2: It thoroughly equips you to handle the Bible in the urban context:
The best tangible tool we have for ministering to people in deprived communities is God's word. God used four different gospel writers to communicate the gospel to different contexts. Unfortunately in the UK, a lot of Bible teaching is taught in a very academic way, and communicated with a middle class style. We believe the middle classes need to be reached with the gospel, but we also want to see people from other backgrounds hear the bible taught in a way they can understand.
On the UMP we study Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Exegesis, and how to Teach the Bible. All these classes are rigorous, but taught in a non-academic way. This year we have had a variety of students, some with very few qualifications from school, and some with degrees - the course is aimed to reach all of them.
When it comes to teaching the Bible we provide a system of teaching that we feel is particularly appropriate for housing estates. At the same time, we provide tools and not rules. This means that by the end of the course, you have a tool belt with which you can work out how best to teach the Bible in your own context. It is our hope that through the UMP we will see a new generation of urban preaching.
For more information please check out our website
www.urbanministries.org.uk