Training for the church: an interview with Tim Blaber
What’s it like to run a Learning Community in partnership with Union? Tim Blaber, Director of Training for the Commission network and Lead Mentor of the Westminster MTh and the Winchester GDip Learning Communities, shares.
What does a typical day in your Learning Community look like?
Our Learning Community brings together both pastors in training and others with a teaching ministry from across a number of churches. This has meant new friendships have formed, and quickly! Every day runs from 9am - 15:30pm, and will invariably begin with catch up, followed by a devotional and prayer. The videos Union provide for every module are excellent, with plenty of space created for lively discussion. The beauty of the Learning Community model is that we are able to take the content of each lesson and apply this to our respective ministry situations, within the context of a peer-to-peer environment.
How did you get started with your Learning Community? How has it served your churches?
Commission is a family of churches belonging to the wider Newfrontiers network, and we enjoy working closely together in many areas of ministry, delivering a variety of in-house theology and leadership training courses. However, we have come to highly value the world class seminary training of Union, particularly for those eager to study more formally.
We have come to highly value the world class seminary training of Union, particularly for those eager to study more formally.
One of the many reasons why we love our partnership with Union, is that their courses have been cultivated to aim beyond simply the acquisition of new skills and techniques for students, to stirring up a heart felt devotion to Christ and His church as the driving passion for all ministry. One year on from launching our Learning Communities and working closely with the staff at Union, I am utterly convinced that this aforementioned passion governs all Union do.
What’s your favourite thing about mentoring your group?
Moments of wonder as we marvel together in Scripture at the grace of God displayed in and through Christ. I just love it when around the room there’s a collective ‘wow’ following some superb teaching.
I just love it when around the room there’s a collective ‘wow’ following some superb teaching.
What advice would you give anyone thinking about signing up to study at a Learning Community?
Only sign up if you are absolutely committed to your ongoing learning and development (thus prepared to invest the necessary time), but more crucially if you have a passion to see Christ glorified in His Church throughout the nations. If you do then please ‘go for it’ - the cause is great and you won’t regret it!
If you’re looking to join a Learning Community, head here. If Tim’s story has inspired you to set up a Learning Community in your church, please get in touch!
