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Archbishop’s Visit To St Barnabas Theological Centre

Date:
Tue 1st July 2014

Archbishop Sentamu visited the St Barnabas Theological Centre, Sheffield, yesterday, where he spoke to Ordinands about mission and leadership for the 21st Century Church.

St Barnabas Theological Centre (SBTC) launched in September 2013 to train Anglican ordinands, Baptist ministers and independent students. The venture is a unique partnership between Yorkshire Dioceses, regional churches (including St Thomas Crookes, where the training is based) and the Yorkshire Ministry Course. St Barnabas Ordinands and Leaders are typically based at local churches, living, serving and reaching out with others.

Eve Ridgeway, a student at SBTC said: “Meeting Archbishop Sentamu today has been fantastic. It is really encouraging to hear him speak on mission and evangelism and hear his vision for the Church in the North.”

Mark Powley, Director of SBTC said; “'I'm delighted that the Archbishop shares our passion for new forms of training that can attract and retain ordinands in the North of England. SBTC is a pioneering venture that has real potential to contribute to the growth and revitalisation of the church in our region. The Archbishop's support means a great deal to us as we build on our launch year.

“Several years ago, we were told that a training route like St Barnabas would not be possible. But there is a spirit of regional co-operation which is creating new realities on the ground. Our ordinands get the benefit of cutting edge missional leadership training here at St Thomas Crookes, but also the community life of the Yorkshire Ministry Course. I believe this is a very exciting way forward.Already we have attracted ordinands who would otherwise have left the region. We are witnessing new partnerships between larger and smaller churches, as ordinands serve in their local contexts. And there is a greater level of strategic co-operation for church growth and planting.”

The Archbishop of York said: “SBTC has been set up specifically to raise vocation, stimulate mission and serve church growth in the Northern Province. It has been fantastic to join SBTC on their first sponsor day, and to worship with the Ordinands. It has been wonderful to meet with representatives from several Churches who have supported SBTC thus far, including St George's Leeds, St Thomas Crookes, and St Michael-le-Belfrey York. My message to them was to keep up the good work!”

The Archbishop was met on his arrival by the Bishop of Doncaster, Peter Burrows, the St Barnabas staff team and Erik Peeters, the Centre’s Associate Researcher.

For more information on SBTC, please visit stbarnabastraining.org

Pictured: Mark Powley (Director, St Barnabas Theological Centre), Eve Ridgeway, Archbishop Sentamu, Sam Tyndall & Ganzi Isharaza.