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Schools of Biblical Training - current work |
Myanmar
Our main programme since 2004 has been in Myanmar. We have done this alongside Langham and have learned hugely from them as well as by doing it ourselves. Crosslinks had the contacts and relationship with the Anglican Province who invited us, and we have used the Langham experience in terms of their programme outline and materials. In 2007 we visited for a fourth time and saw 150 from all over the country studying at Levels 1 to 4. They all last from a Monday evening until Friday lunchtime. During the first week (Level 1) we tackle basic principles of biblical exposition and we tend to focus and do worked examples in one Gospel. Levels 2 and 3 tend to tackle different biblical genres with particular focus on one biblical book. Level 4, recently completed, consisted of how to teach biblical exposition to others and is based on material being developed by Langham.
This is the pattern but we are adjusting all the time. The weeks tend to have 3 main elements:
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Model expositions morning and evening with the evening ones possibly open to a wider audience and focussed more on the life of the preacher.
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Plenary teaching of principles with modules such as Bible overview etc and a growing emphasis on worked examples.
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Practical working of all attendees on passages (alone and in small groups with plenary feedback)
We have also recently tried to get folk started on such ideas as preaching groups in their regions and other ways of encouraging local ongoing initiatives.
Alongside the formal SBT we try to get visitors to visit different parts of the country to get to know more of the reality that we are working with and to deliver, where possible, single or multiple modules from the SBT curriculum.
Most of the Myanmar SBTs have been carried out centrally in Yangon but on one occasion we did a Level 1 in Mandalay, which offered possibilities for a good number who would not be able to get to Yangon.
Our overall vision is to see the development of indigenous movements of biblical preaching and so we hope in Myanmar in the future to have some Level 4 folk helping us to run the new Level 1
Other locations
Our current and ongoing programmes are in Myanmar, Thailand, South Africa, and Nigeria.