An introduction to Redeemer Winchester

Redeemer Winchester was planted out of Christ Church Southampton in January 2019 to give people in Winchester and the surrounding areas the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. Jonny Clifton led the church plant and is now the senior pastor. The church started with around 25 adults plus children. We are now over two hundred on a Sunday morning. 

Our goal is to be a multi-generational church made up of people from diverse backgrounds. At the moment our ministry is focussed in three directions:

• Ministry amongst students. There are two universities in Winchester with about 10,000 students living in the city. We aim to offer every student at Redeemer the chance to 1:1 with an older Christian, as well as teaching and training them to love and trust Jesus more, serve him more faithfully and effectively, and to handle the Bible well. Redeemer Students is a key part of the student ministry; it is a network of Bible study groups meeting together for a meal, before splitting into groups for Bible-study and prayer.

• Ministry amongst children and families. The children’s work continues to grow at Redeemer. We have several groups that meet Sunday by Sunday in our Treasure Seekers ministry. The aim is to work in conjunction with parents to nurture and disciple children and Christian families. 

• Church planting: Although we have only recently planted Redeemer, we are convinced that the best way to reach population centres is through the local church. We are actively exploring other potential church planting/revitalisation opportunities with the Reach South network of churches. We are training up people in the church who might be able to be part of any future church plant.

The Ministry Trainee Scheme

2024-25 will be the fifth year that Redeemer Winchester has run the Ministry Training Scheme (MTS). The MTS is intended to prepare young men and women for a life of faithful and effective gospel ministry in whatever context they find themselves. 

It aims to provide training and nurture in three key areas:

1. Understanding 

Each Ministry Trainee has a directed reading and study programme for the year, as well as the opportunity to undertake a study project addressing an issue of their choice under supervision. The weekly training day at the Equip Course (www.equipcourse.org.uk) seeks to sharpen exegetical skills and grasp of biblical doctrine; also to discuss issues connected with ministry and work together on expository talk preparation. In addition to the training day, we have a Ministry Trainees’ workshop once a week in which we look at areas of doctrine or ministry not covered by the Equip Course. Some preparation for the training day and the weekly workshop will be required during the week. There is also an expectation of attending at least one conference during the year. 

2. Character

Each Ministry Trainee meets weekly with a mentor to read the Bible, pray and discuss different aspects of the Christian life. Feedback and help will be given in areas of godliness which need addressing. In addition, a servant approach to ministry is fostered through various practical areas of service (anything from helping with chairs or the crèche rota to photocopying and washing up) – Sundays in particular are busy days!

3. Ministry skills

The church’s student work provides many opportunities for Ministry Trainees to experience and grow in ministry. Each Ministry Trainee will be expected to meet 1:1 with 3-4 students during the course of each week in term-time. Ministry Trainees also generally co-lead one of the Redeemer Students Bible Study groups. They may be involved to a degree in international student work and / or children’s work. There are also likely to be opportunities for teaching, leading seminars and other activities.

The application process

If you would like to apply to be a Ministry Trainee, then you will need to contact Jonny for an application form. There will be an informal interview to help both parties assess whether the Ministry Training Scheme is a good fit.

Funding

The Ministry Training Scheme is a voluntary scheme. Redeemer Winchester will meet the cost of your training and provide you with a small allowance to pay for necessary resources. If you are offered a place, you will be asked to raise your own support. However we will help you in that process and we feel confident that you will be able to find the necessary money. We will give you an information pack that will help you budget for the year and point you in the direction of trusts that might be able to support you.