Sophie Kirk was in Nelson, nearing the end of her two year placement as a house surgeon at Nelson Hospital, when she met one of the Bishopdale College lecturers at a house party. That conversation was the impetus for Sophie to find out more about Bishopdale College and then complete a Graduate Diploma of Theology. Since then, she’s helped shape emerging leaders, developed an accreditation pathway for church leadership, served as a worship pastor, and lived out her faith as a parent.
Sophie: I had a desire to study the Bible since I came to faith as a teenager, but the timing hadn’t been right. Hearing about Bishopdale College came at the right time, and at a point in my medical studies where it was viable for me to press pause and take a year to study theology. I've always really enjoyed reading Scripture, and being in the Word is a place where I've encountered God’s peace and joy many times. Studying at Bishopdale was another opportunity to lean into God’s Word and get to know God.
Sophie: I saw God was at work on a much larger scale than I had previously understood. I saw how God is very strategic and intentional on both an individual level and a communal level. Earlier in my faith I encountered the Holy Spirit and often felt frustrated at not being able to communicate a case for God beyond my personal testimony. After studying the Scriptures – and even the history of how we came to possess them – I felt personally reassured and emboldened that the historical person of Jesus and the work of God in human history actually is a defendable case. This helped build my trust and confidence that the Christian faith has an inherent logic to it, and brings a peace of mind unlike any other faith.
Sophie: I was pregnant with our first daughter while at Bishopdale, so I submitted my final assessments on my due date! Shortly after I became a mum – that was a very quick transition. I went on to teach at Annesbrook Leadership College, where I had the privilege of teaching courses on spiritual disciplines, and the overview of the biblical story. I was able to use the things I had learnt at Bishopdale to pass them on to others.
I was also formally employed by Annesbrook Church as a worship pastor, and by our wider denomination (Christian Churches NZ) to help create and administrate an accreditation pathway for our leaders. Right now, I’m a full time mum.
Sophie: Their understanding and engagement with the Holy Spirit. They are wonderfully academic, but it isn’t just academic – when I studied, I came to appreciate that the Holy Spirit is invited into the process of teaching and learning. Bishopdale College has a pneumatology that expects the Holy Spirit helps us to understand Scripture through our studies. You’ll learn to hear God’s voice, and to expect God to speak to you when you engage with the Scriptures.
Even while writing essays, the Spirit brings to mind the things we need to hear and be transformed by.
Sophie: The main word that comes to mind is “grounding”.
Bishopdale widened my understanding and view of the Kingdom of God. I was encouraged that God is active in all areas of life. God is working in every part of human existence and church life to see the kingdom outworked. One particular thing that was helpful is understanding the Scriptures as one big story. God invites us to be part of something that is much broader than just my personal circumstances – which is exciting, and really reassuring – I’m not the main character! The work of God doesn’t rest on my shoulders.
Sophie: When we come to faith, we become part of church communities which are really beautiful expressions of the Christian faith – but they aren’t the only expression of the Church. I love knowing that the Church is much bigger than just the particular service I attend on a Sunday. Learning about the breadth of church history, and how individual churches are connected to a much larger history and tradition than I previously appreciated has helped me to recognise my brothers and sisters in different Christian traditions. I love that no single church expression exists as the sole outpost of the kingdom of God, but that there is a rich tapestry of threads that come together. We all have some gaps in our theology and understanding of God’s work in the world – and studying at Bishopdale was one of the ways those gaps were filled for me.
Sophie: Studying the Scriptures is an essential part of discipleship. We need teachers. We need people who know the Scriptures – but that takes resources to outwork! Giving to Bishopdale means sowing into the kingdom of God.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
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.
Sophie Kirk was in Nelson, nearing the end of her two year placement as a house surgeon at Nelson Hospital, when she met one of the Bishopdale College lecturers at a house party. That conversation was the impetus for Sophie to find out more about Bishopdale College and then complete a Graduate Diploma of Theology. Since then, she’s helped shape emerging leaders, developed an accreditation pathway for church leadership, served as a worship pastor, and lived out her faith as a parent.
Sophie: I had a desire to study the Bible since I came to faith as a teenager, but the timing hadn’t been right. Hearing about Bishopdale College came at the right time, and at a point in my medical studies where it was viable for me to press pause and take a year to study theology. I've always really enjoyed reading Scripture, and being in the Word is a place where I've encountered God’s peace and joy many times. Studying at Bishopdale was another opportunity to lean into God’s Word and get to know God.
Sophie: I saw God was at work on a much larger scale than I had previously understood. I saw how God is very strategic and intentional on both an individual level and a communal level. Earlier in my faith I encountered the Holy Spirit and often felt frustrated at not being able to communicate a case for God beyond my personal testimony. After studying the Scriptures – and even the history of how we came to possess them – I felt personally reassured and emboldened that the historical person of Jesus and the work of God in human history actually is a defendable case. This helped build my trust and confidence that the Christian faith has an inherent logic to it, and brings a peace of mind unlike any other faith.
Sophie: I was pregnant with our first daughter while at Bishopdale, so I submitted my final assessments on my due date! Shortly after I became a mum – that was a very quick transition. I went on to teach at Annesbrook Leadership College, where I had the privilege of teaching courses on spiritual disciplines, and the overview of the biblical story. I was able to use the things I had learnt at Bishopdale to pass them on to others.
I was also formally employed by Annesbrook Church as a worship pastor, and by our wider denomination (Christian Churches NZ) to help create and administrate an accreditation pathway for our leaders. Right now, I’m a full time mum.
Sophie: Their understanding and engagement with the Holy Spirit. They are wonderfully academic, but it isn’t just academic – when I studied, I came to appreciate that the Holy Spirit is invited into the process of teaching and learning. Bishopdale College has a pneumatology that expects the Holy Spirit helps us to understand Scripture through our studies. You’ll learn to hear God’s voice, and to expect God to speak to you when you engage with the Scriptures.
Even while writing essays, the Spirit brings to mind the things we need to hear and be transformed by.
Sophie: The main word that comes to mind is “grounding”.
Bishopdale widened my understanding and view of the Kingdom of God. I was encouraged that God is active in all areas of life. God is working in every part of human existence and church life to see the kingdom outworked. One particular thing that was helpful is understanding the Scriptures as one big story. God invites us to be part of something that is much broader than just my personal circumstances – which is exciting, and really reassuring – I’m not the main character! The work of God doesn’t rest on my shoulders.
Sophie: When we come to faith, we become part of church communities which are really beautiful expressions of the Christian faith – but they aren’t the only expression of the Church. I love knowing that the Church is much bigger than just the particular service I attend on a Sunday. Learning about the breadth of church history, and how individual churches are connected to a much larger history and tradition than I previously appreciated has helped me to recognise my brothers and sisters in different Christian traditions. I love that no single church expression exists as the sole outpost of the kingdom of God, but that there is a rich tapestry of threads that come together. We all have some gaps in our theology and understanding of God’s work in the world – and studying at Bishopdale was one of the ways those gaps were filled for me.
Sophie: Studying the Scriptures is an essential part of discipleship. We need teachers. We need people who know the Scriptures – but that takes resources to outwork! Giving to Bishopdale means sowing into the kingdom of God.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
