50 years of training – and a bold new vision

As London Seminary’s 50th anniversary approaches, it looks to the future with an ambitious aim.

The college was founded as London Theological Seminary in 1977 to train preachers and pastors, with Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones as its first chairman. From the start, the focus was on pastoral training. The requirement for entry was a genuine call to ministry, regardless of any student’s educational background, and while some went on to further study, the aim was to provide a comprehensive foundation for ministry.

Over the decades, well-known pastors and theologians have delivered special lectures. In recent years, these include Sinclair Ferguson, Joel Beeke, Rico Tice, Christopher Ash and Peter J. Williams. There are now over 500 alumni across the UK and around the world.

But the Seminary is not content to rest on the labours of previous generations. Principal Bill James told Evangelicals Now: “Our goal has never changed: it is to train pastors and preachers through rigorous and practical teaching, delivered by lecturers with intellectual expertise and extensive pastoral experience. But when opportunities and needs arise to train leaders in new ways, we aim to be innovative and flexible, while keeping the important things central.”

While the Pastoral Training Course remains central today, the Seminary now offers courses for those involved in ministry to women, in church planting and revitalisation, and in training elders and leaders. And as well as equipping the next generation the Pastors’ Academy, led by Dr Garry Williams, provides ongoing study and support for current pastors.

Fewer men in ministry?

Sadly, today fewer men are coming forward for ministry, and some who do seek less rigorous training options. The need for the next generation to come forward is grave and urgent. There is a particular need in the diaspora communities which make up a large proportion of London, and increasingly the whole of the United Kingdom – among some of these groups, there is a desperate shortage of well-trained pastors.

As the Seminary makes connections with these communities, men are coming forward, eager to train and serve their churches, but often facing one major obstacle. The training is available, and the Lord has called the workers, but the challenge is, increasingly, funding.

As London Seminary approaches 50 years, it is launching “Challenge 50”, a campaign aiming to fund 50 students who want rigorous training but could not otherwise afford it. “It is an ambitious goal, Bill James admitted, “but we are eager to see these men receive the training needed to serve their churches well, and we hope and pray that the Lord’s people in this country will see the need and give generously.”

To find out more about London Seminary and the Challenge 50 campaign, visit www.londonseminary.org/challenge50