Principal John Brand shares the second of our 7 core characteristics that we are committed to.

2. Ecclesial Training

EBC is committed to a training that is accountable to, and in partnership with, local churches

At EBC

• our governing Board is made up of representatives of local churches and our governing documents constrain us to be accountable to the local church
• ‘full-time’ Diploma students will only be accepted in consultation with, and with the full agreement of, their home church
• the leadership of students’ home churches will be provided with regular updates and reports on their student’s progress and, wherever practical, involved in the training
• those students who live away from their home church will be placed in and committed to a local evangelical church during their time at college
• a large proportion of the teaching and training will be done by church leaders and other Christian workers, experienced in their own fields of service

Ecclesial– I admit it’s not the best known word in the world, but it is a real word and it is vastly better than ecclesiastical. Most importantly of all it highlights a key aspect of the vision and burden of Edinburgh Bible College which is to work with and serve the church of Christ.

At EBC we take the local church very seriously. The church is God’s agent for world evangelisation and the primacy of the local church is fundamental

That means that in practice there needs to be a strong relationship and partnership between the local church and the training institution so that the church can play its part and exercise its primary authority and the training institution can do what very few churches can adequately do themselves, but do so with accountability to local churches and for ecclesial rather than academic ends.

IN THIS RELATIONSHIP,

the local church is best at and responsible for:

• initial discipling and training
• recognising and developing spiritual gifts
• assessing any call to, and potential for, ministry

while the training institution is probably best at

• providing a breadth of biblical, doctrinal, historical and practical training by those with breadth of experience
• providing a community of, and facilities for, learning on a bigger scale
• providing recognised and credible learning qualifications where these are needed

FOR THE PARTNERSHIP TO WORK WELL,

the local church should

• expect accountability and insist on a meaningful partnership with those to whom it delegates the training of its members
• ensure that all major decisions are made jointly
• recognise and affirm the special role of the training institution

while the training institution should

• have a purpose statement with a strong commitment to the primacy of the local church in the purposes of God
• have procedures and policies that constrain it to act in a meaningful partnership with the home churches of its students
• ensure that the students are involved in and committed to a local church while away from their home church
• provide a training that is primarily delivered by ecclesially minded rather than academically minded teachers

If you are a church leader, with responsibility for helping someone make a decision about going to Bible College, or if you are a potential student, exploring the possibilities of training, let me encourage you to explore these areas when you do your research about courses and training institutions.

You can register for this and our other new modules here.

Details of this subject can be downloaded here.

You can register for this and our other new modules here.

Details of this subject can be downloaded here.

You can register for this and our other new modules here.

Details of this subject can be downloaded here.

When it comes to choosing a Bible College training, there are numerous options and potential students need to know what they are signing up for. When we were setting up EBC nine years ago we identified 7 core characteristics that we want to pursue and be known by and over the next few days our Principal, John Brand, is going to remind you of these.

1.Biblical Training

EBC is committed to training that produces men and women who are steeped in the Scriptures and whose lives are shaped by their teaching

The need of the unbelieving world, the need of the local church, the need of the world of missions – now more than ever – is a generation of men and women who are

• conversant with the whole Bible
• convicted by the truths of the Bible
• convinced of the inerrancy, infalliblity and sufficiency of the Bible
• captivated in their own mind and heart by the Bible
• conformed to the teaching of the Bible
• committed to the ultimate authority of the Bible
• confident in the supernatural power of the Bible
• competent in teaching and preaching their Bible in such a way that doesn’t rob it of its supernatural power

Read more here.

Here is one of our new modules which starts in April. You can register here.

Details of this subject can be downloaded here.

You won’t want to miss this! You can register here

This past week we were delighted to welcome Rebekah (not in this picture) as our first new student for the 2021-2022 College year and are currently in conversation with several other potential students. If you – or someone you know – is thinking about some form of study and training, why not get in touch? We would be glad to explore options with you, and remember that two of our core values are FLEXIBILITY and ACCESSIBILITY.

There is still time – just – to sign up for one of the new zoom based virtual classrooms we are running this term and which start next week. These are open to anyone who pre-registers and you can choose from The Doctrine of Scripture, The Pastoral Letters or Leviticus and Hebrews.

Here are details of the fourth new zoom class that we are running in the Spring. As with the other new modules, ANYONE is welcome to sign up for this one. If you want more information, please email us at info@edinburghbiblecollege.co.uk Registration is now available here. There is a more detailed description of the course here.