Theology and Christian Spirituality
Encountering God to empower others and engage with him in all areas of life.
All of the KST tracks provide a thorough grounding in theology, biblical studies, history, culture and mission. They are designed to equip you through in-depth teaching, practical studies, tailored assignments and a supportive learning environment.
This track is for people who:
- want to explore the theology of how people are made, function and relate to God and to others
- wish to broaden their understanding of spiritual practices spanning across the history of the church and also in a variety of cultural contexts
- are keen to connect theology with their own devotional life and the practices of the church community
- are work in the educational and care sector and for those involved in pastoral ministry
First year:
All students in the first year of KST follow the same curriculum, with customised breakout sessions and seminars for each of the tracks.
In the first year you will study:
- God’s Big Story: Bible Overview
- God’s Word Our Tools: Introduction to theology and the tools for interpreting Scripture
- Practical Theology: how to learn on the go
- God: Trinity, Character, Mission
- The Life and Work of Jesus
- The Holy Spirit
We complement this with a study skills programme, designed to give all students the skills you need to succeed with the academic aspects of the course.
Second and Third year:
In the second and third year, the curriculum diversifies and four of the modules are tailored to your track. The Theology and Biblical Studies track continues to meet in the same centres as the first years (the other tracks have occasional weekends in other venues).
Core Topics:
- Paul: Man, Message and Mission
- Genesis 1-11
- Prophets and Prophetic Life
- Church History: until the Reformation
- Christian Ethics
- Ecclesiology – the church
- The Kingdom of God and Mission
- Church History: Reformation and revival
- Eschatology
- Engaging in Western Culture
- Theology of Worship
- Spiritual Formation
- Psalms and Wisdom Literature
- Worship and the Church: Theology, Music and the Arts
- The track will include a visit to a prayer and retreat centre. This may involve an additional cost of up to £150.
What the Theology and Christian Spirituality track will give you:
- Understanding of worship and spirituality through appreciation of theology, history, culture and formation
- Combining theology and lived-out faith
- Facilitating worship in different contexts
- Ability to lead yourself and others spiritually, pursuing spiritual formation
- Increased depth in worship and prayer
Track Leaders – Simon and Gaynor Shaw
Simon and Gaynor Shaw are the Track leaders for Theology and Christian Spirituality. Our Track Leaders head up the development, structure and delivery of the specialist areas within KST. They take a lead in mentoring, tutoring and teaching, and bring specialist expertise to the team. The elements of KST which all students take are led by Mark Norridge and the tutoring team.
Simon and Gaynor worked at King’s Bible College and Training Centre for 10 years until 2011, where Simon was the Principal from 2005-2011. During this time, they sought to fuse together theological training with devotional, pastoral and spiritual formation for both individual students and the community,
They now live and work in Derby, serving on the leadership team at Community Church Derby, pursuing a core value of encounter with God and His word for themselves, the church and the city. They regularly lead worship at national conferences and facilitate a wide variety of opportunities for others to engage with God.