Some endorsements from friends of Cor Deo, and comments from participants in Cor Deo
Comments from participants
“The Cor Deo full time program has been a life changing experience for me! A year and a half ago I would have never imagined that I would ever actually get to participate in something like this. I always wondered about Bible College, however it just seemed too far from my grasp. However Cor Deo has met all my expectations and more, the lessons I have learned throughout the past twenty weeks will go with me into every situation I face for the rest of my life.” (Jonathan, team 2012)
“Cor Deo has been an amazing experience; being able to spend hours together reading and studying God’s word and building relationships at the same time and recognising that our relationship with God is a relationship to be lived out in community with others is something that has flowed throughout the length of the course. It has been life changing to really get to grips with understanding who God is, Father, Son and Spirit, how He loves us and how we respond to him. Cor Deo has been an experience that has and will continue to shape who I am in relationship with God.” (Jon, team 2012)
“It’s a huge privilege to be part of the Cor Deo team, with it’s unique blend of fantastic theology, tight gospel fellowship and practical ministry opportunities. I feel greatly equipped by the programme for future full-time ministry, and I’m sure I’ll be drawing from the experience of learning, developing and maturing in this environment for many years to come.” (Huw, team 2011)
“Cor Deo really is sharing God’s heart, not just individually but as a group of men. It is a joy to learn, it is such a great environment to grow in and a great foundation for future ministries.” (Jon, team 2011)
“These past 6 months have been a time of fellowship, growth, and delight in God. From the outset, I knew that I was with Cor Deo by God’s providence and provision, but I could not have known just how transformative Cor Deo would be. To serve and study with 9 men as we sought hard after God together was an experience that will not only be remembered, but one that has definitively shaped the course of my life. The training and study techniques learned have further equipped me for ministry, but more than that the relationships shared within the team are invaluable, some of which will last a lifetime.
The most amazing gift, however, given by the Holy Spirit through Cor Deo is an invitation to a relationship with the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit that is more personal, more intimate, and more exhilarating than any I had known before. This invitation is found in the Bible, where the heart of God is revealed to us. Through extensive time in the Word, Cor Deo has helped to define a theology in which devotion, rather than duty, is at the heart of the Christian life.” (Chris, team 2011)
“I had already done a bible school degree. What did Cor Deo give me? Something very different. Where I may have gained knowledge before, at Cor Deo I have been able to form what I believe about God, to put into words the nature of the relationship He gives, to see for myself great themes running throughout His Word.
When I started Cor Deo I was desperately thirsty for something of God. In these 6 months that prayer has been answered. Beyond academic demands I was led to discover a God who reaches out in love. When I had no more ‘push’ left in me, I found a God that I could delight in. The Bible has come alive in these weeks. I have come to discover what so many have missed, the heart of God, Cor Deo.
That ‘heart of God’ has also been glimpsed in the friendship of this small group of guys and tutors. Each has become a close and trusted friend. We have pursued God together and learnt so much about each other on the journey.” (Paul, team 2011)
“As Cor Deo came to close, looking around the table, it suddenly came home to me how much we had all changed. My mind went back to Week One in February when we came together to launch Cor Deo. Of course we’re all now more familiar with each other after spending so much time together, but that only begins to explain the almost tangible transformation in us as all, as individuals and in our relationships.
It’s impossible to condense into a couple of paragraphs, even a few of the many highlights of the last twenty weeks. But it’s fair to say that what drew me to Cor Deo in the first place, actually proved to be more exciting than I could ever have imagined; that training and mentoring might be most effective in a situation where lives are shared, not just knowledge.
We have read the Bible together, we have learned to read the Bible together, we have learned to love the Bible together. We have prayed and laughed and traveled together. We’ve taken a journey through 1500 years or so of historical theology, and considered so many elements of ministry and personal discipleship together. We’ve done ministry together and even kicked footballs at each other with alarming regularity.
It’s been a privilege to share these months with the rest of the Cor Deo team. As I look ahead to future ministry, I can’t imagine a better preparation for what comes next and in the future.” (Huw, extended reflection, team 2011)
Cor Deo is an excellent opportunity to discuss God’s word at length with like-minded men, to fellowship together, to benefit from the work of the Spirit and to share in the ministry of God’s word. Overarching and running through all the fellowship and study is discovering the heart of God and His love for us and the world. If you come to Cor Deo, let your heart, mind and soul be captured by both the truth and love of God and hear from men that study it with a passion.” (Alan, team 2011)
Endorsements from friends of Cor Deo
“Cor Deo is, quite simply, a golden opportunity for the church in the UK, and for any who become part of it. With outstanding and trustworthy teachers, Rolls Royce theology and its unique relational approach to training, it is something I wish I could have been part of years ago. I will definitely be pointing future church leaders this way.”
– Dr Michael Reeves, Theological Advisor to UCCF, author of The Unquenchable Flame; The Breeze of the Centuries and On Giants’ Shoulders.
“Cor Deo resonates with the needs and aspirations of many young people now looking towards Christian ministry – it is Biblically rooted, set in a team context, committed to spiritual depth, and provides strong mentoring and practical supervision. It is a training programme which sees ‘spiritual formation’ as an essential ingredient, and I warmly welcome this. I wish the team well as they launch this significant initiative.”
– Jonathan Lamb, Director, Langham Preaching, chairman of the Keswick Convention, author of Integrity: Leading with God Watching and Tough Minds, Tender Hearts.
“While the traditional Bible College approach to learning has an important place going forward, more and more in my travels I find people seeking the innovative style envisaged within Cor Deo. I know the people behind this and have absolute confidence in them and I believe the method they are proposing has huge potential. I find the close mentoring particularly appealing and I am already considering those I might encourage to benefit from Cor Deo.”
– Peter Maiden, International Director, OM; former chairman of the Keswick Convention, author of Discipleship.
I consider the ministry of Cor Deo to be an outstanding asset for the evangelical church in the UK. Their convictions are deeply and warmly evangelical and their model of ministry training provides something that to my knowledge is a unique form of training and mentoring for Christian leaders. Theirs is a necessary approach to developing church-based and heart-changing training. I wholeheartedly support their goals and innovative approach.
– Dave Bish, SW Area Leader, UCCF, author of thebluefish.org.
“We encouraged one of our promising young men to go to Cor Deo and were thrilled by the way in which the time spent in community with Peter and team made such a positive impact upon his life. Cor Deo helped him on multiple levels. Personal discipline, confidence in the Word of God and gave him the tools to understand scripture with clarity for himself are three of most obvious ways.”
– Tim (Pastor of Full Time Participant)
“This is a strategic ministry! I believe in mentoring for ministry and have tremendous confidence and respect for Peter Mead – I want to stand with him and the team in this undertaking. Please join me in praying for the Cor Deo team and pray about participating in this strategic opportunity!”
– George Verwer, Global Missions Advocate, founder of Operation Mobilisation and author of The Revolution of Love and Out of Your Comfort Zone.
“If the church is to move forward in culturally relevant ways, then it is vital that the next generation of church leaders is trained to handle God’s Word effectively, to love the Lord personally and to model His will and His ways in the exercise of their ministry. Cor Deo is a great step forward toward this kind of Christo-centric ministry training. I’m delighted to recommend it with enthusiasm!”
– Dr Joe Stowell, President, Cornerstone University; Keswick Convention speaker, author of Shepherding the Church and Following Christ.
“Ultimately to prepare sermons you have to prepare the person who preaches the sermon. Cor Deo is designed to shape those who want to preach by focusing on spiritual formation, biblical study, and down-to-life mentoring for ministry. If God has tapped you on the shoulder to serve him in a special way then I urge you to consider being part of Cor Deo.”
– Dr Haddon Robinson, Distinguished Professor of Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, author of Biblical Preaching.