2025 Bible Teachers and Preachers (Foundational) Network
- Image
The church is always at its healthiest where there is a passion for the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Across the world there is a growing movement of church leaders and lay preachers who are committed to biblical, clear, engaging, and relevant Bible teaching and preaching. This movement transcends denominations and brings together people with a passion to feed the church and spread the Gospel through effective presentation of God’s Word.
This year’s Bible Teachers and Preachers Network will again be split into two levels. Each level will incorporate the dynamics of a learning community to enable participants to learn together and grow together as Bible teachers. Both levels are driven by a commitment to understanding not only the mechanics of Bible teaching and preaching, but also the theological heartbeat of effective ministry. They will share a passion for practical training as well as a determination to understand the Word and expound it clearly, relevantly and engagingly, in our European context.
The Foundational Network is designed to be an introduction to Bible teaching. All those who teach the Bible, (whether in a local church setting, on university campuses or elsewhere, whether from the pulpit or not), are welcome to join us. While the primary focus will be on pulpit preaching, the principles of handling and communicating the Bible will apply in multiple ministry contexts.
Prior preparation will be set for all applicants.
What Network Participants Are Saying
- "Being here at ELF is a great opportunity to slow down and be renewed at the feet of Jesus. I am trying to be like a sponge by taking a lot of notes. I can't wait to use new information in my ministry and to share it with other leaders in my church." - Peter Urbanec, Mission Leader, Slovakia
- "I attended the Forum for the first time this year. It was great to meet so many wonderful believers and servants of God. The fellowship has been a great blessing for me and it has been so encouraging to see how God works in other parts of Europe and even on other continents. I was able to listen to very clear and challenging Bible teaching. The Bible Teachers and Preachers Network was a useful tool for refreshing my own preaching ministry."
- Gyorgy Fazakas, Pastor, Romania - "At the Forum, I have learned many things intellectually. But the most important impact is meeting people. The Bible Teachers and Preachers Network participants all have something to give, even if they did not speak in the Network. I perceive the participants’ prayerfulness, humility, godliness, and their experience. I have received answers to my difficult questions and wisdom from approachable teachers who are not lofty and distant. I am so thankful to meet peers from other countries so we can share, encourage one another, and pray for each other."
- Jan Vopalecky, Church Elder, Czech Republic
Applicants should be those who teach the Bible (whether in a local church setting, on university campuses or elsewhere, whether from the pulpit or not) and want to develop their skills in expository preaching and teaching. This Foundational Track seeks to provide essential skills for communicating God's truth in engaging, relevant, and above all, biblical ways.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
René Breuel was born in São Paulo, Brazil and has lived in Rome, Italy for the past 13 years, where he serves as the Founding Pastor of Hopera, a church in Rome’s university neighborhood. He holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from Oxford University in the UK, a Master of Divinity… Read more
Mike Chalmers is a mentor with Cor Deo, a ministry training programme, and is also UFM Worldwide’s Short-term Mission Coordinator. Previously, he was a Staff Worker in Wales with UCCF. He enjoys preaching and discipling and continues to support and encourage university students by speaking at… Read more
Andy Hamilton is originally from Northern Ireland but has lived in Italy for most of his life. Andy obtained a Master of Theology from Queen’s University Belfast through Belfast Bible College and a Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He lives in the… Read more
Peter Mead is the director of Cor Deo, a ministry training programme in Chippenham, England. He is also part of the leadership team of Trinity Chippenham, a church Peter helped to plant back in 2014. Peter is a lecturer for Union School of Theology. He studied at Multnomah Biblical Seminary… Read more
Steve Mitchell is part of the leadership team at Cornerstone Church in Swindon, a small church plant in the rapidly expanding north of the town. Steve is passionate about seeing God’s people equipped to share God’s Word no matter what context they are in. Previously, he worked in the IT industry… Read more
Peter J. Williams is the Principal and CEO of Tyndale House, Cambridge. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he received his MA, MPhil, and PhD in the study of ancient languages related to the Bible. After his PhD, he was on staff in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 18 May
Before we start to think about how to prepare a message, we have to be clear what we mean by preaching and teaching. This session will introduce us to the foundational biblical and theological building blocks of a preaching and Bible teaching ministry. Once we are all on the same page, then we can launch into the process!
How do we move from personal Bible study to preparing a message that is biblical, clear, engaging, and relevant to our listeners? This session gives an overview of the steps from the study of the text to understanding the main idea. A group exercise will engage the process with a specific biblical text.
Monday, 19 May
This session gives an overview of the steps involved in shaping a message based on previous study of the text. Following the presentation, we will work in facilitated groups to apply the learning to a biblical text as we move from text to sermon.
The Bible God has given us is overflowing with variety. It was written by over forty authors, in three languages, on three continents, over a couple of thousand years, and yet is united by the Spirit into a single masterful work that points us to Christ. The Bible is anything but dull. The Bible God has given us is what you might expect from the kind of God we find in it: creative, diverse, and fully united. It doesn’t remain aloof and abstract but engages with real life in all its fullness. This session looks at the three main types of literature in the Bible: narrative, poetry, and discourse. If we can rightly understand the types of literature, we can tap into their unique strengths to make our preaching and teaching the best it can be!
Tuesday, 20 May
Working together as a learning community, we will seek to reinforce the learning that has already taken place as we work with examples of the different genres introduced in the previous session. How will a different genre of passage change the approach we take to shaping our message when we preach? How can we make sure that the main idea is effectively communicated, and how can we be certain that God’s inspired genre influences the message we fashion?
Biblical preaching and teaching are not simply a matter of building up the church by instructing believers. They are a ministry of proclaiming what God has done in Christ. The Gospel should be at the centre of all true preaching. Yet the idea of preaching evangelistically can be daunting. How should we approach preaching the Bible to mixed audiences? How should we seek to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a culture that rejects any notion of Scriptural authority? In this session, we will be given instruction and examples which we will process in our learning community.
Wednesday, 21 May
This combined session of the Bible Teachers and Preachers Networks will offer a unique opportunity to hear and learn from Peter J. Williams. We will bring questions to him about the plenary Bible sessions, as well as questions about the rest of God’s Word and other aspects of the teacher’s life and ministry.
Preaching and teaching are not skills we learn once and repeat forever. There is always more to learn. In this final session, we will think together about growing as a preacher and teacher. What plans can we put in place to continue growing in the ministry that God has given us? For this session, the foundational and advanced networks will be combined.