Shaped by the Word

In the first few centuries the church took the task of evangelising and initiating people into the Christian faith very seriously. In some cases the process lasted up to three years, culminating in baptism.

Whilst in our own setting we may not want to delay baptism for that long, we do also want to take seriously our charge to make disciples. Hence, we are seeking to develop at Millmead something akin to a catechumate: namely a year-round programme of instruction and mentoring in the Christian faith, in which we seek to make connections between faith, worship, work and everyday life.

Shaped by the Word has spent a number of years running biblical study courses looking at both the Old and New Testaments using material from the London School of Theology. This coming September, however, the Church is offering something new . The material is produced by Spurgeon’s College, and the course will begin with an introduction to the nature of the Bible, and the variety of ways in which it is used. Some basic principles of interpretation are outlined and the characteristics of the major literary genres found in the Bible are examined. The module concludes with an exploration of what it means to put the Bible to work in the church and in the world.

Here is the Progamme for the Spring Term 2013 – Wednesdays, beginning at 7.45pm in Room A/B: