Perspectives on the Priscilla Programme
The Priscilla Programme has been training women to serve in a variety of ways in their local church for four years. We began with seven students and we’ve now had nearly fifty women complete at least one module of the course. The Priscilla Programme is open to any woman who would like to better understand God’s word and God’s ways, for her own spiritual growth and to serve others. It is designed to help women teach the word ‘more accurately’ – like its namesake!, to care for others more biblically, and to be better able to give reasons for our faith.
The modules cover Bible (OT and NT), doctrine, church history, ethics and pastoral care, and evangelism and apologetics. For each module students have access to pre-recorded video lectures, printable worksheets and suggested further reading. At the heart of the course is the weekly seminar led by a tutor, in which students give presentations, discuss and learn together. We have been using Zoom for these long before anyone else had heard of it!
The students have included women from all stages of life, with a wide range of experience and understanding. We’ve had women from every part of the UK and even a couple from overseas. It’s been a huge privilege to meet and learn together with sisters in Christ in this way, as Karen Walter, in the US, explains,
“At every seminar meeting, I learn so much from the instructors and from my classmates. Their insight and wisdom and knowledge continually refine me as a disciple of Christ. It is also especially exciting to engage with fellow believers across the world (or the pond, I should say). Sometimes just when I think that God's kingdom on earth is so vast, sitting in a seminar class reminds me that it is also close at hand.”
Benefits of doing the Priscilla Programme
For some students the course has been preparation as they begin to think about future ministry, but for many it is simply a way to grow in their own faith and understanding. For Julia Alexander, whose husband is now the Vicar of Moulton Parish Church,
“I hoped Priscilla would give me the opportunity to study the various modules in more depth and the opportunity to discuss it with others. I wanted to strengthen my faith, and my understanding of the biblical view of current church issues so I could better support my husband in ministry.”
Doing the course has helped some students discern their gifts for a particular kind of ministry. I loved watching as Annette Saunders began to realise that God was equipping her as an evangelist through her time as a Priscilla student:
“I lead an outreach monthly lunch at my local church which includes an evangelistic message and all I have learned has helped me in this ministry. I have also recently started as a volunteer for’Good News for Everyone’.This involves distributing bibles and sharing the gospel in schools, care homes and in churches, so again the course equip me in this task.“
There have been wonderful stories from students who have found themselves able to answer unexpectedly difficult questions from young children, or who have gained the confidence to lead a Bible study group. One student told of how she had planned to use a train journey to prepare for her seminar presentation, but ended up in conversation with the person sitting next to her, who asked about the Bible she had got out – she didn’t finish her presentation, but she did invite that person to church!
Some of our students have gone on to further study either formally or informally. Many have expressed a desire to do more, but the very reasons which made Priscilla such a good option for them in the first place make it difficult to access other courses. So long as you have reliable internet, and you can make one of the hour-long seminars each week, the rest of the course can be done anywhere and at any time. It has been fitted around full-time childcare and full-time work, it has been used by women near retirement or recently retired. We’ve had relatively new Christians and those who have been faithful servants for many decades. There is no minimum entry requirement and no assessment, so that all students can learn at their own level.
Highly recommended
"I'd recommend this course to every woman I know! It is very accessible and for all levels." Katie Brown
"I would certainly recommend this course to others and have encouraged other women who have shown an interest, to explore this great opportunity." Annette Saunders
"I absolutely would recommend it to other women! I have found the modules to be rich with knowledge and sound, thoughtful perspective. I have found the seminar meetings to be warm, encouraging, and uplifting." Karen Walter
The Priscilla Programme is run by Church Society in partnership with Union School of Theology. Details of the modules and term dates can be found on the Church Society website here where you’ll also find a link to watch two sample lectures. Details of fees and applications can be found on the Union website. Applications to begin in September must be submitted by the end of August. For any more information, please get in touch with me.