Union Magazine 001

MAGAZINE & PROSPECTUS | ISSUE 01 | SUMMER 2016

Growing Leaders for Growing Churches

The Humanity of Christ

How to Enjoy Reading Your Bible

How to Save a City

Union President Michael Reeves

Robert Letham leads us into

We all want to read the Bible

used wisdom to save a city.

incarnation from Galatians 4.

struggle and asks what needs

tells us what he’s learned.

shares our mandate for Europe.

the beautiful mystery of the

more. Dan Hames looks at the to change.

An unknown man in Ecclesiastes Church planter Dai Hankey

Contents 4

Growing Leaders for Growing Churches

Union President Michael Reeves shares our mandate for Europe.

6

The Humanity of Christ

Robert Letham leads us into the beautiful mystery of the incarnation from Galatians 4.

9

How to Enjoy Reading Your Bible

We all want to read the Bible more.

Dan Hames looks at the struggle and asks what needs to change.

12 Latest News from Union 14 How to Save a City

An unknown man in Ecclesiastes used wisdom to save a city. Church planter Dai Hankey tells us what he’s learned.

17 Prospectus 24 Get in Touch

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Editorial

Union President Michael Reeves shares our mandate for Europe.

Growing leaders for growing churches Welcome to this first edition of the Union magazine!

I’m delighted to share with you some of what is going on around the organisation and to offer a taste of our resources and courses.

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Editorial

For all their emotional buzz, concepts of ‘grace’, ‘gospel’, and even ‘church’ all have their true meaning only when anchored in him. As we grow leaders for growing churches, we place the greatest emphasis on knowing Christ and coming to maturity in him.

Serving the Church

Our model for robust mission in Europe Union is all about mission – mission fuelled and strengthened by robust theology. To see the church in Europe grow, we need to raise godly, wise and well-equipped leaders. We recruit, raise and help deploy these leaders, providing them with rigorous, biblical and accessible education, training and resources.

Our ministry began in 1936 as a college in South Wales, sending preachers out into the mission field. Much has changed since then, of course, but our heart is the same. The needs around us have changed, but the solution is the same. From the Welsh valleys to the world, Union is about equipping and enthusing the church to bless the world with the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ.

For churches to thrive and be vibrant, they need leaders who truly love God and share his passions. We seek to raise well-rounded leaders: humble

leaders of head and heart whose day-to-day mission is fuelled by robust and biblical theology. This means that in our research, our publishing, our support of church planting, and our training of leaders on campus and in learning communities around Europe, we have committed ourselves to four core values:

Delighting in God We desire to know, love and enjoy God, so glorifying him.

We have been created to glorify and enjoy the living God, and so all that we do – strategic planning, missionary endeavour, academic study, and pastoral care – must serve this great end. Every lecture and every new church plant is fixed on the adoration of God.

Growing in Christ We long to be more fully alive in the truth, goodness and beauty of Jesus. The person of Jesus is central to all we do.

We are a ministry of the church for the sake of the church, that she may be fit for Christ.

Since we love Jesus, we love his bride and are working to see her flourish. Union is dedicated to building up and encouraging the church, never competing with her or stepping on her toes. This means we want to minister flexibly in each place, learning the needs of local congregations, and doing all we can to resource, equip, and serve.

Blessing the World We join God’s mission to fill the earth with the glory of Jesus as we are led by the Spirit. Union is much more than a seminary: we are about sending out leaders, books, missionaries, media – and all so that the church of Christ might grow and the kingdom of God advance.

As our four departments engage in their day-to-day work across Europe, these are the values that hold us together and shape all we do.

I hope you enjoy this taste of our resources. Please get in touch if you think there is any way we could serve and bless you.

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Resources

The Humanity of Christ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!�

Galatians 4:4-6 ESV

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Resources

The sending of the Son This passage highlights the two great moments in God’s plan of redemption, the missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the incarnation, the Father sent the Son, while at Pentecost the Father sent the Spirit of his Son. These are Trinitarian events, all three persons working together indivisibly, as in all the works of God.

When the fullness of time had come...

The incarnation took place at just the right time. It was planned by God from eternity.

The context here in Galatians is the progress of the people of God from childhood in the OT to maturity now that Christ has come (Gal. 3:19, 23-25, 4:1-3).

God keeps his appointments.

The conception and birth of Jesus took place exactly at the time God chose. The Son died on the cross at Passover, not a day earlier, not a day later. The Spirit was sent ‘when the time had fully come’ (Acts 2:1), not a day earlier, not a day later, on the feast of Pentecost precisely.

Jesus was born just as the Roman Empire had determined that a census should occur.

God observes and honours the feasts he had appointed in Israel. In our own day the ministry of the Word and the sacraments are appointed by God and he honours them as well. The sacraments are first

of all signs for God rather than us: in the Noahic covenant, God says ‘when … the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant’ (Gen. 9:13-14).

We have confidence that he will bless his arrangements.

The Father sent his Son This is an action of the indivisible Trinity in eternity.

Paul is accustomed to use theos (God) for the Father.

The relational nature of the name underlines this point; ‘his Son’ entails the Father.

The names denote identity of nature – the Son is of precisely the same nature as the Father.

There is also an order; the Father sends, the Son is sent.

The verb conjures up the idea of being sent to fulfil a mission in another place.

The engagement of the entire undivided Trinity is clear too later in the section, where the Father is said to have sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts (v. 6). Again, Paul describes the resurrection as brought about when “the Spirit of him [the Father] who raised Jesus [the Son] from the dead” (Rom. 8:11).

Born/become of a woman Paul wants to stress the Son’s humanity. His gestation and birth were exactly the same as any other gestation and birth - “born of a woman.” Jesus was born in the usual way.

However, note the verb Paul uses. Four times in this chapter, when referring to human generation he uses the verb one would expect – gennao (vv. 23, 24 x 2, 29) but here he uses ginomai, which means ‘to become’ or ‘to be made.’

Paul is aware that there was something unusual about the generation of Jesus.

Luke was one of his travelling party, a close colleague, and in his Gospel he recorded the visit of the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary. Paul could hardly have been unaware of the account relating to the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:34-35). Yes, Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in the usual way but he was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

We should speak of virginal conception rather than virgin birth. Indeed, any case of parthenogenesis could only produce a female, since the Y chromosome would be lacking.

The Spirit provided that.

So the Father sent the Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Note the consequence.

The Son continues to be the Son after conception as before.

However, he is now man. He has added human nature. He is still the Son but as the Son he now and forever has a human body and soul in indivisible union. He lived under the conditions of humanity in a fallen and disordered world.

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Resources

This is the message of the incarnation. This is the hope of the world.

This meant that he, the creator of the universe, one of the Trinity, needed to be fed and changed by human parents, utterly dependent on them.

His humanity was and is still unabbreviated, differing only in that he had no sin and did no sin. He ate, he drank, as a baby he dribbled and learned to speak, stammering in inarticulate sounds. Once I stressed this in a sermon, back in 1988 in the UK, and a man came up to me afterwards and denounced me as being disrespectful to our Saviour.

I replied that, far from it, if this were not so, you could not be saved. Your salvation depends on the fact that one of the Trinity cried as a human baby, according to the flesh. If he had not done so he would not have been human and we would have no gospel, no hope.

Born/become under the law Jesus was born a Jew. He was born into a scenario in which Israel was still in a state of minority. The time had not yet fully come. The law, Paul has said, was the ‘guardian’ to lead us to Christ. The Galatian church had been influenced by

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some Jewish Christians who had overstressed the law and had undermined the grace of the gospel. The Son came to redeem his people from the law, not from the moral law expressed in the Decalogue but from the accumulation of ceremonies that Peter had said was greater than the people could bear (Acts 15:10).

Jesus was born into a situation like that. He came to redeem his people, to deliver them, to free them from slavery by the payment of the price of his death on the cross.

So that we might receive the sonship The people of God were brought from childhood to maturity, from slavery to the onerous demands under which they had been placed to the inheritance of sonship. ‘Sonship’ is not a politically correct term these days but it highlights the point that our relation to God is now precisely the same as that of the eternal Son. He is Son by nature, we share this – female as well as male – by adoption. We can now call God ‘our Father,’ just as Jesus, uniquely as an individual, does. We do it in whatever

language we speak. The text says abba which means ‘father’ in Aramaic, and pater meaning ‘father’ in Greek. We say the same, from every nation under heaven, made one in Christ.

The Spirit of the Father’s Son enables us to express it.

The staggering thing about the incarnation is that the eternal Son of the Father lived as man from embryo to adulthood, took our place as a slave and a minor, in a world of disorder and hostility, so that we, enslaved to sin, might receive the sonship. He became weak that we might become strong.

He who was rich for our sakes became poor that we through his poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). This is the message of the incarnation.

This is the hope of the world.

Robert Letham Robert (Bob) Letham is Professor of

Systematic and Historical Theology at Union School of Theology. He is the

author of numerous theological books, including The Work of Christ in the

Contours of Christian Theology series.

Resources

How to Enjoy Reading Your Bible From the earliest years of your Christian life, you will have been told how important it is to read your Bible regularly. Perhaps you decided to try some sort of Bible read-through and set to reading four chapters a day.

Early zeal meant you tore through the Gospels and enjoyed the drama of Genesis, but before long you ran into rock solid Romans, or life-draining Leviticus. You missed a few days out, and then‌ well, it’s been a while since you found the will to pick your Bible up again.

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Resources

Every now and then, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, you see it on your bedside table and it stares you out. It’s at these times that other things tend suddenly to grab your attention. ‘I really ought to mow the lawn!’, ‘I never did write that thank you card to Aunt Daisy!’, ‘I never did start season eight of that TV show.’ It’s so easy to drop reading the Bible down the list of priorities just a little bit, and never get around to it.

Why is that? There are three very common reasons, and they all have solutions that aren’t so much to do with how well disciplined you are, but more about the way you think about the scriptures in the first place. The first reason isn’t even really a proper one, so we’ll start with that one and get it out of the way.

You have no time This may be the most common ‘reason’ we give to explain to ourselves why we’ve not read the Bible for a while: events of the day got on top of me, my feet have hardly touched the ground, I overslept. Yet of course this isn’t a serious reason for missing out on the scriptures. We all make time for what we believe we need, and we certainly make time to do what we want! Life is rarely too busy to surf the Internet, watch the television, or go to the pub. The fact is that our priorities reveal what we truly value, and the

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‘not enough time’ excuse is most likely a cover-up of one of the two reasons below. So if this first one sounds like you, admit it’s nothing more than an excuse and read on!

You’re reading it wrong The first is that deep down, you feel your Bible reading isn’t ‘working’ for you – and it’s really because you read the Bible with your eyes on yourself. As you read it, you’re looking for practical lessons on life, inspiring breakthroughs, and commands to immediate action. The Bible doesn’t provide these particularly well, and you find yourself feeling impatient and bored.

The scriptures don’t read like a ‘how to’ guide for life or ‘1001 Inspirational Quotations’. The Bible is full of ancient history, genealogies, instructions for priests and kings, bizarre-sounding visions, and precious little in the way of direct instructions to you, the reader. Even in the New Testament where things seem a little easier to apply to you, vast chunks go by without a word on how to live! The whole of Acts passes without even one command to go and do evangelism like the apostles did; Romans takes 11 long chapters to get to any application.

This can be immensely frustrating for us at times as we often want some clear moral guidance or a quick nugget of wisdom for the day

before we get going with life.

This will lead us to ignore the ‘dull’ bits, allegorise and twist the difficult passages, and generally stick to our favourite books and verses. We focus on what we think will directly apply to us at the expense of the tabernacle, minor prophets, and anything about numbers of people in tribes.

The solution to this problem is to understand that the Bible is about Jesus and not you.

We must take our eyes off ourselves and begin to look at Jesus in the Bible. It is dedicated not to doling out moral lessons or spiritual fast food, but to teach us about Christ so that we can delight in him. If you’re disappointed in the Bible as a moral ‘how to’ guide or a daily encouragement dispenser, your next move is to start reading it differently. Let the Bible show you the glory and beauty of Jesus, and you will find that as you do, love for him will bubble-up inside.

Believe it or not, you will see him held-out to you in even the obscure passages you’ve always avoided. You will find that, far from dutifully going to the Bible for handy hints for the day, you will gladly run to it so that Christ will capture your heart afresh.

You’re doing it for the wrong person Everyone will be familiar with this situation: you’ve

Resources

been going strong with your Bible reading, enjoying it and feeling your love for the Lord grow. But something comes up (perhaps the opportunity for a Saturday morning lie in) and you miss a day. Somehow the next day gets dropped too and, before you know it, it’s been a week. Maybe two or three.

There’s a feeling of nagging guilt which tells you that if you really cared about God then you would have read the Bible... that you really should have finished Jeremiah by now. The pressure only mounts as more missed days go by. This condemnation can cripple the most eager Bible reader. The flipside of this feeling is, of course, a sense of satisfaction (dare you admit it, a smug satisfaction) when you do manage read the Bible, especially when you survive a whole book in one go. You think, ‘I’m obviously maturing as a Christian!’ and are tempted to drop into conversations that, ‘Yes, I was in Ezekiel 47 this morning.

Marvellous chapter!’ Secretly, you lollop between these two feelings: some weeks feeling quietly pleased with your progress, and others feeling wretched and low.

The diagnosis for you is that you imagine your Bible reading to be doing God a favour. The crushing guilt you feel when you miss it is your heart telling you God is displeased, and the slightly haughty contentment you feel when knocking out five

chapters instead of your usual four is your heart telling you that God is now smiling on you.

The medicine is to recognise and live in God’s grace.

You are eternally loved and accepted by the Father only because of Jesus. He and he alone is the reason that a sinful person like you can relate to God at all; as you find yourself in him, you are adorned with his status and standing before his Father.

Without him you would not be able to stand. That is the heart of your salvation and the ongoing reality that dominates your Christian life. When you imagine that your commitment to reading the Bible can in any way add to or detract from this, you are cheating yourself out of assurance. Your faithful Bible reading over decades will not gain you any more favour in God’s eyes – you are poor and needy before him!

But don’t despair: missing a quiet time could never change God’s gracious love for you, either. You stand before God secure in Jesus, not resting on the ups and downs of your own spiritual life. If you have thought this way, you’re underestimating Jesus and trying to wrestle from him great burden of pleasing God. Give it back to him and pick up your Bible – it’s much lighter!

The truth is the Bible is given to us as a gift to feast on, rather than a project to complete before judgment day. We’re

invited to savour and enjoy it. When we stop reading, we might feel hunger pangs but we could never feel guilt, fear, or condemnation. Skipping breakfast is more of a missed opportunity than a moral slip, and skipping Bible reading is the same. God is not angry when you miss a quiet time, but he wants you to stay spiritually healthy by nourishing yourself with his word.

How to enjoy your Bible reading The Bible has been given to us to help us know and love Christ. Our Father is generous and loving, and loves to communicate with us; the Spirit has inspired the scriptures so that they bring life, joy, and fullness to the Christian walk. There is a joy and freedom as we open God’s book and hear his words. If you have misunderstood or abused the Bible up until now, making it about you and your efforts, simply look to Jesus instead. The Bible speaks of him and your salvation rests on him. Read it to love and trust him more.

Daniel Hames Daniel Hames is Union’s Head of Resources and lectures in

Systematic & Historical Theology.

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Resources

UnionTheology.org Theology isn’t just for the academic. It isn’t just for those in ‘full time ministry’. Union Theology is for everyone, for life.

Our free resources covering more than 150 topics by dozens of authors are there to help people of all abilities and all learning environments and backgrounds discover more about delighting in God. Whether you want to know a little more about a topic, read specific material from one of our collections or go deeper into a specific doctrine, Union Theology has something for you.

Simply go to UnionTheology.org to view the resources and register.

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The John Owen Scholarship John Owen (1616 – 1683) was a leading theologian in the British church whose ministry helped to raise up a generation of pastors and church leaders. The John Owen Scholarship has been established in his memory to reward those students whose academic work shows particular promise and potential to bless the church.

Each year, a scholarship may be awarded to one campus (BA) student and one Learning Community (GDip) student, receiving finances toward their academic fees.

The winners’ essays will be published on the Union Resources website,uniontheology.org, and scholars will have the opportunity to address the Union Conference in September 2016.

Is this something that would interest you or another Union student? More information can be gathered from our website: theolo.gy/JOScholarship

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Union Digital Library We’re pleased to announce the Union Digital Library, providing the highest quality digital resources with unmatched accessibility from September 2015. The library provides seamless access to a huge range of e-resources, delivering an academically and historically deep digital library for all our accredited students – free of charge!

The library includes access to academic journals, resources in New Testament and classical Greek, key textbooks for Union modules, international theological search engines, other digital libraries and much more.

We have integrated the Union Digital Library into our learning platform, providing instant access from a central repository for all enrolled students at the south Wales campus and Union Learning Communities. Donald Mitchell, Librarian at the Union campus, says, ‘In a growing digital environment, where the scholar and researcher can feel a little like an explorer lost in a jungle, this portal provides a simple route to critical search tools, resources and learning materials.’

Resources

Union Book Series The bestselling Union series. Bite-sized, punchy, readable books that make good theology accessible for everyone. Available from our friends at 10ofthose.com

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Mission

How to Save a City Tucked away in the depths of the book of Ecclesiastes is the compelling tale of an obscure man who dwelt in an obscure city that he single-handedly saved from destruction, before once again embracing obscurity.

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Mission

He wasn’t a church planter.

But he could have been…

“I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siege works against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.”

(Ecclesiastes 9 v 13-18) This story can be applied in many ways. For what it’s worth I’d like to share a few thoughts that I believe apply to church planting, or more specifically, church planters.

In it to win it The first thing we learn about this man is that he was found in this little city. He was a resident. Therefore, he was better placed than any outsider to bring about salvation.

This was his city. The people he rubbed shoulders with everyday were his people and he would share their fate. If the city was to fall to this great, aggressive and advancing army, he would also be listed among the slaughtered or enslaved. And don’t miss what kind of city this was. It wasn’t an impressive city. It

was small, marginal, weak and insignificant. But the souls who dwelt within it were as precious as any other. So this city mattered.

Purely by being present this man presents a compelling example of how to reach and rescue a community under the cosh of sin and Satan’s tyranny. What our cities, towns and villages need more than impressive church services, edgy events and eye-catching billboards is men and women who are present in them. Who live and shine amongst the lost and broken. Who love their fellow residents enough to sacrifice, serve and fight with ferocity for their salvation.

Church planters must be present.

Travel Light The next thing we learn about this guy is that he was poor.

He was not a man of means or material prosperity. He was neither famous nor influential.

He was committed to the battle for the salvation of his little city but on the surface of it he had nothing to bring to the table!

A bit like most church planters I know!

Some churches are planted with the generous support of wealthy sending churches – and that is godly and good!

Many, however, are not. They travel light. And this is not a bad thing because one of the most crucial lessons a church planter can and must learn is to trust God completely. To trust Him for provision, for protection and for salvation. It

is humbling and uncomfortable but nonetheless true that our extremities provide the perfect opportunities for God to do amazing things. The emptier our hands as we step out in faith to plant churches for the glory of God, the more glory our God will get when He comes through for us.

“Nothing in my hand I bring Simply to the cross I cling” Church planters must be content with little.

Secret Weapon The one thing that this poor man did have in abundance was wisdom. And it was wisdom that won the day. It would be easy to deduce that his wisdom was that of a military strategist – that he out-foxed the leader of the invading army. But that would not be a true biblical understanding of wisdom. In Proverbs 9 v 10 King Solomon spoke of wisdom in the following way: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

Wisdom begins when we reverently place our faith in the holy God of the universe.

In stark contrast wisdom that doesn’t flow from a fear of God is foolishness. What does this mean for the church planter?

Well, prior to fund-raising or recruiting people for our core team and before buying houses and booking venues, perhaps we should be getting on our knees and pleading with our God to equip us with the church planter’s secret weapon –

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Mission

wisdom! Let me put it bluntly – you need wisdom a lot more than you need a website! A single saint who is rich in reverent fear and who wields the blade of wisdom will prove to be a far greater threat to the kingdom of darkness than an entire legion with no fear of God before their eyes. And like the poor man of this city, they might just save the day!

“Wisdom is better than weapons of war” (v 18) Church planters must excel in wisdom.

Stay on target The poor, wise man of Ecclesiastes 9 had only one objective – the city must be saved. We are not given details of how he managed it. Did he fight alone? Did he offer strategic advice to the city’s military chiefs? Did he set traps or trigger a counter-offensive?

We don’t know! All we know is that “he by his wisdom delivered the city.” He used his secret weapon and the city was made safe.

There are loads of things that we could and should put our hands to in the adventure of planting churches: praying, strategising, team-building, casting vision, training leaders, offering hospitality, visiting the sick, caring for the needy, obtaining charity status, setting up bank accounts, securing funds, networking with local leaders and ensuring that our marriages and families stay healthy…but there’s something missing in that list – the lost!

We don’t plant churches in

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order to do church in new and dynamic ways. We don’t plant churches to advance our own careers or to create platform and legitimacy for our personal ministry agendas. No! We plant churches to effectively reach those who are lost in sin, to preach the gospel to them, to make disciples of all who turn to Jesus in repentant faith and equip them to be sent into the workplace and the world that the Kingdom of God would continue to advance. We plant churches to ‘save cities’.

Church planting is primarily about salvation and we must stay on target!

Church planters must be about salvation.

Get outof the way The most surprising and most humbling part of this whole story is the way it ends. You would have thought that after saving the city with nothing but an empty bank account and a fist-full of wisdom this poor man would have been esteemed throughout the city.

You might have expected a feast to be thrown and a statue erected in his honour. But that’s not what happened.

Here’s how it played out: “Yet no one remembered that poor man.” He was neither thanked nor celebrated. He was rejected and forgotten.

But that’s okay.

It’s okay because a man who truly fears God is far too wise and for too loyal to try to rob Him of His glory. After all it was God’s victory!

There is a sobering lesson here for church planters. In

the words of the Count of Zinzendorf our job description is simply “Preach the Gospel, die, and be forgotten.” We cannot and we must not go into this seeking fame, favour, popularity or prestige. This is possibly harder than it ever has been as we minister in a digital age when making a big noise and establishing a ‘name’ has never been easier.

Church planting, however, must be 100% about Jesus. It’s His gospel that we preach by the power of His Spirit as we plant churches for the fame of His name alone. We give all that we’ve got for His glory and then get out of the way! George Whitefield put it this way: “Let my name die everywhere, let even my friends forget me, if by that means the cause of the blessed Jesus may be promoted.”

Church planters must embrace obscurity.

Like I said, that poor, wise man wasn’t a church planter.

But he could have been…

Dai Hankey Dai is married to Michelle and

they have four children. He has

been leading a Church plant, Hill City Church, in the South Wales

Valley of Torfaen. He is a regular

contributor for Union-mission.org.

Union are passionate about mission, in fact it fuels everything we do. We

want to serve the church by raising up growing leaders for growing churches and we are pleased to partner with

Dai Hankey and other church planters in serving the work they do.

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Union School of Theology Our Prospectus There is a crying need in post-Christian Europe for the provision of theological fuel for gospel growth. Union’s vision of Growing Leaders for Growing Churches is all about mission that is fruitful and hardy. Robust and winsome mission grows when it is fed by strong and faithful theology.

Our aim is to recruit, raise and deploy church leaders, providing them with rigorous, biblical and accessible education, training and resources. Our School of Theology grows leaders on campus and in learning communities, together delivering a world-class theological education – from BA to PhD – that is both geographically and financially accessible.

This magazine is just a brief taste of what Union can offer.

For more information please go to our website ust.ac.uk or you can email specific questions to admissionenquiries@ ust.ac.uk. We also have a number of Open and Taster days throughout the year, and you are always welcome to visit us at our campus or HQ in Oxford.

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BA (Hons) The BA (Hons) is our flagship campus-based course for all those preparing for gospel ministry. It provides a robust biblical and theological education at the heart of the Union community, giving hands-on experience of what it means for theological rigour to fuel the mission of the church.

Equipping leaders for all-round ministry The UST BA (Hons) degree in Theology aims to offer the richest possible leadership formation experience. Studying alongside fellow students and our exceptional faculty, you will have a unique opportunity to develop not only your biblical and theological knowledge, but also the spiritual wisdom and practical skills you will need to serve the church and bless the world.

During the programme, you will study God’s word in depth, master essential Christian doctrines and learn how to understand and assess the views of major theologians down the ages.

Learning biblical languages is optional, but our Greek and Hebrew teaching is widely recognised as exceptional, and we would warmly encourage you to take up the challenge!

We offer a wide range of applied modules and formative workshops directly relevant to your future ministry. Our BA (Hons) students graduate with a solid grounding in God’s word and a strong and comprehensive theology of preaching, pastoring and mission.

Find out more at ust.ac.uk/learning/course/ba

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GDip The UST Graduate Diploma in Theology is a highly flexible and innovative course, accessible off-campus in Learning Communities around the world.

It brings a world-class theological education within reach geographically, financially, and in terms of time commitment. Embedding students in a spiritually formative community within a local church context, it offers an exciting and valid alternative for those for whom three years of full-time campus study is simply not an option.

Global quality, local access Accessed exclusively through churchcentred Learning Communities, our GDip students enjoy the best of both worlds: the quality of theological teaching, monitoring and resourcing worthy of the very best seminary (utilising Union’s learning management system and digital library), together with the convenience and added value of sharing and growing together in vibrant local settings under the care and guidance of an experienced Lead Mentor.

The GDip is designed for those who already have a basic theological knowledge (either through a ministry training course or from private study) as well as some ministry experience. Whether you are just starting out, or are an established church leader who has simply missed out on a formal theological education, the GDip could well be your ideal solution.

The course covers all foundational aspects of theology, while offering various options (including biblical languages) to meet differing needs. Union’s Values of Delighting in God, Growing in Christ, Serving the Church and Blessing the World inform every module, and both personal spiritual formation and development of practical skills are a priority.

Find out more at ust.ac.uk/learning/course/gdip

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MTh The Master of Theology programme is designed to produce the wise and thoughtful leaders that churches today so desperately need. It offers a exible and high-level theological equipping for gospel ministry in today’s culture, complementing and completing our BA and GDip programmes.

We believe our Master of Theology in Scriptural Context programme is unique for two reasons. First, we want to serve the needs of pastor-theologians concerned to increase their understanding and expertise in a wide range of disciplines. So you may choose a mix of modules covering both academic theology and more applied and pastoral subjects.

Secondly, we want to offer maximum flexibility of delivery to accommodate the busy and ever changing routines of those in church leadership. So you may choose to study modules over an intensive few days on campus or over a more extended period in our off-campus Learning Communities.

Whichever way you prefer to study, we guarantee the quality of theological teaching, monitoring and resourcing remains the same. In both contexts you will discover the value of learning alongside fellow students from very different backgrounds and profit from highly experienced and pastorally sensitive supervision.

Campus On campus, the MTh programme may be completed on a full-time basis in 12 months, or on a part-time basis taking up to 6 years. Most part-time students complete their modules in 2-3 years. Six intensive teaching weeks are scheduled each year, in three periods of consecutive weeks. Two weeks are held at the end of August and beginning of September, two are held in early January, and two are held in March. A full-time student will typically need to attend all 6 teaching weeks in the academic year.

Learning Community The MTh accessed through Learning Communities is only available as a two year, part-time option.

In Learning Communities, students work through the MTh modules in a less intensive way, typically coming together on a weekly basis throughout the teaching weeks of the semester. They enjoy all the advantages of learning together that they may have already experienced when studying for the GDip. Find out more at ust.ac.uk/learning/course/mth

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School

MPhil & PhD Union is dedicated to raising up the next generation of evangelical scholars who will resource and equip the church with theology of the highest quality. Our research degrees give students the opportunity to explore their subject in great depth, supported by a dedicated supervisory team.

Research Degrees A research degree at Union School of Theology will allow you to study a subject in real depth under the supervision of leading evangelical scholars. There are no taught modules or classes, which means that, wherever you are in the world, study can be undertaken with us with minimal disruption to your ministry or employment.

Find out more at ust.ac.uk/learning/course/mphil-phd

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School

Global Ministry Course The Global Ministry Course, the training arm of the Global Forum, mentors and disciples future global leaders in line with Union’s values.

Raising the next generation of global leaders Union’s vision is to grow leaders for growing churches. The GMC is the training arm of the Global Forum and operates in line with our four values. The GMC raises leaders from non-Englishspeaking countries who will delight in God, grow in Christ, serve the church, and so bless the world.

About the course A unique feature of the GMC is that it teaches theology through the study of English with extensive use of the Bible and other resources. English is a major component of the course, but is taught in a values-driven context of mission-minded discipleship.

Students learn that ministry and mission must flow from worship.

The GMC caters for English language students from preintermediate to advanced levels, preparing them for University of Cambridge and IELTS examinations up to university entry standard.

Living with British students on our campus provides students with daily English practice. As students attend a local church, their confidence and spiritual maturity can grow as they enjoy opportunities to serve and meet with other Christians. The course includes regular day trips to local and national tourist attractions and Christian heritage sites.

An organised and accompanied trip to another European country is also available at a very reasonable additional cost.

Find out more at ust.ac.uk/learning/ course/global-ministry-course

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Throughout the year Union’s campus in South Wales hosts Open and Taster days, allowing you to see the heart of Union’s values in action.

However you are thinking of studying, whether on campus, in a learning community or through distance learning, visiting our campus will give you an opportunity to see the facilities, hear a lecture and speak to faculty and students.

For more information, including dates, please go to www.ust.ac.uk/pages/open-and-taster-days

Email info@ust.ac.uk | Freephone 0330 123 4446 | Twitter @UnionTheology

UNION HEADQUARTERS

UNION CAMPUS

UNION ASIA

AND RESEARCH CENTRE

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SaRang Global Ministry Centre

CF31 4DX

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1-3 George Street Oxford, OX1 2AT UK

Bridgend UK

North Tower, 703

Seoul, Korea, 137-872