THEOLOGY TRAINING AT CCM
FIT YOUR SCHEDULE
We meet for one Saturday morning per month, from 9:00am until 12:30pm, and the optional assignments and further study are developed to fit into a busy life.
COURSE CONTENT
The course will enable, empower and inspire you to think theologically and to study and apply Scripture in a profound and life transforming way. It is open to anyone: theology training that is simple enough to be grasped, yet deep enough to be challenging. It is a great place to ask questions, challenge assumptions, stretch thinking and grow in faith.
The course starts in January each year and runs over two years, with ten sessions each year. One year of the course goes through the entire Old Testament, and the other goes through the New Testament. Throughout both years we also cover all the major topics of Theology.
January 25th 2020 - How God's Big Story Shapes Our Lives
Bible Overview & Doctrine of Scripture
Speaker: Liam Thatcher – Liam is one of the leaders of Christ Church London and is a regular speaker and writer about theology, including on his blog – Leaven on Earth.
Session 1 – God’s Story – The Bible is a collection of books that tell many stories, and yet one story. In this first session, we will consider the overarching narrative of the Bible, and consider the task of exegesis.
Notes for this session can be found here.
Session 2 – Doctrine of Scripture – How do we know that the words that we find in our Bible are truly the word of God? What is it that makes these 66 books inspired, and what does that mean for ‘difficult verses’ that we find therein? How do we understand these words in their original context and apply them in today’s world?
Notes for this session can be found here.
February 29th 2020 - Made For a Purpose
Genesis & The Doctrine of Humanity
Speaker: Andrew Bunt – Andrew is one of the leaders of Kings Church in Hastings, and is the author of ‘Who In Heaven’s Name Do You Think You Are?’
Session 1 – Genesis – In this session we get to grips with the Book of Genesis, following God’s interaction with his people from Creation to the death of Joseph.
Notes for this session can be found here.
Session 2 – The Doctrine of Humanity – Mankind was made in God’s Image. But what does this mean? How does it shape our identity? And what are the consequences of the fall and of our redemption for how we understand ourselves as men and women.
Notes for this session can be found here.
March 21st 2020 - This Is Our God
Exodus & The Character of God
Speaker: Tom O’Toole– Tom is part of the team at Christ Church Manchester and leads the CCM City Centre site. He also manages the Broadcast Network, training church planters.
Session 1 – Exodus – In this session we look at the great themes running through the Book of Exodus, focusing on God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt.
Notes for this session can be found here.
Session 2 – The Character of God – The Character of God – In this session we will answer the questions: What is God really like? What is his character like? And how does this impact how he relates to us?
Notes for this session can be found here.
April 25th 2020 - Understanding Our Biggest Problem
Leviticus to Deuteronomy & Sin
Speaker:Matt Fell – Matt Runs the Intentional Discipleship year training program for the Relational Mission Movement.
Session 1 – Leviticus to Deuteronomy – What was the significance of the various ceremonial laws given to the Israelites at Sinai and what were the repercussions of the spying expedition to Canaan? These are just some of the questions that will be examined in this session that looks at the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness, culminating with the death of Moses.
Notes for this session can be found here.
Session 2 – Sin – If you don’t know what the problem is why would you seek a solution? This session will examine in detail humanity’s biggest problem, sin. What is it? Where did it come from? What does it do and what are the consequences of it? These questions are all dealt with in this session.
Notes for this session can be found here.
May 16th 2020 - How to Advance God's Kingdom
Joshua to Ruth & Mission
Speakers: Tom O’Toole – Tom is part of the team at Christ Church Manchester and leads the CCM City Centre site. He also manages the Broadcast Network, training church planters.
John Brett – John is a church leader and church planter. He also heads up the Antioch network of churches. In this session he looks at the topic of Mission.
Session 1 – Joshua to Ruth – This session looks at how the Israelites took the promised land and settled in it. It will cover the period of history where God’s people were governed by a series of judges, before examining the short story of Ruth.
Notes for this session can be found here.
Session 2 – Mission – What is our mission as Christians? Why is it important and how should we best go about it? These are just some of the questions that this session will address as we delve into the topic of Mission.
Notes for this session can be found here.
June 6th 2020 - What Is the Presence of God?
Samuel to Chronicles & Temple Theology
Speaker: Richard Thomas – Richard is one of the leaders of Hope Church in Worcester, and also helps to oversee a number of churches in the Catalyst Network.
Session 1 – Samuel to Chronicles – What makes a good King? What makes a bad King? This session will look at the Kings who ruled Israel from the first king, Saul, to the very last king who ruled before the Babylonians conquered the land.
Notes for this session can be found here.
Session 2 – Temple Theology – Throughout the Bible we see the theme of God’s presence being with his people, through various ‘temples’, including the Garden of Eden, the Tabernacle, the Jerusalem temple, the person of Christ, the church and the entire new creation.
Notes for this session can be found here.
September 26th 2020 - Psalms & Worship
Psalms – Many Christians name Psalms as their favourite book of the Old Testament. But what is it about this book that draws so many to it? What does its rich poetry, prayers and songs teach us? In this session, we will delve into this amazing book to discover more about what it is and how it benefits us in our everyday lives.
Worship – In this session we will delve into something essential to engaging with God: Worship. We will ask what is worship? How do we worship? And what often holds us back from truly worshiping?
Speaker: Andy Wisdom – Andy is a regular preacher at the Fallowfield site of Christ Church Manchester and is currently completing his MA in religious studies.
October 24th 2020 - Live For God In the World
Exile Literature & Engaging With Culture
Exile Literature – What was it like for the Israelites to be taken from the promised land? How did they adapt to exile? This session will look at the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. These books tell us what happened to Gods people after being captured by the Babylonians and having to live in exile.
Engaging With Culture – What is culture? How does it affect us? And why is it important to understand the culture that we are in when sharing the gospel? This session will grapple with these questions as we explore how to engage with culture.
Speaker: David Devenish – David is Leader of New Frontiers International, Church Planter and author of several books including ‘Demolishing Strongholds‘.
November 14th 2020 - Following God In a World That Hurts
Wisdom Literature & Suffering
Wisdom Literature – In this session we look at the books Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. We will seek to get to grips with the main themes that emerge from them. Themes such as suffering, guidance and the meaning of life.
Suffering – Why is there suffering in the world? Where did it come from? Why does God allow it to happen? And why do some people suffer more than others? This session will deal with these questions and many more as it deals with the topic of suffering.
Speaker: Justin Mote – Justin is the former Director of the North West Ministry Training Course and Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Church, Leyland.
December 5th 2020 - You Have a Part to Play
The Prophets & Spiritual Gifts
The Prophets – In this session we do an overview of the major and minor prophets in the Bible. We will examine the situations they prophesied into and how their messages fit into the overarching narrative of the Bible.
Spiritual Gifts – This session will look at what the Bible teaches about spiritual gifts. We will look at what they are, how they are to be exercised and why it is important that we embrace them.
Speaker: Andrew Bunt – Andrew is one of the leaders of Kings Church in Hastings, and is the author of ‘Who In Heaven’s Name Do You Think You Are?’
Kingsburn Hall
VENUE
All training sessions are held in Kingsburn Hall, Burnage Lane, Manchester, M19 1RS. Free parking is available on site or on the surrounding streets.
VENUE
All training sessions are held in Kingsburn Hall, Burnage Lane, Manchester, M19 1RS. Free parking is available on site or on the surrounding streets.
Kingsburn Hall
THEOLOGY TRAINING COURSE LEADER
The CCM School of Theology is a theology training course that is led by Andy Brownlee.
Andy has an MA in Church History and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Missional Leadership. He is an elder at Christ Church Manchester and leads CCM Kingsway.
THEOLOGY TRAINING COURSE LEADER
Andy has an MA in Church History and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Missional Leadership. He is an elder at Christ Church Manchester and leads CCM:Withington.
GET INVOLVED
ARCHIVE (2018-19 SESSIONS)
OLD TESTAMENT
Genesis (with Andy Johnston)
In this session we get to grips with the Book of Genesis, following God’s interaction with his people from Creation to the death of Joseph.
Speaker: Andy Johnston – Andy is one of the leaders at Kings Community Church Southampton and head of the Catalyst Leadership Training Program.
Listen:
Notes:
Exodus (with Mike Tindall)
In this session we look at the great themes running through the Book of Exodus, focusing on God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt.
Speaker: Mike Tindall – Mike is the lead Pastor of Grace Church Manchester and is also the Acts 29 Regional Director for England.
Listen:
Notes:
Leviticus to Deuteronomy (with Matt Fell)
What was the significance of the various ceremonial laws given to the Israelites at Sinai and what were the repercussions of the spying expedition to Canaan? These are just some of the questions that will be examined in this session that looks at the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness, culminating with the death of Moses.
Speaker: Matt Fell – Matt Runs the Intentional Discipleship year training program for the Relational Mission Movement.
Listen:
Notes:
Joshua, Judges & Ruth (with Andy McCullough)
This session looks at how the Israelites took the promised land and settled in it. It will cover the period of history where God’s people were governed by a series of judges, before examining the short story of Ruth.
Speaker: Andy McCullough – Andy is a cross cultural church planter who has been working for the last seven years in a mega-city in the Middle East.
Listen:
Notes:
Samuel, Kings & Chronicles (with Dave Horsfall)
What makes a good King? What makes a bad King? This session will look at the Kings who ruled Israel from the first king, Saul, to the very last king who ruled before the Babylonians conquered the land.
Speaker: Dave Horsfall – Dave is part of the leadership team of Mosaic Church in Leeds, and he also heads up Leeds School of Theology.
Listen:
Notes:
Psalms (with Ralph Cunnington)
Many Christians name Psalms as their favourite book of the Old Testament. But what is it about this book that draws so many to it? What does its rich poetry, prayers and songs teach us? In this session, we will delve into this amazing book to discover more about what it is and how it benefits us in our everyday lives.
Speaker: Ralph Cunnington – Ralph is the Pastor of City Church Manchester. He is also on the Steering Group of City to City UK and is also on the Board of UCCF.
Listen:
Notes:
Wisdom Literature (with Justin Mote)
In this session we look at the books Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. We will seek to get to grips with the main themes that emerge from them. Themes such as suffering, guidance and the meaning of life.
Speaker: Justin Mote – Justin is the former Director of the North West Ministry Training Course and Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Church, Leyland.
Listen:
Notes:
Exile Literature (with David Devenish)
What was it like for the Israelites to be taken from the promised land? How did they adapt to exile? This session will look at the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. These books tell us what happened to Gods people after being captured by the Babylonians and having to live in exile.
Speaker: David Devenish – David is Leader of New Frontiers International, Church Planter and author of several books including ‘Demolishing Strongholds‘.
Listen:
Notes:
The Prophets (with Andy Martin)
In this session we do an overview of the major and minor prophets in the Bible. We will examine the situations they prophesied into and how their messages fit into the overarching narrative of the Bible.
Speaker: Andy Martin – Andy is part of the leadership team at ChurchCentral in Birmingham. He has done a lot of work training people for cross-cultural missionary work and church planting, and he heads up the World Mission stream of the Broadcast Network.
Listen:
Notes:
NEW TESTAMENT
The Synoptic Gospels (with Liam Thatcher)
The Synoptic Gospels – The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell the story of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection sharing a lot of common material. We look through what they teach about who Jesus is and why He came.
Speaker: Liam Thatcher – Liam is one of the leaders of Christ Church London and is a regular speaker and writer about theology, including on his blog – Leaven on Earth
John’s Gospel (with Matt Fell)
John – In this session, we look at John’s Gospel – written by Jesus’ ‘beloved’ disciple to lay out clearly who Jesus is and how we can find life in Him.
Speaker: Matt Fell – Matt Runs the Intentional Discipleship year training program for the Relational Mission Movement.
Acts 1-8 (with Rebecca Whittlesea)
Acts 1-8 – In this session we look at the early chapters of the book of Acts as the apostles follow Jesus commission in the power of the Spirit to spread the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea and beyond.
Speaker: Rebecca Whittlesea – Rebecca co-leads a Bible School at City Hope Church and is a regular preacher on various theology topics.
Paul’s Journeys and Letters (with Justin Mote)
Paul’s Letters/Journeys – We pick up the story of Acts from the conversion of Paul and look at the role he played in spreading the gospel to the Gentile world, including looking where his letters fit into the story.
Speaker: Justin Mote – Justin is the former Director of the North West Ministry Training Course and Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Church, Leyland.
Romans (with Andrew Bunt)
Romans – In this session we delve into Paul’s letter to the Romans and look at what it teaches about God, sin, salvation and many other things.
Speaker: Andrew Bunt – Andrew is one of the leaders of Kings Church in Hastings, and is the author of ‘Who In Heaven’s Name Do You Think You Are?’
1 & 2 Corinthians (with Tom O’Toole)
1 & 2 Corinthians – In this session we explore Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, working through a variety of topics, including church unity, relationships, engaging with culture, spiritual gifts and the resurrection to come.
Speaker: Tom O’Toole – Tom is part of the team at Christ Church Manchester and leads the CCM City Centre site. He also manages the Broadcast Network, training church planters.
Ephesians (with Andy Wisdom)
Ephesians – The letters to the Ephesians outlines what it means to live In Christ as God’s new people. In this session we explore this glorious letter and look at what God has to teach us through it.
Speaker: Andy Wisdom – Andy is a regular preacher at the Fallowfield site of Christ Church Manchester and is currently completing his MA in religious studies.
Hebrews to Jude (with Ralph Cunnington)
Hebrews to Jude – In this session we look at the pastoral epistles in the New Testament, including Hebrews, James, Peter’s letters, John’s letters and Jude.
Speaker: Ralph Cunnington – Ralph is the Pastor of City Church Manchester. He is also on the Steering Group of City to City UK and ls on the Board of UCCF.
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
Doctrine of Scripture (with Liam Thatcher)
How do we know that the words that we find in our Bible are truly the word of God? What is it that makes these 66 books inspired, and what does that mean for ‘difficult verses’ that we find therein? How do we understand these words in their original context and apply them in today’s world?
Speaker: Liam Thatcher – Liam is one of the leaders of Christ Church London and is a regular speaker and writer about theology, including on his blog – Leaven on Earth.
Listen:
Notes:
Creation (with Andy Johnston)
Here we will look at how God created the universe. Was it in six literal days or billions of years? We will examine these differing views and how they impact our view of God and the Bible.
Speaker: Andy Johnston – Andy is one of the leaders at Kings Community Church Southampton and head of the Catalyst Leadership Training Program.
Listen:
Notes:
The Character of God (with Greg Wilson)
In this session we will answer the questions: What is God really like? What is his character like? And how does this impact how he relates to us?
Speaker: Greg Wilson – Greg is a church planter and leader who is currently planting Redeemer Church in Chorlton.
Listen:
Notes:
Sin (with Matt Fell)
If you don’t know what the problem is why would you seek a solution? This session will examine in detail humanity’s biggest problem, sin. What is it? Where did it come from? What does it do and what are the consequences of it? These questions are all dealt with in this session.
Speaker: Matt Fell – Matt Runs the Intentional Discipleship year training program for the Relational Mission Movement.
Listen:
Notes:
Mission (with Andy McCullough)
What is our mission as Christians? Why is it important and how should we best go about it? These are just some of the questions that this session will address as we delve into the topic of Mission.
Speaker: Andy McCullough – Andy is a cross cultural church planter who has been working for the last seven years in a mega-city in the Middle East.
Listen:
Notes:
The Presence of God (with Dave Horsfall)
What is the presence of God? Why is it so important? And how can we know when we are in the presence of God? These are just some of the questions this session will explore.
Speaker: Dave Horsfall – Dave is part of the leadership team of Mosaic Church in Leeds, and he also heads up Leeds School of Theology.
Listen:
Notes:
Worship (with Ralph Cunnington)
In this session we will delve into something essential to engaging with God: Worship. We will ask what is worship? How do we worship? And what often holds us back from truly worshiping?
Speaker: Ralph Cunnington – Ralph is the Pastor of City Church Manchester. He is also on the Steering Group of City to City UK and is also on the Board of UCCF.
Listen:
Notes:
Suffering (with Justin Mote)
Why is there suffering in the world? Where did it come from? Why does God allow it to happen? And why do some people suffer more than others? This session will deal with these questions and many more as it deals with the topic of suffering.
Speaker: Justin Mote – Justin is the former Director of the North West Ministry Training Course and Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Church, Leyland.
Listen:
Notes:
Engaging With Culture (with David Devenish)
What is culture? How does it affect us? And why is it important to understand the culture that we are in when sharing the gospel? This session will grapple with these questions as we explore how to engage with culture.
Speaker: David Devenish – David is Leader of New Frontiers International, Church Planter and author of several books including ‘Demolishing Strongholds‘.
Listen:
Notes:
Spiritual Gifts (with Andy Martin)
This session will look at what the Bible teaches about spiritual gifts. We will look at what they are, how they are to be exercised and why it is important that we embrace them.
Speaker: Andy Martin – Andy is part of the leadership team at ChurchCentral in Birmingham. He has done a lot of work training people for cross-cultural missionary work and church planting, and he heads up the World Mission stream of the Broadcast Network.
Listen:
Notes:
The Trinity (with Matt Fell)
The Trinity – Right at the core of what God has revealed about himself in Scripture is that He is Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit in loving relationships. In this session we learn what the Bible says about the Trinity and what this means for us.
Speaker: Matt Fell – Matt Runs the Intentional Discipleship year training program for the Relational Mission Movement.
The Kingdom of God (with Liam Thatcher)
The Kingdom of God – Much of the teaching of Jesus revolved around the theme of ‘The Kingdom of God’. We look at what the Kingdom of God is and what the Bible teaches about it.
Speaker: Liam Thatcher – Liam is one of the leaders of Christ Church London and is a regular speaker and writer about theology, including on his blog – Leaven on Earth.
The Holy Spirit (with Rebecca Whittlesea)
The Holy Spirit – In this session we look at what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. Who is He, and what role does he play in the Christian life?
Speaker: Rebecca Whittlesea – Rebecca co-leads a Bible School at City Hope Church and is a regular preacher on various theology topics.
Click here for notes on this session.
The Cross (with Justin Mote)
The Cross – We look at the doctrine of the cross. What does it achieve and how does it apply to us today?
Speaker: Justin Mote – Justin is the former Director of the North West Ministry Training Course and Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Church, Leyland.
Salvation (with Andrew Bunt)
Salvation – How are we saved? We look at what the Bible teaches about what Jesus did for us on the cross and how that makes us right with God.
Speaker: Andrew Bunt – Andrew is one of the leaders of Kings Church in Hastings, and is the author of ‘Who In Heaven’s Name Do You Think You Are?’
Sanctification (with Tom O’Toole
Sanctification – What does the Bible teach about how our lives are changed once we have become Christians? What level of change should we expect and how does this change come about?
Speaker: Tom O’Toole – Tom is part of the team at Christ Church Manchester and leads the CCM City Centre site. He also manages the Broadcast Network, training church planters.
The Church (with Andy Wisdom)
The Church – In this session we look at what the Bible has to say about the church. What is it? Where does it fit in God’s big purposes? What difference does this make for the way we experience church today?
Speaker: Andy Wisdom – Andy is a regular preacher at the Fallowfield site of Christ Church Manchester and is currently completing his MA in religious studies.
Prayer (with Ralph Cunnington)
Prayer – We look at the topic of prayer. How does it work? What does the Bible have to say about it and how can it shape our Christian lives and the world in which we live?
Speaker: Ralph Cunnington – Ralph is the Pastor of City Church Manchester. He is also on the Steering Group of City to City UK and ls on the Board of UCCF.