Our trainee pastor at Banstead Community Church has just finished his second of two years with us, and has moved on to pastor a local church in Bournemouth.

The focus of our training programme is not what you’d learn at a theological college (e.g. Biblical Studies, Doctrine, Church History & Apologetics and so on), but rather on the local church and how to pastor and preach. We aim to teach the trainee pastor about these things through a mixture of reading, lectures, discussion, observation, and practical ministry experience.

Here’s a rundown of what he got up to during the second year of training with us:

Reading Assignments

Produce an outline of each chapter; noting down any particular highlights, any questions or points of clarification; and personal applications.

Church Polity & Corporate Worship

Christ-Centered Worship (Bryan Chapell) Rhythms of Grace (Mike Cosper) Sing (Keith & Kristen Getty) Unleashing the Word (Max McLean) Going Public (Bobby Jamieson) The Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace (Richard Barcellos) 40 Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (John S. Hammett) How Jesus Runs the Church (Guy Prentiss Waters) Baptist Foundations (ed. Dever & Leeman) Don’t Fire Your Church Members (Jonathan Leeman) The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love (Jonathan Leeman) Those who must give account (ed. Hammett & Merkle)

Leadership

Ready, Steady, Grow (Ray Evans) The Conviction to Lead (Al Mohler) The Shepherd Leader (Timothy Witmer) H3 Leadership (Brad Lomenick) Wisdom in Leadership (Craig Hamilton) The Heart of a Servant Leader (C. John Miller) Leaders who Last (Dave Kraft) Church Elders (Jeramie Rinne) Biblical Eldership Elders in the Life of the Church (Phil Newton) The New Elder’s Handbook (Greg Scharf) The God who goes before you (Wilder & Jones)

Making Disciples

What is the Mission of the Church? (Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert) The Vine Project (Colin Marshall & Tony Payne) Discipling (Mark Dever) Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (J. I. Packer) Evangelism (J. Mack Stiles) The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (Mark Dever) The Pastor and Counseling (Jeremy Pierre & Deepak Reju) Caring for People (Ed Welch) Instruments in a Redeemer’s Hand (Paul Tripp) The Grid (Adrian Reynolds) The Mentoring Church (Phil Newton) Bonhoeffer’s Seminary Vision (Paul R. House)

Prayer & Biography

Prayer (Tim Keller) A Praying Life (Paul Millar) A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Don Carson) Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor (Don Carson) George Whitefield (Arnold Dallimore) 21 Servants of Sovereign Joy (John Piper)

Lectures

Produce an outline of the talk; noting down any particular highlights, any questions or points of clarification; and personal applications.

Worship

Ligon Duncan – Theology of Worship

Leadership

David Murray – Christian Leadership Dick Lucas – The Christian Leader (EMA 1993) Andrew Heard – Gospel Leadership, Gospel Growth (FIEC) Andrew Heard – Leadership Masterclass (FIEC)

Pastoral Ministry