ministry for the real world 1
Contents
The best possible gift 3 To love God is to love his word 4 Pathways of study 6 Living and learning in community 8 Training for ministry 1 1 Radically faithful, radically adaptable 12 Servant-hearted teachers 13 Anglicans and Independents 14 Studying part-time 16 Postgraduate study 17 Next steps 18
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The best possible gift
Thanks for your interest in Oak Hill College. This prospectus will give you an overview of our vision and mission, and the way we live and learn in community. It also communicates our passion for the word of God, and our desire to help you love Jesus more and receive the training you need for a lifetime of gospel ministry. No prospectus can capture the whole picture, so we hope you’ll follow up by coming to one of our open mornings. You’ll be able to meet staff and students, sample from a selection of lectures, ask the questions important to you and get a genuine feel for what we are like as a community.
Why is theological education necessary? It’s a very good question to ask, especially if you’re planning to spend so much of your time and resources in study and training. Whether you are considering fulltime or part-time study, this is a big personal investment, and you deserve a big reason to make it. In one of the many inspiring passages of the book of Ephesians, we are told that when Christ ascended, he gave gifts to his people. Surprisingly, these gifts are people. First and foremost they are the apostles and prophets, but they are also ‘the evangelists, the pastors and teachers’.
If you are called to ministry, then you are in this list in Ephesians chapter 4. You are a gift which Christ is making to his church. Your work, over the course of your ministry, will be ‘to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.’ You are there to protect God’s people from ‘every wind of false teaching’. Here at Oak Hill, we want you to be the best possible gift for Christ to give to his church. We believe that involves you growing to become more and more like Jesus, as well as getting to know your faith in depth and detail. We want you to dedicate yourself to this time of training so that you can continue to feed God’s people in 10, 20 and 30 years time. And for our part, we are committed to helping make that happen as we serve you, and as together we serve the kingdom of God. Johnny Juckes, President Dan Strange, College Director Oak Hill College
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To love God is to love his word Above everything else, Oak Hill wants you to love Jesus more. To love Jesus is to love to hear him speak, and therefore to love his word. That’s why Oak Hill provides time to help you focus on the Bible. Whether you’re studying the ethical dilemmas of today, the growth of church movements in history or best practice in counselling young people, the Bible and its teaching is at the centre of it all, integrating everything you learn. We do this because we want to see Christian leaders whose whole lives and ministries are worked out hearing and obeying the God who speaks through his word. We want you to be informed and shaped by the Old and New Testaments, so that you can go on to teach them faithfully and creatively to the people God entrusts to your care. The focus of our courses on learning to think biblically is a big attraction for many students. Oak Hill’s approach is ideally suited to anyone who loves the Bible and wants to understand it in depth. In 4
the first two years, you complete a survey of the Old and New Testaments, combined with in-depth studies of four key biblical books. Sam Ashton, a former student who studied as an Anglican ordinand, said: ‘I came to Oak Hill to maximise my usefulness for Christ. While it seemed a more natural fit to stay in a university town and do student ministry, I felt I needed to learn how to think for myself; how to think deeply and broadly about God’s word and God’s world, in order to teach faithfully, simply and relevantly; to know not just what others think, but why, and not just from books, but also from the joy of living in community with those from different traditions and backgrounds. I pray my training will increase my deployability beyond the educated white middle classes, making me more useful for Christ and his church in the long run.’
‘I don’t know what the world is going to look like in 30 years’ time. But I do know the Bible is still going to be true, and the better I know the scriptures, and the better trained I have been up front, then the better equipped I will be to handle everything that comes my way.’ Ben Goldenberg, Independent student
An integrated curriculum Don Carson, president and co-founder of The Gospel Coalition, was recently asked, ‘What is one thing you would change about seminary?’ He said he would like to see an integrated curriculum, ‘where Bible and theology are genuinely at the center’, together with a faculty who are passionate about teaching it.
Here at Oak Hill we are developing precisely the integration Don Carson has called for. Our CertHE, FdA, BA (Hons) and postgraduate curriculum attempts to break down the barriers between theological disciplines, while preserving their distinctive contributions to the training and formation of men and women for gospel ministry. 5
Pathways of study Choosing a programme of study to follow at Oak Hill is a key decision, as it will shape not only your experience of college but also your future ministry. All our programmes are vocational. Their aim is to equip students with the skills, experience, attitudes and characteristics needed in a wide range of Christian ministries, including church leadership, mission work, youth work, and pastoral ministry. Full details of each of our programmes can be found on the website: www.oakhill.ac.uk We’re reviewing our undergraduate programmes Our undergraduate programmes are currently undergoing a review. This regular revalidation process is happening as part of our relationship with Middlesex University. We’re excited about it, as it offers us a positive opportunity to enhance the training for gospel ministry we provide our students. All being well, the new programme will launch in the 2020-21 academic year. 6
Depending on when you enrol and how long you plan to study at Oak Hill, your programme may look different to the one we are currently offering. To help with any transition, we’ll be consulting and communicating with students throughout the process. If you have any questions, please speak to Admissions.
‘Oak Hill trained me to think well, to think deeply. It enabled me to interact with views that differ slightly – or maybe not so slightly, or maybe quite a lot – from what I think, and to be able to do that with biblical convictions and foundations.’ Miriam Simmons, former Independent student
Women’s ministry
Communication workshop All undergraduates follow an intensive three-day workshop with a communication expert. The workshop provides an introduction in how to communicate the gospel in a contemporary context.
Women have been training at Oak Hill for many years, and recently we have seen significant numbers of women committing themselves to full-time theological education. We have ramped up our commitment to women accordingly. New modules, seminars and training sessions have been designed to provide rigorous training for women in a variety of roles in the local and global church. Miriam Simmons (pictured on the opposite page) says: ‘I arrived at Oak Hill with the conviction that the church needs theologically trained women as well as men to serve in a whole host of ministries. That conviction has been affirmed and strengthened by the faculty here and by my brothers and sisters studying alongside me.’
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Living and learning in community Is Oak Hill a university, a church, or something else entirely? Oak Hill can certainly look like a university, because our academic programme is validated by Middlesex University and is subject to its standards and regulations. Oak Hill can also look very much like a church, with weekly fellowship groups, daily times of worship, and a strong focus on following Jesus. Although we are not actually a church, we exist for the church and our commitment is to serve the church. We believe there is something unique and invaluable about residential theological education, whether you experience it full-time or part-time. There are several dimensions to this. Residential training gives you dedicated time to read, study, reflect, rehearse, discuss, debate, and listen humbly, which is one of the hallmarks of ministry. Studying at Oak Hill is not time out of ministry. Rather, it is a redirection of your ministry for a time, as you live, learn and share with others in the college community. Oak Hill not only offers dedicated time, but also dedicated tutors. They 8
combine academic excellence with a pastoral heart, not only in class, but out of class. Our community life gives you quality time with personal and module tutors, with many opportunities to interact in class or in formal tutorials, over coffee or lunch, and in fellowship groups. Finally, our residential study focuses on learning together with others, within a cohort where lifelong relationships are formed and continue into church ministry. There are so many opportunities at college to do the ‘one anothering’ we often talk about. By serving one another in and out of class, we help each other to become formed into the likeness of Christ. Everything at Oak Hill happens within the context of prayer, praise and the preached word. As Jim Packer famously said at the beginning of his lectures, ‘The goal of theology is doxology.’ If you’re studying full-time, you’ll be part of a fellowship group of around 12 students. The group meets once a week and helps you take time out of the academic programme for support,
prayer and encouragement. This is one of the ways we make a big college feel small. Daily chapel services alternate between Anglican and Independent forms of worship. The campus Oak Hill is set in 60 acres of 18th century parkland, with an abundance of trees, open green spaces and walks. We are a 15-minute walk from the tube, which puts central London within easy reach, and the countryside
of Hertfordshire and Essex is close by. In this beautiful setting the Oak Hill community flourishes, with time for prayer and worship, sport and relaxation, coffee breaks, talking over lunch and everything else that enriches our life together. Our sports facilities include a football pitch, two all-weather tennis courts and a basketball court. Indoors, we have areas for relaxation, and a student common room, with television, video and music facilities. There are also tables for snooker and table tennis. 9
Virtual learning environment The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) at Oak Hill runs entirely within Google Apps for Education. It gives us an integrated system for sharing information and developing dialogue with and between students, whether they are full-time or part-time. The VLE has also enabled us to develop ways of teaching and learning that are more timeefficient. For example, learning the Greek alphabet, which previously took up an hour of precious time in class, is now covered in a web video. You can learn this kind of basic information at your own pace and return to it at any point.
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Because we are an Academic Partner of Middlesex University, students are eligible to use the university sports facilities, although there may be a fee for some activities.
bringing up children. There are good schools within walking distance, and all the benefits that London has to offer are a short tube ride away. Academic Centre
Accommodation Because of our spacious campus, we can offer a wide range of housing units, enabling about half of our married students to live on site. Where it’s not possible to accommodate students on the college campus, we can provide some help with finding places to live locally. Our accommodation includes well appointed study bedrooms for single students in shared flats. In addition, there is a large house within easy walking distance of the campus which provides accommodation for single male students. We have several family houses on the college campus, a short walk from the teaching facilities. There’s a nearby children’s play area, and our acres of natural parkland make this a beautiful, spacious and safe environment for
Oak Hill’s commitment to academic excellence is seen in the academic centre, which was opened in 2000. The centre provides a modern lecture theatre and lecture room, plus seminar rooms, together with library space and study facilities. The ground floor also has a large foyer and coffee area, which is popular for socialising and discussion between lectures. The centre has easy access for those with special needs and is equipped with a hearing loop in the lecture theatre and lecture room. The campus is wired with fibre-optic cable, giving every student access to the Internet, as well as other communications and research applications.
Training for ministry
Many Oak Hill students take the Theological and Pastoral Studies pathway as part of the Foundation, BA (Hons) and MTheol degrees. If you follow this stream, you’ll be among students who are following it for a wide variety of reasons. Some are travelling towards ordained ministry in the Church of England. Others are training to become pastors in Independent churches, while yet others are already working in specialist ministries. Dan Strange, Oak Hill’s Acting Principal, believes that studying alongside people who are heading for both similar and different forms of ministry to you is an enriching experience: ‘Many of the people we work with are involved in gospel partnerships around the UK, where Anglican and Independent Churches are working together on local evangelism and other initiatives. So our thinking is that it’s a great preparation for gospel partnership to be studying, debating and sharing together during this time of formation.’
Ministry modules
Dan Adams, a former FdA student who specialised in Theological and Pastoral Studies, said: ‘This time at Oak Hill is invaluable for my ministry now and in the future. I have a much clearer theological framework, I’ve got to know my Bible much better and I’m being given the tools to enable me to keep on studying the Bible. Developing my biblical language skills has set me up to engage with scripture for myself so that I can communicate it to whoever I come across from whatever background.’
Alongside the core modules which all Foundation students take, there are ministry modules in both years specifically for the TPS students. These modules focus on the principles and practicalities of church leadership with separate streams for Anglican and Independent students. As part of these ministry modules, there’s a commitment to theological reflection and the importance of critical self-engagement regarding what we do in ministry and our motivations behind it. Greek and Hebrew While you’re at Oak Hill, you have the opportunity to study the Bible in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek. This is invaluable not only for understanding the text of scripture, but it will also enable you to bring out its amazing riches for others throughout your ministry. Greek is compulsory for the TPS and TCC streams, and many students elect to study Hebrew as well. 11
Radically faithful, radically adaptable
Looking at British and world culture today, it’s not hard to see that it is fractured into many different cultures and subcultures. The fractures open up over what language people speak, what race they belong to, which religion they follow, what region, generation or social class they come from. Then there are subcultures based on lifestyle choices such as sports, music, fashion and media: surfers, cyclers and bikers, goths and clubbers, geeks, tweeters and hackers – subcultures change so fast that this list will probably be out of date before the ink has dried on the page. 12
Some of these fractures in culture are very deep, with hostility on either side, while others are narrower, but still produce real incomprehension between different groups. An important aspect in communicating the gospel is knowing when there is a fracture, what kind of fracture it is and how it can be crossed without losing the essential point of what you want to say. It’s like learning a foreign language, and there’s no point in doing that if you’ve forgotten or lost what you wanted to say in the first place. But it’s not just that we live in a culture that is fractured. Like an earthquake, the fractures are constantly shifting. Some of today’s biggest fractures have only opened up in the past couple of decades. And many of the ones that are important right now will deepen, narrow, vanish or be replaced by new fractures over the next 30 years. In fact, that process will probably happen several times over the course of your ministry. That means part of our job is not only to help deepen your faith, but also to
give you the tools to communicate it in a world of shifting cultures. We aim to nurture your ability to analyse when something that once worked simply doesn’t any longer. We want to build up your skills in examining what you see around you in the light of the Bible. That way, you’ll be able to judge the truth and value of fresh cultural changes and recognise the opportunities they bring for the gospel. Above all, we want to help you be radically faithful to Jesus and radically adaptable in proclaiming him. That’s a big challenge, both for you and for us! But it’s vital as we help you prepare for your ministry. Dan Strange College Director, Oak Hill
Servant-hearted teachers
The way we teach at Oak Hill is guided by these words from the apostle Paul: ‘Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries’ (1 Corinthians 4:1). Students come to Oak Hill to be entrusted with the gospel and to become faithful servants of Jesus Christ. To achieve that, the faculty are wholeheartedly committed to being stewards of God themselves. That works itself out in two ways. Faculty members are passionate about the content of what they teach, that their
theology and application is biblically true and trustworthy. And they are also committed to being excellent teachers, so they can show students how to excel as teachers of God’s people themselves. Part of our commitment to teaching excellence is peer-to-peer review, where faculty members sit in on each other’s lectures and offer critical feedback.
‘We believe there is a unique value in face to face residential training, especially when you have a faculty which is experienced in ministry, and also practises teaching as a craft. We’re here not just to download information, but to engage with our students. After all, we’re working with students who are not only highly motivated, but often highly prepared, with a good range of ministry experience. In that sense, the teacher often becomes the taught, making Oak Hill a genuine community of teaching and learning.’ Brad Bitner, Acting Academic Dean, Oak Hill
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Anglicans and Independents Oak Hill has always trained both Anglican and Independent students for ministry, as a matter of principle. We work that way because we believe that gospel people need to do things together. It makes good sense. Even though we come from very different churches, we know we will be working alongside each other throughout our ministries. Today’s evangelical churches, whether they’re Independent or Anglican, are working much more closely in their local communities, and so it’s good for the future ministers of these churches to start talking and working things out together during their training. One of our students says: ‘I’m probably on the opinionated side of independency! But coming here has taught me to have an open heart to my Anglican brothers and sisters. After all, we’re going out to proclaim the same gospel, and to obey the same great commission of Jesus, even though our ecclesiology is different.’ Our aim is that our students will remain distinctively Independent or Anglican, and maybe become 14
‘As a convinced Anglican, I have benefitted enormously from my brothers and sisters in Christ with different ecclesial convictions. Oak Hill has provided a great place to think and talk about those differences, all in the context of mutual love and fellowship in the gospel.’ Jake Eggersten, Anglican ordinand even more so. This can only happen when we agree on the essentials, the things of first importance. Our primary concern is commitment to the scriptures and to the gospel. But preparing for leadership in a particular church means you have to
think specifically about issues such as ecclesiology, church governance, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The way we facilitate this at Oak Hill is by providing core courses, common to everyone training for pastoral ministry (both Anglicans and Independents), which include biblical studies, biblical languages, doctrine and church history. Alongside the core courses, students choose either the Anglican or the Independent training track. We want our students to understand and be convinced by why they are Independent or Anglican. Our experience is that studying side by side is very creative and helps everyone to work out, ‘Why am I this and not that?’ ‘It’s one of the strong points of Oak Hill,’ says one our students. ‘It helps you sharpen your own position, while being open to discussion and challenge. There’s a sort of mutual sharpening in our thinking, and also an opportunity for grace, so we can say that we disagree on this particular issue, but we agree on the big, gospel issues. That opportunity for grace is something you don’t get in all colleges.’
Oak Hill and FIEC David Shaw (pictured below) serves as a joint appointment of Oak Hill and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. David says, ‘I am thrilled to be able to support Oak Hill and FIEC in their shared desire to see churches led by well-trained and servant-hearted ministers of the gospel. More and more the partnership between Oak Hill and FIEC is bearing fruit and I count it a real privilege to be involved in the training of pastors at college and to be equipping them for ongoing ministry all over the UK. John Stevens, FIEC National Director, says: ‘One of the great encouragements in FIEC at the moment is a growing recognition of the importance of faithful, Biblecentred theology to equip churches and their leaders to face the challenges of contemporary ministry. We are delighted that David Shaw is taking this work forward as our Theological Adviser, and excited that he is based
at Oak Hill College, where many of our future pastors are being trained for ministry.’
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Studying part-time
‘I think studying part-time is a good experience, because you are always seeing the relevance of what you are being taught. What I have just heard in the youth ministry module, how does that apply to the youth work I am running on Friday? That’s exciting.’ Zim Okoli, former part-time student, TCC
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The majority of Oak Hill’s courses are open for part-time as well as full-time study. There are some big advantages to studying part-time. You don’t have to uproot yourself or your family. You can continue to work in the local community where you feel at home. You can be flexible in how you organise your life between work and training. And you can fund your course by continuing to work. For Ali Campbell-Smith, youth worker at Eden Baptist Church, Cambridge, studying part-time at Oak Hill gave her the chance to integrate what she was learning into her ministry week by week. ‘I really valued being able to continue doing youth work at my church while having the academic study alongside it. I felt much better equipped for the work I was doing, because I’d been able to put it into practice as I went along.’ Matt Kottman, now pastoring a church in Arizona, USA, agrees. ‘During my first year of Greek and Hebrew, I was preaching in the New Testament while we were doing Greek, and the Old Testament while we were doing
Hebrew. Having that extra practice on the languages was essential. Learning this way is immensely practical because I can see how it immediately benefits us as a congregation.’ So if you’re looking to do some serious theological training but want to continue living and working where you are, part-time study offers a great way forward. You come into college for classroom learning, seminars, discussions and private study, using Oak Hill’s modern and highly resourced campus. You grow in your understanding of the gospel, and you also gain a significant academic qualification at the end of your course. The experience of community works differently for part-time students than it does for full-time students, says Matt Kottman: ‘There’s also a community among other part-timers, where we’re balancing ministry and the academic life. We know what it’s like to write papers, prepare for exams and get ready for the busy Christmas season at church – all at the same time. We get together at lunch, we pray together, we
Postgraduate study keep in touch by email, and we support each other over the particular issues which arise from studying part-time.’ Part-time study is very attractive for churches which want to send their people for training, but also want to make use of their gifts for the rest of the week. Oak Hill forms a partnership with churches for your training, to make sure you receive the academic and pastoral care and support you need while you’re doing both work and study.
Oak Hill’s postgraduate courses take to the next level the characteristics of our undergraduate programmes, which we believe are central to training men and women for gospel ministry in the 21st century. The MA, PGDip and PGCert will enable you to engage at a high level with today’s significant theological and pastoral questions. You take time to reflect and consider in a deeper way the meaning and application of scripture in our fractured, quicklychanging world. Our postgraduate courses are intentionally integrative: what you learn from interpreting the Bible, systematic theology, church history and ethics is tied together. In that way, the classroom is just like the pulpit, or the Friday night youth group, or the challenging questions in a Christianity Explored course. What do we learn about the doctrine of grace from scripture, systematic theology, church history and the other relevant fields? Oak Hill’s postgraduate modules model the unity and diversity that are proper to Christian theology.
All incoming postgraduate students take our module on hermeneutics, epistemology and the knowledge of God. It explores the key challenges to our knowledge of God, including scepticism, rationalism, romanticism, nihilism and postmodernism, among others. The aim of the module is to help students rightly handle the word of truth (hermeneutics) and more deeply understand the competing claims to knowledge so they might be better equipped to minister to others in our ever-changing world. Ultimately, our postgraduate courses push you forward to love more truly, more wholly, and more deeply the God who has come to us in the gospel of his Son, Jesus Christ. If you have already completed an undergraduate theology degree, the College has a number of postgraduate programmes. Please see the website for full details: www.oakhill.ac.uk.
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Next steps
Oak Hill online
Overseas students
The Kingham Hill Trust
Full information about the college and our programmes can be found on our website: www.oakhill.ac.uk. You can also contact us via the website with any questions or to request an application form.
Please visit our website for full details. Please note that Oak Hill College does not have a Tier 4 licence and is therefore unable to sponsor applicants from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland for a student visa. More information about this can be found on the UK government website.
The Kingham Hill Trust is the registered charity that owns Oak Hill College. It has contributed spiritually, financially and practically to its development. The Trust has delegated responsibility for Oak Hill to the College Council and the Principal.
Open mornings We strongly encourage you to come and discover Oak Hill for yourself. Why not come to one of our regular open mornings, which will give you the opportunity to get a better feel for the college? For details of the next open morning, please see the website. How to apply Full information about how to apply can be found on our website. If you have any queries, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@ oakhill.ac.uk or on 020 8449 0467 (extension 206). 18
Oak Hill College Oak Hill College is a theological college in North London, training men and women for ministry in the Church of England and other spheres of Christian service. Its validated programmes have been developed, and are delivered and assessed by the college. They are awarded and quality assured by Middlesex University.
Š The Kingham Hill Trust A company limited by guarantee Registered in England No. 365812 Registered Office: Kingham Hill School Kingham Oxon OX7 6TH A Registered Charity Charity Number 1076618
Contact us Oak Hill College Chase Side Southgate London N14 4PS Tel: 020 8449 0467 Find us online www.oakhill.ac.uk
t @oakhilllondon f facebook.com/oakhilllondon Credits Writing and design: Simon Jenkins Photography: Eleanor Bentall Print: Yeomans Press Edition: 2019
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Over my forty years of pastoral ministry, I’ve come to the conclusion that ministers need more comprehensive and exacting theological education today than when I came into the work. I’ve been an admirer and a beneficiary of the ministry of Oak Hill for years, and often cite it as a model for effective and faithful theological education. Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City
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