BBS training options

Missional outreach

… reaching out for Christ in the 21st century

In a world that is in as much need of salvation today as ever before, we are often frustrated in our efforts to make inroads within our local communities. We might recognise that certain ideas are no longer as effective as once they seem to have been, but we can struggle to think of alternatives.

This training option re-examines the principle aims of our outreach and encourages local congregations to rethink strategy and priorities. It may not offer all the answers, but it will help to steer us in the right direction.


Back to basics

… revisiting basic Bible facts with a view to further study

There was a time when the people of God were known as a People of the Book. Modern distractions and busy lives have taken their toll and many of us are finding ourselves no longer as grounded in the basics as once we were.

Quickly building from the foundations upwards, this training option provides a useful reintroduction to Bible study with an opportunity to develop even further through our distance learning and extension class programmes.


Congregational growth

… spiritual growth and action within a community of believers

Most of us would like to be a part of a vibrant, healthy and active congregation, where things are happening and everyone feels a sense of purpose and belonging. For some that seems no more than a dream for it’s all too easy for things to grow stale and stagnate.

Our training sessions on congregational growth look at the reasons why things might not always be as they could be. A number of more specific areas can be explored including relationship, discipline and cultural issues. Participants are challenged to consider their own contribution and suggestions are put forward to help encourage effective planning for real growth.


Leadership

… if God’s people will advance they must be led by godly leaders

Is your congregation being led forward in the strength and grace of Christ? Does it have a shared understanding of its vision? Does each part know how vital it is to the working of the body as a whole?

Or is there no recognisable leadership, or maybe one that is struggling to understand its role and direction?

Leadership is such a vital part of any congregation or mission work. These training sessions introduce the Biblical basis of servant leadership and begin to explore a number of aspects of the lives and roles of both leaders and followers in the kingdom of God.


Good stewardship

… making the best use of congregational resources and facilities

God does not expect us to serve him using things he has not given to us, but he does expect us to use what we do have to his glory. Every congregation has resources that are not being used to their full potential – just think what might happen if they were!

This training option helps to explore ways of unlocking hidden potential within the local community of believers. We are encouraged to think of what we can do with what we have, rather than what we might do if we had something else.


Youth issues

… working with young people and the issues they face in todayʼs world

We don’t need to be experts to see that things are not the way they used to be. The youth of our day are growing up in a world that is, in so many ways, radically different from what has gone before. Previous generations may have faced similar challenges, but the context of a postmodern world changes everything.

If we are going to engage effectively with Generation Y and beyond, we need to understand what is going on. Along with coming to terms with changes in regulations and technology, we have much to take on board.


Praise and worship

… developing meaningful times of worship within the community

It may seem strange, but most of those who take a lead in worship every week have had little or no training in areas that are of crucial importance to the well-being of a congregation’s life of praise.

This training workshop addresses a wide area of practical matters in addition to exploring the very nature of our worship as a community of believers. From singing praises and meaningful prayer to reading Scripture and honouring the Word, Sunday need never be quite the same again!