Theological Training Course

The Theological Training Course of the Evangelical

Movement of Wales (‘EMW’) is designed to train men
for gospel ministry in the 21st century. The thinking
behind the Course is that there is an urgent need
for men who can faithfully preach and teach God’s
timeless truth and relate and apply it to our ever
changing world.
 Theological Training Course
Philosophy and aims
Only God can give the graces and impart the gifts which are
needed for gospel ministry. The Course seeks to help develop
these gifts and graces in a number of ways. It does not provide a
general theological education for anyone who is interested in such
studies; rather, it seeks to give the necessary training to help a
man develop the graces and gifts which God has imparted to him,
so that he will be an effective preacher and teacher of God’s Word,
a pastor of God’s people, and be able to function evangelistically in
God’s world.

Who is it for?
Men who will serve God effectively and who will benefit from the
Course will have a conviction that they should give themselves
wholly to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and the care
of God’s people, and will have a burden to bring people to faith in
Jesus Christ. Their home church will have responsibly assessed
them and will share the conviction that they should devote
themselves to gospel ministry.

The Course is particularly suited for men whose circumstances or

convictions are such that attendance at a theological college is
not possible. Men already in preaching / pastoral / evangelistic
ministry who have not had the opportunity of training may also
find the Course to be especially suitable for them.

What does the Course involve?

The Course lasts for four years: years A, B, C, and D. Men may join
in any year (thus it is possible to start in Year D or end in Year A).
All students, therefore, study the same material at the same
time.

There are 2 residential sessions, one in the week of August bank

holiday and the other in Easter week. These sessions begin on
Monday morning and end on Friday afternoon. Each morning there
are lectures in the following subjects: Biblical Studies, Systematic
Theology, and Church History. There is free time each afternoon
between lunch and afternoon tea, during which men may use the
sports facilities at the Conference Centre where the Course is run,
or at the Bala Leisure Centre opposite the Conference Centre.
Alternatively men may choose simply to enjoy the scenic beauty

2
 Theological Training Course
of the surrounding area or spend time with their families if these
have accompanied them.

Between tea and dinner there are lectures on Pastoral Theology

(which, as can be seen from the syllabus, is widely defined). After
dinner there will either be an open discussion session or a paper
given on a subject chosen from a wide variety of issues, such as
contemporary culture, issues of theological concern, or historical
or biographical material. These papers are then followed by
discussion.
For the rest of the year students will follow a course of guided
reading, having to submit a total of nine assignments through the
year. There will be six written assignments after the August
session (one per month) and three after the Easter session (also
one per month). Where at all possible students will be allocated
to a local tutor with whom they should meet each month for nine
months of the year. The tutor’s function will be to help the
student’s thinking with respect to the written assignments, as
well as to be something of a mentor to him.
In addition, it will normally be the case that a student will be
active in his home church, being given opportunities to preach, to
take meetings, and to be involved in evangelistic and / or pastoral
work.

The contents of the Course

All the lecturers are committed to the evangelical faith, and all
students will be required to give whole-hearted assent to the
EMW Statement of Doctrinal Belief found at the end of this
prospectus. While no specific stance is taken over those issues
with respect to which evangelicals differ (e.g., baptism, church
government), the arguments for the respective positions being
fairly stated and assessed, the position of the EMW and of the
Course is that the Statement of Doctrinal Belief is understood,
with respect to ‘the doctrines of grace’, against the background
of the great Reformed confessions of the church (Westminster,
Savoy, 1689 Baptist, 1823 Welsh Calvinistic Methodist). While men
of differing conviction with respect to these matters may be
accepted onto the Course, the standpoint with respect to the
doctrines of grace is, therefore, Reformed or Calvinistic, but allied
to the experiential emphases which characterized Calvinistic
Methodism.

3
 Theological Training Course
Details of the syllabus are set out towards the end of this
prospectus.

How is the Course delivered?

By a mixture of lectures and discussions, guided reading and
assessment of written assignments.

What qualifications are needed?

The essential qualifications are that a man must have a sense of
conviction that he should devote himself wholly to the work of
preaching, teaching, and pastoring, and, in the normal course of
events, have the support and endorsement of the officers and
members of his home church that he is suitable for this work.

No formal academic qualifications are needed to be accepted onto

the Course. This should not be interpreted to mean that the
Course is a ‘soft option’. Quite the contrary! Men with first class
degrees or doctorates from excellent universities have testified
to the fact that the Course stretched their minds. On the other
hand, men of lesser academic abilities or with few, if any, academic
qualifications have found the Course to be extremely profitable
and beneficial. Since God calls and equips both types of men for
gospel ministry, we believe it to be right to provide training for all
those who are gifted and equipped by God.

What qualifications are given?

No formal qualifications are awarded. This does not mean that the
Course lacks spiritual and intellectual rigour or that students do
not need to apply themselves to their studies; rather, it reflects
our conviction that there is no biblical warrant for such a
procedure, and that such an approach is inappropriate to
preparation for gospel ministry. However, in recognition of the fact
that men have given themselves to a demanding course of four
years’ study, a certificate will be awarded to those men who
complete the Course, in acknowledgement of the fact that they
have attended the residential sessions and completed the
written assignments. For those who are able to attend, this
certificate will be publicly awarded during the Annual English
Conference of the Evangelical Movement of Wales at
Aberystwyth, in the August of the year in which the student
completes the Course.

4
 Theological Training Course
Relationship with other evangelical bodies and
training courses / institutions
The Evangelical Movement of Wales is glad to be part of Affinity. It
is committed to evangelical unity. As such, it has cordial relations
with other training institutions and initiatives. It believes that, in
these days of both great need and great opportunity, it is
essential for evangelicals to be in co-operation, not in
competition. Two of the lecturers also lecture on the PFS course
run by the FIEC, while two of the lecturers lecture at LTS, and a
third lecturer is a former Principal of LTS. Another lecturer has
lectured in the past at LTS and at the former ETCW (now WEST).
One of the lecturers pastors a church which has in its membership
two of the faculty at WEST, as well as numerous students from
WEST who attend the church.

As different keys fit different locks, so different courses will be

suitable for different men. We rejoice in the fact that some men
will find LTS, PFS, or WEST to be more suited to their needs. At
the same time we acknowledge that some men will find the EMW
Course is more suitable for them.

Applications
Applications will be sympathetically considered from men who are
convinced that they should devote themselves to gospel
ministry. The applicant’s home church will normally have to
support the application. His home church will need to confirm its
belief that the applicant has been born again and that he has
been equipped by God in such a way as to hold out promise for
future gospel ministry. Applicants must be whole-heartedly
committed to the evangelical faith and be able to give unreserved
assent to the Doctrinal Belief of the Evangelical Movement of
Wales. (If at any time a student can no longer assent to this
statement of belief, it is expected that he will make this fact
known to the Principal and, if so requested, resign from the
Course.)
The leadership of the Course reserve the right to turn down any
application they deem unsuitable and also to suspend from the
Course any student who is either not profiting from it or who, it
becomes clear, is not suitable for the Course.
New students are normally admitted at the beginning of the
Course year, that is, the August session.

5
 Theological Training Course
Finance
Most students will be funded by themselves or by their home
church. This being the case, every effort is made to keep the
costs of the Course as low as possible. This does not mean that
the quality of the teaching is substandard; rather, we wish to give
the very best value for money. Further details can be obtained
from the Registrar, whose address will be found on the application
form attached to this prospectus.

The Faculty

Revd Stephen Clark, MA (Oxon.):

Principal. Systematic Theology

Revd Christopher Bennett, MA (Cantab.)

Biblical Studies: New Testament

Revd Andrew Davies, BA (London) MA (Oxon.)

Church History

Revd Philip Eveson, BA (Wales.) MA (Cantab.) M.Th.

(London):
Biblical Studies: Old Testament

Revd Philip Swann. MCSP

Pastoral Theology

Revd Roger Welch, BA (Kent) MTh (Wales)

Church History
With respect to pastoral theology, other lecturers, who are not
part of the faculty but who have particular experience (e.g., mental
health, world mission), will assist in the Course. Evening sessions
will be addressed by members of the faculty and by visiting
speakers.

6
 Theological Training Course
The Syllabus
The course is divided into four consecutive years. Applicants can
join the Course in any year and continue throughout the four-year
cycle. Thus someone starting in Year A would do Years A, B, C, D
(in that order). Someone starting in Year C would do Years C, D, A
and B (in that order).

Year A
Biblical Studies
The Pentateuch, with special reference to Creation, Fall, Covenant
with Abraham and Israel, paying particular attention to the
progressive nature of revelation and the importance of this to
biblical theology. The Pre-Exilic Prophets with special reference to
Hosea in Israel and Isaiah in Judah.

Church History
The Early Church. Origins and Growth; Persecutions; Life, Worship
and Church Order; Controversies up to 451 - the Church and the
Romans Empire.
The Mediaeval Period. Relationship of Eastern to Western; Growth
of the Papacy; Monasticism; Scholasticism; Intellectual
Developments; Mysticism; The Demand for Reform; Preparation for
the Reformation.

Systematic Theology
The Doctrine of Scripture - Revelation, Inspiration, Authority and
Interpretation; Text and Canon of Scripture; Contemporary
Challenges.
The Doctrine of God - His Being, Attributes; The Holy Trinity;
Works; Contemporary Challenges.
The Doctrine of Man - His original state; in sin; under grace;
Relevance to Contemporary Issues.

Pastoral Theology
Preparation of the man of God; preparation of the message from
God (giving special attention to exegesis and hermeneutics
application in preaching, and the relationship of Word and Spirit).

7
 Theological Training Course
Year B
Biblical Studies
The Johaninne Literature.
Luke-Acts.

Church History
The Reformation in Europe. Luther; Calvin; Knox; Zwingli;
Anabaptists; Counter-Reformation; The Reformation in England;
The Origins of Puritanism.

Systematic Theology
The Doctrine of Christ: His Person, States, Offices; Historic and
contemporary controversies.
The Work of Christ with special reference to the Atonement;
Challenges to preaching the Atonement.
The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: His Divinity, Personality; His work in
the church and the individual

Pastoral Theology
Preaching and the church service; different types of preaching;
pastoring the flock

Year C
Biblical Studies
The Wisdom Literature with special reference to Ecclesiastes.
Jeremiah and Haggai.

Church History
Puritanism and the Rise of Nonconformity.
The Evangelical Awakening in Wales.; Early Welsh Nonconformity;
The Rise of Calvinistic Methodism.
The Revivals of 1859 and 1904.

Systematic Theology
The Doctrine of the Application of the Work of Redemption:
special attention will be paid to contemporary challenges to the
doctrine of justification by faith, and to differing views of
sanctification.
The Doctrine of the Church: Introduction
Year C cont’d overleaf

8
 Theological Training Course
Pastoral Theology
Pastoral problems: interface between pastoral matters and
medical issues; structuring church services; weddings and funerals.

Year D
Biblical Studies
The Epistle to the Romans; 1 Corinthians; Colossians.

Church History
The Evangelical Awakening in England and America.;
Nineteenth and Twentieth-century Developments;
The Missionary Movement; Intellectual and Religious
Developments; Conflicts and Attitudes of the Twentieth and
Twenty-First Centuries.

Systematic Theology
The Church: Relationship between Old and New Testament view of
God’s people; Features, Functions, and Form of the Church
(including Structures, Offices, Gifts, and Ministries)
The Doctrine of the Last Things.

Pastoral Theology
The local church and evangelism; church and society; the church
and world mission.

Although there is no formal teaching of the biblical languages, help

can be given by the Biblical Studies lecturers (who are university
trained to degree or post graduate level in these languages) to
men who so require it.

In all sections of the Course, issues over which

evangelicals are in disagreement in their
interpretation of Scripture will be treated with
integrity and charity, and with an earnest desire
to be faithful in all things to the Scriptures.

9
 Theological Training Course
EMW Statement of Doctrinal Belief
Controlling Principle
We believe the Holy Scriptures, as originally given, to be the infallible Word of God, of
divine inspiration, and therefore we accept them as our sole authority in all matters of
faith and practice.

Specific Doctrinal Beliefs

As a consequence of our faith in the infallible Word of God we believe the following as
essential doctrines of the Christian faith.

We believe:

A) in the only true and living God, the Holy Trinity of divine Persons in
perfect unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each of whom co-equal and
co-eternal, and sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.
B) In the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is holy, righteous,
full of grace, mercy compassion and love. In His infinite love He sent
forth the Son, that the world through Him might be saved.
C) In the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, whose true
humanity and full deity were mysteriously and really joined in the unity
of His divine Person. We believe in His virgin birth, in His perfect life and
teaching, in His substitutionary*, atoning death on the cross, where He
triumphed over Satan, sin and death, in His bodily resurrection and His
ascension into heaven, where He now sits in glory at the right hand of
God.
D) in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, whose work is
indispensable to regenerate the sinner, to lead him to repentance, to
give him faith in Christ, to sanctify the believer in this present life and
fit him to enjoy fellowship with God. For spiritual power and
effectiveness His ministry is essential to the individual Christian and
the Church.
E) that as a result of the Fall all men are sinful by nature. Sin pollutes and
controls them, infects every part of their being, renders them guilty in
the sight of a holy God and subject to the penalty which, in His wrath
and condemnation, He has decreed against it.
F) through faith (and only faith) in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose death
was a perfect oblation and satisfaction for our sins, the sinner is freely
justified by God who, instead of reckoning to us our sins, reckons
Christ's righteousness to our account. Salvation is therefore by grace
and not by human merit.
G) the Lord Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly and gloriously to
this earth, to receive His saints to Himself and to be seen of all men. As
the righteous Judge, He will divide all men into two, and only two
categories-the saved and the lost. Those whose faith is in Christ will
be saved eternally, and will enter into the joy of their Lord, sharing with
Him His inheritance in heaven. The unbelieving will be condemned by Him
to hell, where eternally they will be punished for their sins under the
righteous judgement of God
*By this phrase we understand ‘penal substitutionary atoning death’

10
Response Form

Theological Training Course

To be returned to: The Registrar, Theological Training Course, Evangelical Movement of Wales,
Bryntirion, Bridgend. CF314DX

I wish to apply for admission to the

Theological Training Course. I have
studied this brochure and declare that I
am in sympathy with the aims and
methods described in it. Please send me
the necessary forms.

Name -
Address -

Post Code -
Signed -

11
Registered charity no 222407