasons why every Christian should consider Bible College and why every church leadership team should be actively encouraging their church members to go. These reasons aren’t theoretical – they come from years of experience and from talking to lots of students.

• Knowing and handling the Bible.

  The Bible is at the centre of our name and what we do. Students study the whole Bible and its overall story of God’s redemptive mission. They develop their ability to interpret and apply it to their own lives, mission, ministry and society. They learn skills that will influence others to engage well with the Bible. These skills are more essential than ever today with the Bible effectively an unknown book outside the church.

• Theological development.

  Everyone has a theology, whether they are aware of it or not. And ‘everything is theological’ – whether giving a children’s talk, praying, designing a new church building, agreeing a church budget, comforting a bereaved friend or going shopping. Theological education helps students develop their theological thinking and awareness. They discover great Christian thinkers of the past and present and learn to develop their own theological framework for life and ministry today.

• Learning with others.

  A student said to me this week that one of the best discoveries about ÐÓ°ÉPro was that she wasn’t just studying theology, she was learning within a welcoming and supportive community of Christians made up of teachers, students and staff. Learning happens best in and through conversation and friendship – and those friendships often last for life.

• Personal transformation.

  Character is by far the most important qualification for Christian ministry. A Bible College can’t ‘produce’ Christian character, but it can prioritise its importance in every aspect of college life and require students to learn to reflect self-critically from feedback from teachers and mentors. This can be a challenging process, but a powerfully transformative one. The goal is to help students develop in prayer, Christ-like servant leadership, humility and in listening to God and others.

• Gift development.

  It’s the Holy Spirit who gifts people for service, but a Bible College can help people discover and develop their God-given gifts. One of the most satisfying things as a teacher is to see a student flourish as they enhance gifts of leadership, teaching, preaching, pastoral care, writing, evangelism and so on.

• Word and World.

  We live in a complex, fast-changing world. Complex issues confront us in the news every day. Within the church questions are always arising and come up in ministry all the time. Few people have the time and resources to figure them out on their own. This is where Bible College education becomes invaluable. Students are taught by experts, are guided as to what to read and research and so become well equipped to help others think through such issues.

• Time.

  Life is busy. Most people squeeze in volunteer church ministry roles into tight schedules. Even those in full-time leadership positions have little space to study and develop their own thinking. That takes time. But it’s that sort of time that’s essential if you are to be well equipped for the demands of ministry and to influence others. A good way to see Bible College is as a wise investment of precious time: time to think; time to listen to God; time to learn; time to read; time to study; time to reflect; time to engage with others; time to develop vision for what God is calling you to in your own context. Time at Bible College is time well spent.

• Flexibility.

  If life is busy, it’s also complicated. Most of us have all sort of responsibilities that make finding the time and money to go College difficult. This is why at ÐÓ°ÉPro we have developed multiple pathways for students to study at undergraduate level: evening classes (Certificate), classes compressed into two days a week (Tuesdays & Wednesdays) and the ability to study with ‘On Site’ in person in ÐÓ°ÉPro or ‘On Zoom’ – taking classes from where you live. There are also full-time and part-time options.

• Enriching diversity.

  Some colleges and churches have programmes designed to make everyone think the same. But this isn’t really education. Again and again students tell me that one the greatest benefits of studying at ÐÓ°ÉPro is theological diversity (within this statement of faith). Diversity means that everyone does not think the same – and that’s a good thing. We learn from difference; we’re enriched by difference. It makes us better equipped to work with others in partnerships and fosters Christian unity.

• Irish Context.

  Every Christian has to live out their faith in a specific place at a specific time and in a specific context. Many of the challenges facing believers in 21st century post-Christendom Ireland are unique to Ireland. In other words, all theology is contextual and this is why all our courses are designed and taught with the Irish context in mind.

Patrick Mitchel.

Whatever the obstacle there is a way round it!

I live too far away from Dublin. You can now take our 1-year Certificate or 3 years Degree in Applied Theology at home on Zoom or on Site. Twin-track study is explained here.

I can’t afford the fees. Talk to us! Bursaries are now available for new students. Please contact us for details.Being able to study from home means significant savings in accommodation and travel if you’re not living within easy reach of ÐÓ°ÉPro.

I’d love to study but I don’t have the time. Our Certificate and BA can be taken part-time. You need one day a week (a Tue or Wed) plus c.8 hours or study time a week. Part-time study means you are able to keep working while studying. For full time it is 2 days a week in class (Tue & Wed) plus c.16 hours of study time. So the programme is very flexible.

I can only take one year out. The Certificate in Applied Theology is a university-recognised qualification. You can complete this first year of the BA degree and keep the door open to return to complete years 2 and 3 at a later date. This option may be of particular interest to students taking a gap year before college – why not spend a year building a quality biblical and theological foundation for whatever path lies ahead in life?

I don’t have the right qualifications to begin the course. The Certificate and BA have an ‘Associate Route’ entry. It enables you to join the course straight-away, you just have to pass first semester modules to be fully registered. Many students have used this route in to the programme with great success.

I’ve been out of study for a long time. Many of our students have returned to study and done very well. ÐÓ°ÉPro offers first-class student support and study skills – it is a big advantage of being a small college. Students get personalised support and care.

I’m not a theologian. Our courses in Applied Theology are designed to connect your learning to “Head, Hands and Heartâ€� in every module. ÐÓ°ÉPro is not dry and theoretical, it is a life-transforming experience! Click here and listen to stories of students who found their knowledge of God widening, their heart for service growing and their faith deepening through their study.

I’m not a leader. It’s our passion that every Christian is called to service, not only the church leader. So, whoever you are, male or female, younger or older, spending time in studying God’s Word is part and parcel of ‘fanning into flame’ your God-given gifting. Many of our students are already serving in some way in their local church. They are investing in a biblical and theological foundation that will bear fruit for the rest of their lives.

Can you tell us something about your background?

I grew up in Belfast and was very much a Belfast boy. My parents had been missionaries in Brazil before I was born. I'm the youngest of four siblings. I went to Methodist College and grew up in Berry St. Presbyterian in Belfast City Centre. So I grew up with good Bible teaching and was in the Crusader class and the Boys Brigade and all those things.

When did you leave Belfast and why?

I went to Cambridge to do my undergraduate degree and then came back. And by then I'd been going with my wife, my girlfriend as she was then, for a number of years. We got married in 1970 and I was teaching in Grosvenor High School, but wanted to go and do a PhD. So I went back to Cambridge for that. By then we were married, so we basically moved over to England. By then we were having children, so we kind of stayed on there after that. While I was doing my PhD in Old Testament studies, I was nudged by the church we were worshipping at (it was Church of England) to consider ordained ministry. That was why I ended up being ordained in the Anglican Communion through Ridley Hall; I finished my doctorate and was ordained in the same year, 1977. So that's kind of when we moved residentially away from Northern Ireland, but we still have family here in Ireland. 

It was soon after that you served India. Would you tell us about that? 

My wife and I went to India in 1983. That was at the invitation of the Union Biblical Seminary, which is in Pune, in the west of India. That was a fairly large evangelical seminary with about 300 students, most of them in training for either ordained pastoral ministry or for some kind of cross-cultural missionary work within India. I was teaching Old Testament at both BA and MA level. We were there for five years. We had a young family by then. We spent just over five years there. 

Can you tell us what the Langham Partnership is and why it matters? 

The name Langham comes from the street in London, where there's a church called All Souls Church in Langham Place. John Stott was the rector there. And I’d known John Stott personally since about 1978, when I was involved with the National Evangelical Conference on Social Ethics, because my PhD was in Old Testament ethics. John Stott got me involved with some of the biblical side of the studies for that. After we come back from India, John invited me to be one of the trustees of the Evangelical Literature Trust, which he had founded, which was getting books in the hands of pastors in the church of the majority world, in African, Asian, Latin America. So I was familiar with his ministries, and then in the year 2000 he asked if I would take on the leadership of the combination of the literature work that he was doing, and the scholarship work, Langham scholars, because they had combined to become the Langham Partnership, which has now been in existence as an organization since 2001

The Langham Partnership is concerned for the growth of the church outside the West, that is in the Global South Africa, Latin America, Asia, where the church is often growing, as John Stott often described it, in numbers with great evangelistic zeal but sometimes without depth of maturity and pastoral teaching, and biblical scholarship. The Langham Partnership has three “arms.â€� One is the Langham Scholars, which is offering funding for men and women to do PhDs who then returned to their country and teach in theological education. So it's trying to raise the standards of theological education. Then there's Langham Literature, which is not just providing books, but now facilitating the creation of good evangelical books written contextually by authors and writers in their own country, often in their own language. So Langham was really trying to increase the literature resources of the churches around the world. And then the third ministry program is Langham Preaching, which is trying to initiate movements, national movements, for inculcating the skills and motivation for preaching the Bible. And that's now operating in about 90 different countries around the world and has been going since 2002. So, those three ministries of scholars, literature and preaching combined together within the Langham Partnership and is now working multi nationally, and not just with the Anglican Church but with many different churches around the world. 

Would you say that the need now is as great now as it was 20 years ago? Or is it changed slightly? 

Both, in the sense that the need is still great. That is, there are still many parts of the world where the churches are what you might call spiritually very alive, but lacking in the kind of resources that we take for granted in the West, such as books and seminars and seminaries and teaching and training. And so, yes, there is a great material difference often between churches in the West and churches in the majority world. But having said that, I think the need in some ways, spiritually speaking, is almost reversed in that the church in the West, in some parts, certainly in Europe, and even in North America, are often either in decline, or they are spiritually struggling with issues of syncretism and idolatry and all the challenges of the Western church. And in many ways, the life and the vigour and now, increasingly, the theological depth of the global church is coming from the majority world, from the global south where are some very fine, mature, experienced African and Asian Latin American scholars, writers, theologians. One of the things that Lanham seeks to do is to give them voice, not just voice in their own context, but to enable their voice to be heard in the Western Church. So, for the last 10 years or so Langham has been publishing majority word authors and enabling their books to be known and received and read in the West, in western theological colleges and seminaries, so that we recognize there is a global church. So yes, there's a material need there, but there is a spiritual need here. I think there's something quite biblical about being able to be reciprocal in that way and to recognize that we need one another. Langham sees itself very much as a conduit or a vehicle by which the voice and the life and the theology of the majority world church can help to refresh and revive, in many cases, the Western Church. 

Your role in Langham has given you some unique insight into the church worldwide. Are there particular things that we in the Western church can learn from the Church in the majority world? 

Yes, I think we have a lot to learn from one another. I think one of the things that you see when you go to the churches in the global south is that they have learned how to suffer with joy, which is a New Testament concept. It's exactly what you read in 1st Peter and Paul's letters. And in many cases, these are churches that exist where Christians are not the majority. And so they're living either with overt persecution, or as a minority community with misunderstanding and a degree of ostracism and inferiority. In many ways, they have learned through the generations to live with the expectation that suffering is a normal part of Christian experience. And in the West, we've got so used to Christianity being a comfortable add-on to an otherwise pretty unchanged lifestyle. People may think, oh, you're a Christian, well, that's interesting, but not particularly threatening in any way to society, although that's beginning to change. I think as Western culture becomes more and more not just un-Christian, but sometimes quite anti-Christian in the public sphere, where to be a Christian is almost now a disqualification for some forms of public service, or where Christians lose their job because they offered to pray for someone, I think we may have to learn, well, others have lived with that for a long time.

I think also that the church in the majority world often exist within cultures which have not yet been poisoned by the kind of functional atheism of Western post-enlightenment, humanistic culture where God is pretty well irrelevant in the public arena. And so they are in cultures where there is still, as it were, a ‘god box’ in the public mind, even if it's not what we might call the God who is worshipped by Christians, the God of the Bible, but there is an awareness of the transcendent and an awareness of the supernatural. And so Christians in the majority world believe that God is God, and God works miracles, and God is powerful, and God can overcome all sorts of things. There is a much more direct experience of the power of God, which we've often lost in the West. And sometimes they come to our western cultures and they bring that with them and we get a bit shocked and surprised at the things they do. And some of them may be a bit off beam, and you may get a bit concerned. But nevertheless, it comes from people who have actually learned to believe in the power of the living God. And there's something very refreshing about that, which we may need to learn from as well, and to recapture that sense of the truth of the gospel, and the power of the gospel, to change people's lives and to impact culture in a way which we've somewhat lost. 

Chris, why does theological education matter? 

I think the importance of a place like ÐÓ°ÉPro, as of any institute of theological education, lies within the Great Commission, where Jesus says, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son of the Holy Spirit. So that presupposes evangelism, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. So the teaching function of the church is a mission or function, it's part of the missionary role of the church is to teach the truth and to teach people to understand the gospel and to grow in the knowledge of God, which Paul prays for the Colossian church when he says, I pray, that your minds, your hearts to be opened, you understand the will and plan of God, and that you're growing in the knowledge of God. And a church that is not growing in knowledge as well as growing in numbers will eventually shrink again, because they've got nothing really to offer to the world if there's no depth of understanding of the Bible, of the story that we're in, or the truth of the gospel, and why Christian theology actually matters. So that's the first thing I'd say that it is a theological education is part of the Great Commission. It's not extra, it's actually part.

I think the second thing I'd say is that the Bible as a whole tells us that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength. And the word heart in Hebrew, which in the New Testament becomes the word mind, means that we are called to love God with our minds. So we should be able to think for God as well as pray and evangelize and do everything else. And interestingly, the apostle Paul says that he engages in spiritual warfare, that's the language he uses in Corinthians. But what does he mean by spiritual warfare, he says, we are taking captive every thought for Christ. It's an intellectual warfare, for which I don't mean, academic in some obscure sense. But we need to recognize that, as Christians, we live within the Bible story of the God who is the creator, the reality of the fall and sin, the story of redemption and the future hope of new creation -  and that is a different story from the story of our Western culture, which for the last 300 years has been dominated by the myth of human progress, of science and technology being the answer to everything and that we as human beings can solve our own problems. And so God becomes functionally unnecessary and redundant in the public arena. Now, that whole worldview is a different story. It's, in a sense, idolatrous, because it exalts human reason and human power to be God. And so it is important that people in a theological institution like ÐÓ°ÉPro are not only taught as it were to believe the Bible as if that is something that you just add on to your culture, but to believe the Bible as that which enables you to recognize the idolatry of our culture, to understand your culture from within, to realize what is there and to realize that the gospel needs to confront that culture, to recognize what is good and positive, because science and technology come from God, they're God's good gifts. So you acknowledge God's presence within the culture, but you also learn to discern what is of the evil one, what is idolatrous, what is anti the gospel, and then to be able to relate the gospel intelligently to people who think like that, and say, well, this is how we think. And so the importance of theological education is very, very important, I think, for the church, to be able to do what Paul says, to engage in that spiritual warfare of the mind and the heart. This is not to suggest that people are converted simply by being convinced in their heads because God has to change the hearts as well. But we need to go for both. And so we need Christians who are able to think through the gospel and present it in a way which will then be understood and relate to the culture that people are in. So theological education is missional; it's engaging culture. And I think it's crucially important that we give it the attention and the resources and the encouragement that it needs.

March 17th, is the feast day of St. Patrick, a saint who is celebrated widely not just in Ireland but in many other countries around the world. It is a day of celebration that is marked by parades, bands, music, costumes, green lights, and alcohol. Yet behind all these celebrations is the story of an ordinary man who faced an extraordinary mission: to bring the Christian faith to the pagan Irish almost sixteen centuries ago. The outcome was one of the most notable success stories of the early Church, one that resulted not only in the Irish being converted to the faith, but them becoming missionaries of the faith themselves.  

Patrick composed at least the two short works which still survive. These are known as his Confessio or Confession and His Letter to Coroticus. These are the oldest texts, in any language, written in Ireland that have survived. Patrick is the only individual from ancient Roman Britain that we truly get to know, simply on account of his authorship of these works. Secondly, he is the only citizen of the late Roman Empire to have been taken prisoner by raiders and sold into slavery, who lived to tell his story.

From his Confession we know that Patrick was born and raised somewhere in Britain. We know he was captured as a slave at 16yrs old and he spent six years as a captive in Ireland. He escaped and returned to the land of his birth. He then returned to Ireland and preached the Gospel for around 30yrs until his death in AD 461.

During the 6 years as a slave Patrick learned the language of the Irish people and was sensitive to the culture. Patrick got to know Irish ways and grew to love the Irish people. This was obviously indispensible to his missionary efforts. He did not ride in on a white horse as an outsider bringing a foreign salvation; he came to the Irish as one who had spent the time becoming one of them. His ministry was marked by evangelizing, preaching and teaching. It is thought that thousands of Irish came to faith in Christ.  Patrick’s evangelistic results were solidified and established through his own work and the people that followed him.

History testifies that Patrick’s efforts began a chain of events that not only led to the Christianization of Ireland but to the arrival of Irish missionaries into mainland Europe. Missionaries including the monastic saints Columbanus (c. 540-615) and Malachy (1094-1148) who brought key elements of Christian faith that promoted ecclesial and social unity, which were absorbed by cultures in a way that fostered education, virtue, and basic human rights. This was the legacy of these Irish men and women of courage, and it originated with Patrick, their father in faith. For this reason, St. Patrick is celebrated not just by the Irish but by churches around the world, who thank God for the gift of faith received by their Irish ancestors, who brought the faith to other cultures and peoples after the example of Patrick himself. What the story of Patrick teaches us with renewed force and effect is simply that Christian mission matters. On his feast day, we remember Saint Patrick and give thanks for what God achieved through him. May we never doubt the wonders God continues to do in our own day through men and women who share Patrick’s passion.

On 11th January we hosted our first postgraduate seminar on Zoom where two of our Masters graduates each gave a 20-minute presentation of the findings from their dissertations. There was a question-and-answer time after each presentation. Mariana Passos explored practices that can help Christians stay connected with God and with the body of Christ during the Covid pandemic. Paul Bowman’s presentation focused on various self-care practices and support strategies that may aid leaders serving in churches in Ireland. 

The seminar was a great success and very well attended by past and present MA students and teachers. It provided a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their dissertation research with a wider audience. The feedback we received afterwards was very encouraging and positive.

Learn more about God’s redemptive story and your place within it

The ultimate source of Christian theology is the Bible. Therefore the Bible is (or should be) central to all Christian ministry and all theological education. So far, so obvious - I teach at a Bible Institute after all.

But what do we mean when we say the Bible is central to Christian training?

When I started out teaching, I assumed that the ‘right’ way to introduce students to the highpoints of Christian theology was in systematic categories. Isn’t that what most evangelical statements of faith do? - a series of bullet point summaries of what is believed about God, Scripture, Man, Jesus, Spirit, the future and so on. But after trying this for a while I (and I think the students) felt increasingly something was missing.

Now of course this might just have been the teaching (!) but it felt too much like a series of disconnected topics. It also felt too much like the purpose of the exercise was primarily to ‘know’ the ‘right’ information and so the content became too much about ‘us’ – defining ‘our’ theology. The biggest problem was that there did not seem to be much connection to mission and discipleship – the heart of the Christian life.

I’d better throw in two clarifications here! I believe in the importance of right doctrine and the supreme authority of Scripture. But over time I’ve come to love and appreciate the Bible more and more as one great all-embracing narrative with Jesus Christ at the centre of the story. And the purpose of that story is not given to us just as interesting information, but for personal and corporate transformation. The Bible tells the (true) story of universal history. Its opening chapter begins with creation and its closing chapter ends with new creation. In between, we are given the story of Israel which, after many twists and turns, culminates in the promised saviour.

Jesus is the ‘shocking’ Messiah no-one expects: a crucified man who is also creator, judge and resurrected Lord of both Jews and Gentiles, before whom every knee will bow (Phil 2:10). Too often we reduce this story down to Jesus as my personal saviour. While this is true for every believer, on its own it individualises the gospel and narrows the Bible story to be ‘all about me’. This is why I have re-shaped my teaching to a more narrative shape. This changes how we ‘do’ theology profoundly. It is the Bible asking questions of us. It puts us and our narrow concerns off centre and in their proper place within the flow of God’s work in the world, and taking our (small) place within the story of God’s people (more of that in a moment).

The more you read the Bible this way, the more all the great doctrines of the Christian faith – such as justification by faith, sin and salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the mission of the church, the future hope - make sense. I want students to ‘get’ the biblical storyline, and how the myriad of sub-plots fit within the redemptive mission of the triune God. This draws them in afresh to that story and their place of serving the Lord within the story of their own lives. And that’s one of the most satisfying and exciting things to see happen in someone’s life.

See your whole life as a calling to participate in God’s mission within God’s people

But there is more to Theology than even this. It’s also exciting to see students ‘get’ how intimately the gospel is connected to God’s choice of a people to bear his name. In other words, understanding the Bible as a narrative connects individual faith with the mission of the church.

This goes against the grain of our individualised, consumerist, Western culture where, even for Christians, church becomes an ‘optional extra’ to ‘my’ faith. But the Bible will have none of this. The identity and mission of each individual Christian is to be worked out within the role given to the church within the mission

of God. It is an incredible privilege and high calling to be invited by God’s grace to join in with others in his redemptive work in the world! How many job offers like that do you get in a lifetime?

This leads to how good theological training is taught and lived out with others in a local church community. A goal of going to Bible College is therefore far more than mere academic progress; it should help to equip and train students to preach, teach, do pastoral care, evangelism, lead, listen, and model a life of service to Jesus alongside other brothers and sisters within the family of God, wherever exactly God has placed them (Eph. 4:11-13).

Being transformed by the Spirit to love God, love others

A third theme is how God’s primary agenda for students, and for every Christian, is personal transformation into the likeness (image) of his Son (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor.3:18). As Jesus both taught and demonstrated, love is both the motive and the practical form of a truly Christian life. Love is the primary result of the

Spirit’s transforming presence. It is love alone which is eternal (1 Cor. 13:13) and without love all Christian ministry is a waste of time (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Love is most supremely demonstrated at the cross of Christ and gives shape to all Christian ministry (1 Cor. 9): it is not about the self – our own agendas and ambitions and achievements, but about loving and serving others for whom Christ died (1 Cor. 8:11). And for many Christians globally, sacrificial love leads to suffering.

So it has become clearer and clearer to me over the last 20 years that love is the first and most essential ‘mark’ of authentic Christian ministry. It is why ‘character’ or ‘Christian maturity’ is in Scripture the primary ‘qualification’ for any ministry. This is why the relational track record of someone in life and ministry is of primary importance, not just a footnote at the bottom of their CV. Therefore any form of theological education that does not place a high importance on Christian character is failing to do its job.

Conclusion

• Understanding the Bible

• knowing your true identity and calling

• joining with others in serving the risen Lord

• participating in God’s mission to redeem this broken world whatever the cost

• being transformed, head, heart and hands, to love God and love others – this is what going to Bible College is all about.

  It’s a dangerous business – might God be daring you to give it a try?

Patrick Mitchel.

In these isolating ‘grey’ pandemic days there have been few opportunities to come together with others simply to celebrate something. So Saturday 6 November was an especially joyful day for staff, teachers, students and their families as we took part in a double graduation for the classes of 2020 and 2021 in the Riasc Centre in Swords. There was much virtual hugging and conversation behind masks as people met each other again. It was a delight to welcome back Jonathan Schuster as guest speaker, accompanied by his wife Becky, our former librarian. Students graduated with ÐÓ°ÉPro Foundation Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, BA Degrees and MA Degrees in Applied Theology. Robes were worn, stories were told, songs were sung, prayers were said, the Word was spoken, and God was worshipped. All in all a wonderful day and a highlight of the year reminding us of what the hard work of study, teaching and learning is all about: lives transformed – heart, head and hands in the service of Jesus Christ and his church.­­­

You can see Graduation highlight photos  here

MA Graduate

"I've thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience and especially the fellowship with staff and fellow students at ÐÓ°ÉPro, that was one of the things I've valued most.  Not only were the times in class inspiring, challenging and rewarding they were also deeply enriching and encouraging and something I looked forward to immensely.

I found the research process to be deeply rewarding and working on my project was one of the most rewarding endeavours I've ever undertaken. 

Studying with ÐÓ°ÉPro has been one of the highlights of my life and ministry.  I know I'm a better leader and a better disciple because of it... all is grace! "

Paul Bowman

Students share their experiences of studying Applied Theology at ÐÓ°ÉPro

(From the July - September 2021 issue of VOX)

Lorita Hamer - Dungarvan, Waterford

As Pastor of Dungarvan Christian Church as well as being a wife and mother, Lorita Hamer could not even consider studying at the ÐÓ°ÉPro until the pandemic forced learning to be “On Zoomâ€�. But after studying part time for her first year, she is determined to finish her degree in Applied Theology.

I studied youth ministry, pastoral care, Old Testament and the life and ministry of Jesus. And because of Covid, I’ve been able to use everything I learnt. In the past, I would have had other people in the church helping out with youth ministry but one person from Italy left to return home and our youth leader was on furlough in America and couldn’t get back to Ireland. I ended up having to use everything I was learning about youth ministry as I was learning it.

We had a two-day retreat “On Zoom� and that was really important too, especially as leaders to have that time of quiet with God. It was a reminder to watch out for ourselves as we are trying to care for others.

Studying the Old Testament overview helped with a lot of questions I would have previously struggled with. It helped me understand the different viewpoints and gave me peace with not having to have all the answers.

Studying in Ireland means I’ve been able to get to know people from other denominations and churches. It is not just about getting a degree. There is a richness and depth to building relationship with one another. It brings a sense of unity and a focus on the Kingdom of God.

Students share their experiences of studying Applied Theology at ÐÓ°ÉPro

(From the July - September 2021 issue of VOX)

Richard Walker - Foxford, Co Mayo

As a carpenter and farmer in Mayo, Richard Walker opted to take some time out to study for his BA in Applied Theology. He has just completed his second year studying at ÐÓ°ÉPro.

I work in carpentry as my full time job. A few years ago, I took a year out to study at ÐÓ°ÉPro and then this last year I decided to do the second year. It was great to be able to do it â€�On Zoom.â€� I’m from Mayo so going do Dublin means spending nine hours travelling each week.

It is great to dig into the word of God and see His promises for you. I loved the module with Phil Kingsley about mission in contemporary Ireland. We are all on mission. It is not just left to an elite few. It is about changing our mindset and purposefully praying to meet people. Even last week, I was on a carpentry job in Sligo and I got chatting to somebody. We ended up talking for half an hour about God.

One highlight for me was studying Irish church history. It was so interesting and Mimi Kelly brings out so much. I really enjoyed that. It was great to learn about St. Patrick and his writings - I had never heard that before.

I go to the Elim Church in Castlebar and one Christmas Day I was asked to do a talk at the Carol Service. ÐÓ°ÉPro gave me the confidence to do that. I would encourage anyone who feels led to take that step of faith. The first time I was nervous but I have enjoyed all my time. The lecturers are really good; they want to help you do well. It is great place to study and to build your faith.

Students share their experiences of studying Applied Theology at ÐÓ°ÉPro

(From the July - September 2021 issue of VOX)

Daniel Edewor - Dublin

Twenty-two year old Daniel Edewor has just completed his final assignment for a BA in Applied Theology with ÐÓ°ÉPro. He is excited about how he can apply his studies as one of the team leading Expectation Church - a new CCI gathering established during lockdown.

I wanted to start Bible School straight after Leaving Cert. but I decided to do a Post Leaving Cert course first. I have a friend who is a pastor in the United States. He invited me over to serve in his church, to help out and to learn more about ministry. It was during that experience of serving alongside the youth group and young adult ministry that I knew this was something I wanted to pursue. I sent my mum the application form and she sent it in for me and I started the BA in September 2018.

Studying at ÐÓ°ÉPro has been an amazing experience. The teaching and the curriculum are phenomenal. It is great to be given tools to serve the church and serve people in a high capacity. My favourite module was Ministry and Personal Development - learning how to develop as a leader and as a person. Even if I was never to step into a pastoral position, this gave me the tools for self-reflection and critical analysis to enable me to understand where I am at and what I need to do. I feel like I am a lot more self aware and that is a huge thing, no matter what stage of life you are at. It is something money can’t buy.

As someone who is helping out with a new church, it is good to be able to understand the different tools and methods that are needed in different seasons. Pastoral care and intentionality are very important for us right now at Expectation Church. We are trying to build a community and a place that people feel they can call home.

Going Deeper

Students share their experiences of studying Applied Theology at ÐÓ°ÉPro

(From the July - September 2021 issue of VOX)

Helen Donaghy - Sligo

CEF worker Helen Donaghy never imagined she would have time to study theology. But all that changed when ÐÓ°ÉPro began offering first-year students the opportunity to study “On Zoomâ€� during lockdown.

Until 2019, I was caring for my mother-in-law and working alongside my husband, Brian in youth and children’s ministry with CEF. I’ve been a Sunday School teacher since I was 14 years old but I never felt confident in teaching the Bible. When Covid came, so much of our work was stripped away. With time on my hands, I did a short theology course with Cornhill in Belfast. It made me so hungry. I felt God saying, “I want you to delve into this more.â€� I came across ÐÓ°ÉPro and this was the first year they were offering a certificate in Applied Theology via Zoom. Because I’m from Sligo, I would not have had the time to travel up and down to Dublin to study. But with the “On Zoomâ€� learning, I could take two days out of my week.

I felt so encouraged by what I learned. I’ve now been released to do the part-time degree - one day a week for the next four years. I’m so happy about that! The course has been a huge help. I have more confidence in how to interpret the scriptures. They cover leadership, pastoral care, and ministry development. You do a lot of personal reflection and learn a lot about yourself.

ÐÓ°ÉPro helped me understand the Bible so much better. When studying the Old Testament I felt like I was one of the little people on Google maps - it becomes so real that you feel like you are right there, looking around you and seeing the different characters and the environment in which they lived. Another thing that came to life for me was Jesus’ humanity. I’ve been brought up in church and I’ve always known the divinity of Jesus. But I realised how the pain He experienced was as real as it is to us. He allowed himself to go through everything we do. You can grow up having a blinkered view of things. When you come to college your mind is opened up. I have so much more to learn. I don’t think I will ever stop learning. I’m not an academic person. I never thought I would get excited at the thought of doing assignments but because it is God’s word and it is living and active, it feels exciting.

Going Deeper

David Duignan - Trim, Co Meath

As a full-time heating engineer, the father of young children and a leader in his local church, David Duignan does not have much time to spare. But he describes the one day a week he dedicates to studying part-time for a BA in Applied Theology as “invaluable�.

I run my own business, my wife is working and we have two children in school. Yet you can find time for what is important and this is important. ÐÓ°ÉPro is not just for academics. The course helps people develop in their personal life and ministry at grassroots level. All of us should have some sort of ministry. I came to faith through watching an American preacher on YouTube. He said, “Don’t take my word for it...â€� So I bought a Bible on Amazon and read it through twice! The Word of God is compelling and the desire to preach and teach has been with me since I was first saved. We did a module on communication, which really helped for preaching. The Biblical Interpretation module gives you the tools to be able to read God’s Word and to know where you are. You come out feeling well fed but wanting to know more and with a load more questions.

Students share their experiences of studying Applied Theology at ÐÓ°ÉPro

(From the July - September 2021 issue of VOX)

ON SITE or ON ZOOM

 ON SITE means in person classes in ÐÓ°ÉPro.

The teacher and students will be in classes in ÐÓ°ÉPro – we expect this to be the case from this Autumn. We are very much looking forward to all the life and conversations and learning that is sparked by being together.

ON ZOOM means that students will also have the option to access those classes from wherever they are in Ireland and even beyond. 

The new thing here is how both ON SITE and ON ZOOM students will be able to study simultaneously together in the one class.

We are investing in technology over the summer in quality sound and cameras. The result will be that students ON ZOOM will be able to participate fully in the class and group discussions.

We are also investing in more online E-Resources so that all students will have excellent access to all the academic resources they need from wherever they are studying. 

There are at least three reasons we are launching ÐÓ°ÉPro LIVE 

1. ÐÓ°ÉPro LIVE has come out of our experience over the last year of the Coronavirus pandemic. Both teachers and students have learnt a lot. Learning via Zoom has gone much better than we expected. We have seen how high quality teaching and learning can happen remotely. And we want to build on this experience 

2. ÐÓ°ÉPro LIVE will enable students who for work, location or family reasons cannot get to Dublin. We have always said we want to be an IRISH BIBLE INSTITUTE – not a Dublin institute. This opens up quality training to individuals and churches from all over Ireland and beyond. 

3. ÐÓ°ÉPro LIVE will enable students to study via that track all the way through to DEGREE LEVEL  - this is a new option

May is shaping up to be a full month with finishing assignments and classes and a few events that are scheduled for the month. You can check these out below.

Video stories from our students below

At this time of year we are busy recruiting new students for the coming year. Normally (not in a pandemic) we would be in ÐÓ°ÉPro getting the students on video to talk about their experience of studying at ÐÓ°ÉPro. However, this year our students videoed themsleves from their homes or locality and sent them into us. They did a great job.

Niall Moore

Niall tells us about his remote learning experience.

There are plenty of other stories on our website here

Open Day May 15th

This is a Live Zoom event starting at 10.00am

The session will last approximately an hour. You will meet our Director of Learning, Patrick Mitchel, along with other ÐÓ°ÉPro teachers and staff.

Past students will share their experiences of studying at ÐÓ°ÉPro.

There will be a Q&A session where you can ask any questions you have about ÐÓ°ÉPro and its courses.

The Open Day is free but registration is required for the Zoom link.

The Story of the Church review

Our 4 week live Zoom short course on the Story of the Church with John Woodside went very well.

Here is a sample of the feedback.

“I have a better understanding of how the church has been developed over years. Also, it helps to clarify questions that I have for quite a while when reading the Bible or being questioned by people. It is always good to have short courses like this. Hope there will be more in future. I would recommend to the people who are curious and wanting to learn more.�

“This course was a real eye opener to me as I had never studied the topic before. John giving the course was excellent and easy to listen to. My only complaint is the two hours seem to go too quickly. I would highly recommend it.�

Our next Short course

Developing Small groups

Joan and Steven Singleton will be leading this live Zoom short course over four Monday evenings in May.

Learn More

Our next Online course Christian Caring

This online course is designed to help you think biblically about the role of the church as a caring community and how we play our part in that. We will spend time exploring foundational principles for Christian caring and will think through some specific issues.

Learn More

Preparing to Preach Galatians

We are delighted that Craig is able to join us on Zoom for

Preparing to Preach the Book of Galatians

Tuesday 18th May

2.30pm to 5.30pm

The event is designed for preachers/teachers, but anyone is welcome.

Learn more

Friends and Supporters live Zoom event

May 25th

8:00pm - 9:00 pm (Dublin time)

Come and hear from the students and staff about their experiences over the past months.

Find out more

Annual Appeal update

We are grateful for the response we have had to this.

Our final total is â‚¬43,000.

Please keep praying with us that our God will provide the finances we need.

Donate

Please pray for

• student recruitment; we'd love as many students as possible for September and we have an number "open day" events going on

• students (both on the BA and MA) as they come to end of their course and think about the future; there are, of course, assignments and deadlines to navigate

• a good end to the academic year (still on Zoom)

• preparations and plans for next year (with an option for students to connect to in-person lectures via Zoom from September)

• the events listed above

• finances, that God would meet our need for the rest of this year

• the staff team, that we would have a good end to the year and be able to keep on operating in "pandemic" mode.

This is a talk given to the ÐÓ°ÉPro student body and staff at the beginning of semester 2 (Jan 2021). By Joan Singleton

We are living in unusual and difficult times: there are a lot of restrictions and a lot of uncertainty. I want us to think about how we live in these days.

I have based this talk around a sentence that I have been thinking about in Psalm 62:

We face these days honestly together with God

1. We face these days together.

We need each other. Isolation can be a dreadful thing. One of the worst forms of torture that, sadly, is still used in places today is solitary confinement. One of the worst things some people are facing today is being on their own or feeling that they are on their own.

I listened recently to a talk by a clinical psychologist about stress. He had several headings, and the key one was “Connect!� He said that it is very important that we feel part of something that is bigger than ourselves. The Bible tells us that we are part of the body of Christ, we are not alone. And it is important that we give active expression to that by being actively involved in church whatever way that is functioning at the minute. We need to keep in touch with people. If we are feeling isolated we may need to take the initiative and make contact with someone. We are not facing these days alone; we face them honestly together with God.

2. We face these days together with God.

God is with us and can enable us to face any circumstance as we trust him. We have normally lots of good things in our lives and a lot of freedom and activities and that is good. But there is a danger that we can let things, activities and even people be a substitute for knowing God or our knowing God can become a bit second hand, coming from other people. Our relationship with God needs to be personal, real and active each day. I have never starved myself because I like food so much, but I know that I have starved myself spiritually at times and then wondered why I felt so dry spiritually and so distant from God.

At the beginning of Psalm 62, we read,

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.�

But then interestingly in v. 5, the psalmist is encouraging himself to take action,

“Find rest O my soul, in God alone.�

At times we need to encourage ourselves to live what we know to be true.

I had a very vivid picture of this in the summer. We had a plant growing up our back wall that was not flowering. We decided to get rid of it, so we cut the stems just above the roots. By the next day, the leaves had wilted and after a few days, it was easy to pull the plant off the wall because it died. The strength came from the roots and we cut off the connection to the source of life for the plant. Do you get the picture? We cannot live for God, authentic real lives that show him to others, if we don’t keep connected to the source – God himself, and all the sources of nourishment that he has provided. We face these honestly together with God.

3. We face it honestly together with God.

Psalm 62:8 says,

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.�

Trusting God and pouring out our hearts to him when we are finding these days tough are not opposites!!

As well as being honest with God we need to have people we can be honest with, who will let us talk and say what we are finding hard.

This also means that we need to be listeners who really listen and do not prevent people from talking with what we think is reassurance but is little more than telling people that we don’t really want to hear. If someone is really worried about something, telling them that they do not need to worry is not reassuring. It is just telling them that they shouldn’t be worried, which, of course, will not stop the worry but will stop them from being able to talk about it.

Honesty with God and with others is very important in these days.

4. We face these days honestly together with God.

Not only do we need to be honest with others, but we also need to be honest with ourselves and reflect on what we are learning in these days. If we just wish every day wasn’t a day in lockdown, we can miss the good things and the opportunity in these days to get to know God and to get to know ourselves better. It is really important to face what you are feeling and what you are finding really difficult and think about why. We can all fill our lives, our minds, our ears, our hearts with things, even good things, and ignore important things God wants to show us.

I have learned that sometimes when something is really bothering me or there is something I don’t want to think about I have gone shopping and bought something to make me feel better. Now for me looking around shops is a good way of relaxing and I am not saying that we shouldn’t buy new things. But if I am buying myself something that I don’t need as an avoidance of something that I need to face, then that is not good.

In order to help us face these days, it is important that we plan good things into our weeks: I have some practical suggestions below

Do we just want to go back to pre Covid ways of living? For me, I hope I have learned some things and that some of the changes will stay. Let us not miss the opportunity this time is giving us to learn and to grow. It is a great time to take a step back and evaluate our attitudes and practices. Why do we do what we do? Why do we think in the ways that we do?

Something that really helps us to face these days is to look for things every day to be thankful for. Before the pandemic came I watched an RTE programme about stress. One of the participants went for counselling sessions and one of the main bits of advice she was given was this: get yourself a notebook and every night when you are going to bed write in it three things that you are thankful for. It could be a direct quotation of Phil 4! Being thankful to our God can help us begin to get our lives in perspective.

 Here are some practical tips for these strange days; they have been grouped together in broad themes

1. Structure
Keep a structure in your days (and weeks); this is important for children as well.

Try to make the weekends different in some way, for example, activities you do, what you eat, even where you walk.

2. Rest 

Find ways to keep work and home life separate.
Try to stick to similar work hours; turn work screens off.

Take time away from digital devices.

3. Exercise
Get regular exercise and vary what you do: walking, cycling, YouTube exercises, dancing, home workouts.

4. Beauty
Deliberately look at and take pleasure in God’s creation: look at the sky, listen to birds singing, watch spring flowers grow, etc.

5. Creativity
Try a new skill or hobby or interests or develop existing ones.
Make something or grow something: baking (yes, even pandemic banana bread!), cooking (try some new recipes, ready for all the visitors you are going to have in the future!), crafts, woodwork, etc.
Rearrange the furniture!!  (my husband says there is only so much of this you can do!)

Paint a room (again!).

6. Laughter
Read or watch something that you know will make you laugh.

7. Community
Get to know your neighbours (socially distanced, of course).
Keep in contact with others; take initiative to do this.
Have people with whom you can be honest with and be honest.

8. Perspective and aims
Have realistic aims for the day, week, month: things you want to do, read, watch, clean, make, people to contact. 

If you are not working, try doing things you have been meaning to, for example, sorting the photos, tidying the shed/attic, etc. 

Try not to think or look too far ahead; there is “enough grace for each day.�

Avoid "doomscrolling" (a pandemic word); Wikipedia defines it as "consuming a large quantity of negative online news at once."
Be careful how much news you watch and listen to; once or twice a day may be enough. And make sure you get your news from a trusted source; social media is not a trusted source for news.

9. Our walk with God
Take this time as an opportunity to get to know yourself better and to get to know God better and grow with him.
Be grateful for church; it makes Sunday different!!     

Practice active gratitude - Col 3:17

Each year at the end of term the staff and students get together to have a Christmas Carol Service. As with all events in this year of Covid we held it on Zoom.

We spent a wonderful evening on Zoom recently with supporters and friends of ÐÓ°ÉPro hearing from students on how they are managing through this year to maintain impact in their ministries despite a global pandemic. Below is a short video of Joan Singleton interviewing Rachael Davison, MA student who lives in Europe.

One of our guests sent us this feedback from the evening;

"Well done on the organisation and delivery which was really crisp; we felt you created a very welcoming and purposeful event. What came across very strongly to us was that the study of theology is not an 'ivory tower' experience. On the contrary, the students (and a happily diverse range of students they were) gave a very clear account as to how their study at ÐÓ°ÉPro has, and is, positively affecting their ministry and witness.

In our break-out room, which was chaired very effectively by Grace Campbell, it was also good to get a feel for the reach and effectiveness of less formal online learning. Indeed, it would seem that ÐÓ°ÉPro is very well placed to create a micro-credentialing structure which could benefit both learners and the Institute."

We will be planning similar future events in the New Year.