The 2008 Seminar Programme

Our purpose in these seminars is to encourage a better understanding of the Bible and to help us to accurately, urgently and relevantly communicate this to others, with a particular emphasis on preaching.

They exist to draw together church pastors, leaders and those in regular word ministry to promote mutual friendship and gospel partnership. However, this is not an exhaustive list of those who can attend. Anyone can come along who would find these sessions helpful.

In the seminars we seek to give practical help in dealing with significant issues of our day—including those concerning our mindset, our theology and our behaviour. These seminars began in 2007 with the intention of helping to equip us to make Christ known. During that year the seminars covered the following subjects: 'Nurturing Leaders in the local church'; 'The Emerging Church and what they have wrong and what they have right'; 'How to make preaching interesting', 'Preaching Revelation' and 'Whole life discipleship'. We hope that this year's programme builds upon what we covered last year. You'll find the 2008 programme below:

2008

Monday 28 January: Building a Word based church. In the two sessions with Chris Kelly, we will be looking at understanding the Word of God and then seeing how we apply that Word to the life of the Church.

Chris Kelly, who is the Senior Minister of Lansdowne Road Church in Bournemouth, has grappled with issues that face many churches where people have a Biblical understanding but little knowledge of Jesus Christ; and church being little more than a gathering on a Sunday. This should prove to be provocative and helpful.

Monday 17 March: Preaching Deuteronomy. This is the first of two seminars this year on preaching from the Old Testament, with which we all feel we need help. Christopher Ash is with us to look at this second giving of the law and to help us preach it with Jesus Christ having come—the One to whom this book points.

Christopher Ash is the Director of the Cornhill Training Course in London where his work involves training people to clearly teach the Bible. He is also known for his recent books on marriage including Married for God.

Monday 9 June: The New Perspective on Paul—What are the implications and should we be bothered? Some contemporary theologians suggest that Paul’s concept of justification has been misunderstood by the Church for hundreds of years. This has supposedly resulted in a flawed understanding of Paul’s Galatian and Roman letters which only worsened with the Reformation. This “New Perspective” is trickling out of academia into popular Christian teaching and literature with N.T. Wright being its best known advocate. Does this issue matter? How should we engage it at the local church level?

Gerald Bray joins us to tackle this issue and to help us stand up for the truth by understanding what is at stake. Dr Bray is Director of Research at the Latimer Trust where he focuses on mentoring theologians, writing and speaking to encourage Christians to stand up for Biblical truth in church, work and theology.

Monday 6 October: Future Church. Mike Frost is one of the leading thinkers in the world about the future of the Church. His ideas about the need for us in the West to see ourselves as missionaries in our own culture have resonated with many. Mike has given a great deal of thought to this subject, and written several books including The Shaping of Things to Come and Exiles: living missionally in a post-Christian culture.

Mike Frost heads up the Centre for Evangelism and Global Mission at Morling College in Australia and will be with us to provoke our thinking as we seek to proclaim the gospel to people in the UK.

Further details about Mike Frost and his forthcoming visit to the UK can be found at www.facingthechallenge.org/mikefrost.php

Monday 17 November: Preaching Amos and the Minor Prophets. Our second seminar on the Old Testament looks at those often forgotten books near its end. Philip Eveson will be with us to help us see our way through what, at times, can seem like repetitive material without any clear, progressive line of reasoning.

Philip Eveson is Principal of London Theological Seminary, Director of the John Owen Centre for Theological Study and a lecturer in Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. He will concentrate on Amos and then progress from there to consider how we tackle the other Minor Prophets.

The location

We are meeting at Green Pastures Christian Centre, East Street, Hambledon, Hants PO7 4RY. This is set in beautiful countryside and is a very restful location with ample parking. It’s located just off the B2150 in the village of Hambledon, situated between Waterlooville on the A3 and Droxford on the A32.

Turn into West Street off the B2150, continue through the village, slowing as you progress past the church and into East Street. The narrow lane to Green Pastures is on your left.

Each seminar comprises two one hour sessions with time for questions and interaction. Coffee is served from 9.30am with the first session at 10am. There will be a coffee break followed by the second session from 11.30–12.30am.

We encourage everyone to stay behind for lunch afterwards so that friendships might be built and further interaction take place. We believe this is valuable in getting to know each other with the desire that this might further gospel partnership in this region.
Lunch is not provided so please bring your own—drinks will be provided.

Booking and costs

Each seminar costs £10 per person. Please contact Mike James admin@solentgospelpartnership.org.uk to book your place or arrive on the day. However, it is helpful for us to know that you are coming, so please book if that is possible.

We warmly welcome all to these seminars. Please pass details on to others who you feel may be interested in joining us.

Solent Gospel Partnership 2008 Seminar Programme Leaflet