In-Service Training

General Stream

The General Stream combines evangelism and Christian social work. Participants will work alongside BCM’s experienced staff and spend one academic year learning different aspects of Christian ministry, including:

City centre evangelism

This takes place most Tuesdays and Saturdays. Since the beginning of the Mission, reaching our city’s diverse population with the gospel on the streets has always been a priority.

Local area evangelism

Working alongside a City Missionary the IST will experience systematic visitation of a district to share the gospel and may include visiting schools and care homes for older people.

Mission weeks & carnivals

We support local church-based mission weeks at Easter and in the summer, as well as do evangelism at carnivals in different parts of the city.

Working with older people

A dedicated team of staff visit older people in their homes, befriend them and minister to them by listening, reading to them and praying with them. Our staff also visit care homes and conduct services where the gospel is preached. Following the services they organise craft activities. The team often leads or participates in funerals and they have opportunities to minister to the bereaved family.

Christmas toy distribution

Every Christmas BCM gives gifts to up to 4,000 children from around 1,500 families struggling to make ends meet. Often these children would otherwise not receive presents. It is a massive project involving hundreds of volunteers who come from companies and churches.

Children’s & Youth Stream

The BCM Children’s Team seeks to reach 5 to 11-year-olds in Birmingham with the gospel and to lead, train, and encourage others to do so. BCM has a thriving youth work with 11 to 16-year-olds and active in 50 secondary schools in Birmingham. Participants choosing the Children's & Youth Stream will have the opportunity to see and be involved in selected elements of this work, both in and out of school, working with our experienced teams.

Holiday clubs

We lead holiday clubs in October and February half-terms, and the first week of the summer holidays. The February and July clubs are somewhat different from what you may have experienced in the past, as they take place in Muslim majority areas of the city. Being involved brings a deeper understanding of what it means to speak about the hope we have with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

Junior camps

A ‘weekend away’ for children linked to churches is held at a countryside log-cabin site, where there is much fun, engaging with the Bible and learning what it means to live as a Christian.

Our work in secondary schools

This consists of:

•          Lessons in a range of topics relating to Christian beliefs and practice
•          Assemblies on themes including Harvest, Christmas, and Easter; and Generosity and Friendship
•          Lunchtime and after-school clubs, friendship, or ethics-related clubs
•          Visits to local church youth groups to deliver talks and resource churches

‘Fulfil’ youth event

‘Fulfil’ is BCM’s termly youth event (March, July and November). This event attracts almost 200 young people from about 20 youth groups in the Midlands for an evening of fun, entertainment and a gospel presentation.

Youth camps

Camps are opportunities for young people (11-16 year olds) to get away to the Christian Mountain Centre in Wales for a week in the summer, where they enjoy supervised activities such as canoeing, rock climbing, gorge walking, beach games, sailing, archery and more. It is a time for the young people to be enriched spiritually, personally and socially.

Ministry to the Homeless Stream

Concern for the homeless of our city has been part of BCM’s heartbeat since the beginning of the Misson. Over the decades we have operated four hostels of varying sizes, and we used to accommodate 500 people every year. Today, we operate a drop-in centre during the daytime, called the Care Centre, just a 10 minute walk from New Street train station.

The Care Centre

The Care Centre operates four days a week, and we feed up to eighty people each day, share the Christian message and help them practically. We get alongside guests to befriend them and to help them move forward with their lives.

The work at the centre is developing, with craft clubs, a gardening project, Bible study groups and visitors from a variety of outside agencies providing support to our guests. We are also setting up a small workshop where simple items can be made and sold.

Study programme

The study programme is for all participants no matter which stream they choose, and it consists of lectures and seminars designed to:

•       Help consolidate what they believe;
•       Help them articulate their faith and defend it;
•       Help to equip them to do their work.

Lectures include:

•       The life of Jesus
•       Old Testament overview
•       Biblical theology – the unfolding of God’s revelation as it progressed through history
•       Church history
•       Christian doctrine
•       Homiletics – the art of preparing and preaching sermons

Seminars cover:

•        Other religions and cults
•        Apologetics
•        The gospel & working with children

Qualifications

IST is open to committed evangelical Christians aged 18 and over who want broad practical experience in evangelism, children’s and youth work, homeless work and Christian social work. A university level qualification is not necessary but a formal education is essential to meet the demands of the programme.

Accommodation

BCM does not have any houses of their own so it will be the responsibility of each participant to find appropriate accommodation. Once someone has been offered a place on BCM’s In-Service Training we will endeavour to work with them to find somewhere to live.

Church

Participants who join us from Birmingham can continue to attend their home church. However, those from outside of Birmingham will be placed, following consultation, in a church which reflects their church background. BCM will keep in touch with the church leader.

Progress reviews

Our Evangelism Co-ordinator will hold regular personal reviews, with major reviews in December, March and June.

Recreation

The work is physically, mentally and spiritually demanding, so recreation time is built into the course. In February we go on a retreat in Shropshire.

Cost

BCM does not charge for the IST programme, with all the training and experience that it offers, so those who join must fund the year themselves. To help with the funding of their training, BCM will employ any successful applicant to the IST programme for two-days a week as a Trainee City Missionary. This means that for the other three days they will be voluntary workers.

In effect, BCM has to find £8,000 to pay the trainee over the period of the programme, so we do encourage successful applicants to seek support from their church, family and friends to raise £3,000 to donate to BCM.

Foreign trips

Each year we attempt to offer a cross-cultural experience in a foreign country. In the past we have visited the USA, Poland and Spain. Participants are expected to contribute something towards the cost of this trip.

Testimonials

I attended in 2002/03 and now I am the Vicar of the Church of the Ascension in Hall Green. I really enjoyed the training course which contributed immensely to my formation and growth as a Christian person and as a minister of the gospel. I really loved it.
Nejib Boumenjel

I attended 1994/95 and now I am the Vicar at Licky Birmingham. My year at BCM gave me a solid foundation in all aspects of sharing the gospel both in word and deed with some of the most vulnerable of our city.
Sheri Gidney

I attended in 2004/05 and now I am a Chief Currency Analyst for HYCM. My time at BCM taught me to preach the gospel and help the most vulnerable. It tapped me into the very lifeblood of what drives a city, and it was a privilege to work alongside such a gifted team of people. I made some lifelong friends and just thinking of my time there makes me smile.
Giles Coghlan

I attended in 2001/02 and now I am the Children’s worker at St Stephen’s Church, Selly Park. During my year at BCM I learnt just how big Birmingham is and how to navigate it using the bus. I met people from all sorts of different churches and life backgrounds. And I made friends who loved me and pointed me to Jesus – and still do!
Helen Buckley

My highlight was working with children, as they have limitless enthusiasm to learn more about everything. This encouraged me to continue to seek God wholeheartedly. The biggest challenge was street evangelism. Speaking to strangers about the good news requires much bravery to step out of our comfort zone. But thank you, God, for a team which gave me great guidance in this area.
Judy Chan