This past Friday, I celebrated my graduation from Bishopdale College with a dozen other students at All Saints in Nelson. After three years, I have finished with a Bachelor in Theology.
I decided to go to Bishopdale during a time in my life when I wanted to find answers to the big faith questions sitting on my chest. I initially picked it because the campus was local and it promised high-level teaching, but what I didn’t expect was the incredible community. One of the most valuable aspects of the school is the culture that the staff have formed there. They’ve created a safe space to be genuine and learn genuinely. For me, it was a space where I was able to grow every part of who I am. My theological understanding has been strengthened hugely because of this school, of course, but so too has my relationship with the Lord. Not only were we students challenged to learn and grow in our faith, Bishopdale challenged us to integrate what we learned into our lives.
What I found is that those difficult times were what gave us the opportunity to see what we learned speak into our lives. My brother and I are both runners, and we like to run together and reflect on things. Recently, we’ve been reflecting on the idea in the New Testament to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12). One thing that struck me was that if you want to run, it's important to train yourself to get back up and keep going over and over again, even when you're exhausted. My brother and I train to be able to run well, and it’s been the same with my study. If the Lord is calling me to run this race marked out for me, then spending the last three years studying has been my training. Three years learning even more of the beauty of God's character through deep study has given me the tools to keep getting back up even if I stumble.
If study was like training, then I suppose the lecturers were our coaches. Relationships with the lecturers and staff meant that we weren’t left to figure it all out alone. There was always an attitude of growth both in the lectures and around the break room table. It didn’t matter if it was a complex theological paper, an ancient history class or anything in between – they all contributed to the same goal of pointing us towards deeper growth. Unpacking what were were learning around the table as friends helped solidify the fact that our faith is a part of our whole lives, not limited to a Sunday service or a Tuesday lecture.
The focus was always on how we take what we have learned and use it to help in our own lives, ministries, workplaces and families. Now that I’ve completed my study, I have found it to be so useful in life and in the work which I now do. I’ve been able to use the skills I learned to help others in the same shoes that I was in. When I meet people sitting under the weight of big faith questions, I feel equipped to engage with them. Not just to give “the right answer” either, but connect with them in a way that seeks to build the person up in their faith wholeheartedly, knowing that it takes more than just the right answer. It was through the culture and the teaching at Bishopdale that I learned to do that.
It was an absolute honour to study at Bishopdale, and I have an abundance of gratitude for the hard work the people there put into students like me. I have trained hard to run my race with perseverance, and I’ll always cherish the time I spent there.
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
This past Friday, I celebrated my graduation from Bishopdale College with a dozen other students at All Saints in Nelson. After three years, I have finished with a Bachelor in Theology.
I decided to go to Bishopdale during a time in my life when I wanted to find answers to the big faith questions sitting on my chest. I initially picked it because the campus was local and it promised high-level teaching, but what I didn’t expect was the incredible community. One of the most valuable aspects of the school is the culture that the staff have formed there. They’ve created a safe space to be genuine and learn genuinely. For me, it was a space where I was able to grow every part of who I am. My theological understanding has been strengthened hugely because of this school, of course, but so too has my relationship with the Lord. Not only were we students challenged to learn and grow in our faith, Bishopdale challenged us to integrate what we learned into our lives.
What I found is that those difficult times were what gave us the opportunity to see what we learned speak into our lives. My brother and I are both runners, and we like to run together and reflect on things. Recently, we’ve been reflecting on the idea in the New Testament to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12). One thing that struck me was that if you want to run, it's important to train yourself to get back up and keep going over and over again, even when you're exhausted. My brother and I train to be able to run well, and it’s been the same with my study. If the Lord is calling me to run this race marked out for me, then spending the last three years studying has been my training. Three years learning even more of the beauty of God's character through deep study has given me the tools to keep getting back up even if I stumble.
If study was like training, then I suppose the lecturers were our coaches. Relationships with the lecturers and staff meant that we weren’t left to figure it all out alone. There was always an attitude of growth both in the lectures and around the break room table. It didn’t matter if it was a complex theological paper, an ancient history class or anything in between – they all contributed to the same goal of pointing us towards deeper growth. Unpacking what were were learning around the table as friends helped solidify the fact that our faith is a part of our whole lives, not limited to a Sunday service or a Tuesday lecture.
The focus was always on how we take what we have learned and use it to help in our own lives, ministries, workplaces and families. Now that I’ve completed my study, I have found it to be so useful in life and in the work which I now do. I’ve been able to use the skills I learned to help others in the same shoes that I was in. When I meet people sitting under the weight of big faith questions, I feel equipped to engage with them. Not just to give “the right answer” either, but connect with them in a way that seeks to build the person up in their faith wholeheartedly, knowing that it takes more than just the right answer. It was through the culture and the teaching at Bishopdale that I learned to do that.
It was an absolute honour to study at Bishopdale, and I have an abundance of gratitude for the hard work the people there put into students like me. I have trained hard to run my race with perseverance, and I’ll always cherish the time I spent there.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
