Helping Men be Men   

What does it really mean to be a man? Things have got confused by cultural stereotypes and accusations of ‘toxic masculinity’. This elective will build on Al Stewart’s first talk on Healthy Masculinity to explore some practical ways men and women can help men be the sort of men that God calls men to be.

Expressing Complementarianism in leading

church small/home groups

We will probe and discuss the theological and practical issues

that can and do occur when a church runs small group Bible Studies as part of it’s regular ministry. What are the implications of Complementarian convictions for how leadership of the groups is formed and how the leaders operate? What are the implications for how we might form the groups? What are the options to consider? How can we make it work well, both for the leaders and the group members? Let’s explore together.

Expressing Complementarianism in church leadership

Each church and denomination has their own leadership structures (eg Elders, Pastors, Church Councils, Deacons). What are the issues a church leader needs to take into account as they implement their complementarian convictions in and through the church structures? This elective will raise the issues and give pointers on addressing them. It will be particularly relevant for Lead Pastors and lone pastors, across a range of church polity.

Making Working Together Work – Some Practicalities

This Elective will leverage the results of Clare Deeves PhD

research on the experience of women in Complementarian staff teams. We will dig deeper into some of the practical ways relationships on staff teams can be improved and note a few pitfalls on the way.

Ministry as Singles

Many of us are doing gospel ministry as single people (both men and women). And others of us are single and exploring ways of doing gospel ministry. In this interactive elective we will explore some of the opportunities and challenges that single people face in life andministry, and the factors that can help us thrive.

Resolving Conflict when gender/order is a factor

Often conflicts and tensions between Christians have gender and order as a factor – usually unrecognised. It is not simply that men and women operate differently (broadly speaking) but that the imbalance of power or position makes it more complicated. How can we recognise when it is a factor? How can this help us resolve conflict in better ways, with long-lasting healthy outcomes?

Intentional Complementarianism

We may be complementarian by conviction, but how does that work out in reality? What could careful and deliberate ministry look like so that we can enable the whole body to serve and not just a few? In this seminar, we will consider the ways we structure ministry and cover concepts such as team building, leadership pipeline, and team structures to help us consider what our convictions could look like in practice.

Employing women on a staff team

Most of our churches have not yet employed women on the church staff team. But there are some compelling reasons to seriously consider it. But what are factors that we need to consider as we look to do it? What are the common pitfalls? How do they fit into Complementarian structures? How do we help them thrive in fruitful ministry? There are things we can learn from those who have learnt from their experiences.