The Langham Research & Training Seminar

by Ian Shaw, Langham Scholars

If you have a car, how often do you have it serviced? Most manufacturers recommend it should be done regularly, and running a car without having it properly serviced means it will probably stop working before too long.

The task of training Christian leaders to be teachers and preachers takes resources – good premises, a good library, and quality programmes – all of which need regular maintenance and upkeep. But of equal importance in the work of training is a skilled, well-trained, and well-resourced, team of teachers.

The Langham Scholars programme is committed to training those who will equip the next generation of teachers and preachers, helping them to gain qualifications vital for their work. Once trained, teachers and lecturers need ongoing investment, and not just at the beginning of their careers. They need ‘service stops’ at regular intervals – times to refresh skills, do further reading, do some writing, and receive training in the key skills of developing Christian leadership.

A disciplined group of Langham Scholars committed to the Research seminar

The Langham Research and Training Seminar is designed to do just that. Thirteen graduated Langham Scholars who are established as Christian leaders have been selected to come together each year for three weeks of training, research and writing together. Last year they met at Wheaton College, and this year the venue is Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. The event runs from 2-22 September.

Those who attended last year found the time one of great blessing. One said, ‘I have been waiting six years for this opportunity.’ Another arrived physically, mentally and spiritually exhausted, but at the end left feeling able to pray and worship, and committed to a renewed vision for his work.

The participants come from Colombia, Brazil, the Philippines, India, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Greece, Romania, Singapore, and Macedonia. Some are lecturers, some academic deans, and some are College Principals. All are fellow Christians in need of refreshment and renewal.

Please pray that once again this will prove a significant time for those committed to the training of the next generation of Christian teachers and preachers.