"Him we proclaim…
that we may present everyone mature in Christ"

Colossians 1:28 ESV

Training for Ministry

The Associate Scheme

Our greatest desire as a church is that God is honoured and the church of Jesus Christ is built and extended. For this to happen godly leaders are key – leaders who will serve God and His people, either full-time or in a lay capacity.

These servant-leaders will be people who have a deep, genuine relationship with God characterised by:

• A love for God, a passion for His glory and a longing to know and love Him more
• A firm grasp of what God has revealed in His Word, a whole-hearted trust in what He has said and a clear understanding of the importance of teaching that Word to others
• A genuine desire to further God’s purpose of rescuing a people for Himself for eternity and a real commitment to these people

The purpose of the Associate Scheme is to help to develop the next generation of servant-leaders. This purpose shapes the whole of the Scheme and means that everything in the Scheme is designed to train and equip Associates in the key areas in which they need to grow if they are to be good servants of Jesus Christ. In particular, we seek to help them grow in:

• Christian maturity
• theology and knowledge of the Bible
• ability to study and teach the Bible
• servant-heartedness and ministry-mindedness

The training is shaped and controlled by two firmly held convictions.

1. That God works through His Word and so good servant-leaders of His church are those who can correctly understand it for themselves, who apply it to themselves and who can teach it well.
2. That by far the best way to learn how to do something is to do it

These two convictions mean that the Scheme is built round and focused on Associates working hard at understanding the Bible for themselves and teaching it to others.

Training takes place in four ways:

1. ‘In the classroom’, where most teaching is done as group discussion or in seminar mode. Associates learn by working hard at the text of the Bible for themselves and discussing their conclusions under the close supervision of experienced staff.
2. ‘On the job’ with Associates doing lots of ministry – leading small group Bible studies, evangelistic study groups and one-to-one studies, being responsible for small areas of the Church’s ministry, giving talks, etc.
3. 'Serving practically' through jobs like furniture moving and administration; learning both what needs to be done if the Bible is to be taught and the willing servant-heartedness to do it.
4. 'Through the staff team'.  Associates are part of the church staff team and learn much by ‘osmosis’.  Each associate is individually mentored by a member of staff to help both with their own spiritual life and with their ministry.

St Helen’s is committed to the Associate Scheme because of the huge long term benefits to the wider church of training godly servant-leaders. However, we benefit enormously from the Associates during their time with us as a result of the important contribution they make to the life and mission of the church.

The Scheme is designed for people who think they are likely to end up in full-time Bible teaching, but this may be in any one of the many areas in which there is a need for Bible teachers, eg pastoring a local church, working with students, working with youth, working with women, overseas, etc. For people going into full-time Bible teaching, we think this Scheme, or something like it, provides almost indispensable training and preparation in how to study and teach the Bible and how to do gospel ministry. However, it will also be of great value to those who are deciding if full-time Bible teaching is the best way they can serve our Lord Jesus, even if they end up serving in another capacity.

We seek to take at least 15 new Associates each year, starting at the end of August, and the vast majority of these will stay on for a second year which builds on the first. The Scheme is aimed at those who have worked since graduating as well as new graduates.

If you would like more information, beyond that provided by the links below, or would like a paper version of the brochure or application form, please contact

Roger Day at:

St Helen’s Church Office, Great St Helen’s, London EC3A 6AT

Tel: 020 7283 2231

Email: associate.info@st-helens.org.uk

More details of the training programme

Frequently asked questions about the Scheme and who should do it

We are now taking applications for September 2010.

Associate Scheme Brochure (2010) - to download click here

(PDF format).

Associate Scheme Application Form (2010) - to download click here for Word format or here for PDF format

We ask that applications are typed/word-processed if at all possible.

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