we have some open days coming up at cms in may, june, july for the various training options to study at cms. do come along and find out more.

there is also a free webinar this week if you want to reflect on mission in your neighbourhood. that’s tomorrow lunch time so sign up now! that will give you a flavour of the sorts of things we talk about and you’ll meet some of the team.

why study with cms? i met someone this week at a gathering of pioneers in london and he was sharing with others round the table something along the lines of

training at cms blew my mind

it was actually fruitier language than that. but essentially his life and perspective was really opened up in a way that changed him and his practice. and he is still living that out. our thing is pioneering mission. i sometimes describe pioneers as having the gift of not fitting in. what i mean by that is that they see differently – see opportunities, imagine different ways of doing things, are focused on their community with people at the edge. and they are able to build new things – projects, churches, enterprises, community.

we have a mix of courses – certificate, diploma, degree, masters, professional doctorate. and we have a mix of routes through with focus on children and family, youth, african christianity, asian christianity. the masters programme has been remixed this year to be much more intercultural.

you can do it in person, online or a mix.

we assume you are in a context where you will be involved in practice so the teaching in that sense is a practical missional theology that goes between theory and practice which in my view makes perfect sense for pioneers (and indeed possibly all ministry training!).

we also look at things through a global and mission lens – cms is uniquely placed to do that.

the top things people say they gain from training with us are

• confidence (in who they are and the gift they bring)
• a community of like minded pioneers
• language, tools and skills for their practice
• an academic award through durham university (or roehampton if doctoral studies)

we do have some bursaries so ask about those. if you are in the children, youth and family space the church seems particularly focused on encouraging you so there may well be funds available in your diocese or whatever.

over the years training is how we have contributed to building a movement. join in the fun!