What am I going to do next year?

Here are some opportunities!

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the hope of the world – are you playing your part?

In our time, the church in the West faces challenges on a number of fronts – our culture is rapidly moving away from its Christian foundations, and the Christian faith seems increasingly irrelevant and ineffective to many.

The good news though is that God hasn’t given up on his Church! The Bible tells us that we are God’s chosen means to reveal his ways to the world. In the words of Bill Hybels, in his book Courageous Leadership: “The local church is the hope of the world”.

In our generation, God is calling his church to rise up and take his message to the world in word and deed. This is a challenge from him to all of us! Wherever we are we need to be giving ourselves to growing in our knowledge of him as part of his community in the world, that we might demonstrate his light to the world.

For some of us this might mean taking time out of work or study to give ourselves more fully to this process of growth for a period, so that we can be more effective for God wherever he might send us. As Oxfordshire Community Churches, we want to help anyone who wants to be trained to serve God better, whether in the church, in the workplace, at home or in the community, because we believe that this is an essential part of how we can fulfil God’s call to share his hope in the world.

That’s what YearTeams, The Apprentice Programme, and King’s Bible College and Training Centre are all about: different tools that God can use to train you for his purpose. Obviously, these different ‘packages’ will all cover similar ground – character discipleship, theological training, passion for Jesus, leading others, etc. – but they have a different focus and method.

Have a look at the different options available and pray about what God might have you do to become more of a radical disciple who will go and make a difference in the world, wherever you go, leading and influencing others with the message of the Kingdom!

occ:training is a ministry of oxfordshire community churches | www.occ.org.uk

bringing people to Jesus | making disciples | multiplying cells | planting churches

living in the Spirit | redeeming society and education | going to nations

OCC:training opportunities

year teams

key facts who is it for young people who want to take a year out  and get some god-training age 18-25s keywords service, discipleship, training cost you’ll need to find your own board and lodging costs – participants will need to find a part-time job and be available for ministry and training for at least 3 days & evenings a week dates starting every september info year teams are run by oxford community church (oxford@occ.org.uk) and leys community church (leys@occ.org.uk)

Year Team is offered by Oxford Community Church and The Leys Community Church – but applications are accepted from anyone, whether or not you’re part of an OCC church. Year Team offers structured training and development programmes, which include:

• Basic Biblical training
• Regular structured discipleship –
  looking at character and ministry issues, with input from leaders of Oxfordshire Community Churches
• Individual mentoring
• Conferences that will provide bigger perspective and training according to your gifts
• Involvement in a community or cell group
• Mission trip(s)
• Opportunity to serve in, and develop, various ministries of the local church, primarily with an evangelistic focus.

Throughout the emphasis will be on stretching you in your relationship with God, and helping you to grow as a willing servant and a man/ woman of God. We want to give you the best start we can in a life of service to God: in church, in the workplace, at home or in the community. 

apprentices

key facts who is it for people who sense a call of god to leadership and want to explore that further age 20+ keywords apprenticing, leadership, discipleship, a tailored opportunity cost you’ll need to find your own board and lodging costs dates starts september – you can do it for 1 or 2 years info John Bilson (JohnB@occ.org.uk)

For growing leaders who want to take a couple of years out, we usually work with a number of ‘apprentices’ to see their leadership gift developed, discipled and deep-ended, working alongside church leaders in Oxfordshire Community Churches.

Formerly known as ‘The Joshua Programme’ we have renamed it to reflect a number of changes we have made to the training framework, and that it’s not just for guys! It has been very effective over many years at providing opportunity and support in order for God to develop emerging leaders.

Some have done it for 6 months; some for 1 year after KBCTC; some for 2 years including KBCTC lectures. It is very flexible, but is not for everyone.

Usually candidates are invited by a leader who is prepared to offer the high level of support and mentoring required by the programme. It’s not really ‘a programme’ but ‘an opportunity to develop’ so you’ll need a level of selfstarting and leadership potential.

We don’t have a formal application process, so to see if it might be for you, talk to your church leader.

king’s bible college & training centre

key facts who is it for anyone who wants to understand more of God and his mission age 18-99 keywords passion for the Scriptures, life transformation, learning in community, theology in action cost £3,795pa, plus board and lodging costs dates september-july info Simon Shaw (SimonS@kbctc.org) web www.kbctc.org

OCC is privileged to have KBCTC on our doorstep!

Based at The King’s Centre, KBCTC is at the heart of Salt & Light’s strategy to ‘equip the church, extend the kingdom and bless the nations’ as a family on
mission together. The 10 month course, which leads to a diploma in Theology, Mission and Biblical Studies, includes: church placements, community outreach, exposure to the wider S&L family, in-depth, solid biblical foundations, community Living, discipleship and mentoring and much more …

Principal, Simon Shaw
(also a leader in Oxford Community Church) says:

“We all need to learn: about the Bible; about God; about the world; and about ourselves. Jesus’ way is the best way to live and we want to help you discover how to walk in his ways; to understand more of who you are in him and the future he has planned for you.”

“We actively equip generations of leaders to ‘understand the times and know what they should do’. Training is firmly rooted in the Scriptures and takes place in an atmosphere of worship and wholehearted devotion.”

“Past KBCTC students have gone on to pioneer church plants; cross cultural mission overseas and in the UK; senior leadership positions in business; more effective serving in local church life and the wider community.”

“KBCTC often proves to be the best and most difficult year of many people’s lives, but will propel you forward on the adventure of a lifetime!”