A partnership of promise

A partnership of great promise:

BMS World Mission and Spurgeon's College

Everywhere BMS World Mission works, we work in partnership. In the UK, that’s no different. 2020 marks the beginning of a new partnership between Spurgeon’s College and BMS, combining over 250 years of missional expertise with the college’s academic rigour and reputation.

Rising to the challenge of modern mission

Modern mission is becoming more and more complex as our UK context transforms and develops. We find ourselves in an era of increasing globalisation, making new partnerships and resource-sharing necessities for our fast-changing age. Tackling this change, BMS and the London-based Spurgeon’s College have decided to join forces, offering a ministerial training hub at BMS’ site in Birmingham and expanding the college’s reach to the Midlands and beyond.

It’s a partnership which was inspired by last year’s event, “How to Mission”, a conference hosted by BMS for UK Christians exploring what mission looks like in our modern era. Exciting discussions began between Mark Ord, BMS’ Director for Mission Training and Hospitality, and Reverend Professor Philip McCormack, Principal of Spurgeon’s College, with much support for the venture from the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Heart of England Baptist Association.

BMS' training centre in Birmingham against a blue sky with a green lawn.
BMS' training centre in Birmingham will be the central hub for this new partnership.

An innovative approach

“There’ll be a real connection between the Global South, Majority World Church and our British context,” says Mark Ord. Spurgeon’s College brings an innovative approach to theological training, stemming from their history. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who began the college in 1856, had a pioneering approach and started hundreds of churches.

This, coupled with BMS’ missional expertise, will enrich their academic courses, bringing learning from the World Church. “We’ll gradually explore together what kind of mission material we can develop,” says Mark.

An exciting new programme

Opening the hub in September 2020 is just the beginning. The aim is to create a joint programme where Spurgeon’s College can take BMS’ missional experience and turn it into learning and training for their students. “The partnership enables us to bring what we do well and do it better together,” says Mark. Philip McCormack, Spurgeon’s College Principal agrees, “BMS brings an enormous wealth of missional experience and expertise, and Spurgeon’s brings a wealth of academic and ministerial expertise.” The programme will begin next year.

Hear Dr Kang-San Tan and Rev Prof McCormack share their thoughts on the new partnership

Going global

The new missiological material could go global, being used across the world by BMS’ partners who already deliver ministerial training in their home countries. “We will feed in more robust, cutting-edge content for the UK and at the same time we can develop material for where it is needed for partners overseas,” says Mark. “Spurgeon’s College are looking to grow and have more of an impact,” he explains. “They’ll be able to reach more contexts with their training.”

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Transforming congregations

The new partnership is an investment in the UK Church and its call to mission. Those undertaking ministerial and missional training will have access to global material and will benefit from context-driven training. “The strengths of both institutions can be harnessed in an even more intentional manner with the vision of transforming congregations and missional communities,” comments Philip.

Spurgeon’s graduates will be able to enrich their congregations and communities with the latest thinking adapted to a rapidly changing, multifaceted and multicultural UK context. It’s a move which aims to transform missional thinking and action across the UK. And, with this vision of transformation, the partnership is an incredibly exciting start to the new decade.

Words by Melanie Webb.

BMS World Mission and Spurgeon’s College announce major new partnership

BMS World Mission and Spurgeon’s College announce major new partnership

BMS World Mission and Spurgeon’s College have developed a significant new partnership to enable a joint theological and mission training hub to open in September 2019, located at BMS’ campus in Birmingham.

Warmly welcoming the innovative development, BMS General Director Dr Kang-San Tan comments: “The strategic case for the partnership is strong. Spurgeon’s academic discipline and administration offers potential for course development and reach, as well as quality assurance. The remote learning capabilities that Spurgeon’s will bring to the partnership will enhance the BMS learning and training opportunities for mission workers, both pre-departure and ongoing. Spurgeon’s academic reputation and knowledge will be of great value as we develop BMS for the future.”

Echoing Dr Tan’s comments, Rev Prof Philip McCormack, Principal of Spurgeon’s College, says: “Having opened a successful hub in Cambridge last year, we are delighted to mirror that in Birmingham. This new partnership with BMS is strategically important to the future of the College and our governors have accepted a plan to invest towards growth.”

A white building with a car park in front.
BMS' campus in Birmingham will be the home of this new project.

BMS and Spurgeon’s intend to move quickly towards the College offering a whole range of courses from the Birmingham hub. Those may include, over time, BA, MA/MTh and DMin programmes, as well as the Equipped to Minister (EtM) programme which is delivered on Saturdays. An option within the BA programme would be a new pathway in pioneering or missional leadership currently being developed by Spurgeon’s with support from the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

Spurgeon’s Cambridge hub already successfully offers the EtM course, but a hub of the size envisaged for Birmingham is a significant new venture for both partners.

Philip McCormack adds: “We are both delighted to have support for the venture from the Baptist Union of Great Britain and from the Heart of England Baptist Association. This is a really exciting opportunity for mission and theological formation in the Midlands and far beyond, through online learning opportunities.” There is much to do, with a range of developments to complete prior to courses beginning, including a new library, software to enable online and remote learning and a range of other academic infrastructure.

But, as Kang-San Tan notes: “Hopes for our joint partnership are high, and there is a shared commitment in our primary aims to see leaders, churches and wider communities transformed through the good news of Jesus. There is a growing sense that this partnership could make a significant impact in the area of mission and theological formation in the UK and further afield.”

Further information:

BMS World Mission:

Mark Craig, Director of Communications
mcraig@bmsworldmission.org

Spurgeon’s College:

Simon Jones, Vice Principal (Director of Ministerial Formation and Training)
s.jones@spurgeons.ac.uk