Crosslands exists for the sake of the local church: to provide trusted theological resources, training and networks that equip believers for mission and ministry – to the glory of Christ. We want theology to be accessible, both practically and culturally. Our theologians are disciples first, all deeply committed to serving in local churches. Love for Christ, his Word and his Church shapes what we do and how we do it. Our purpose and our prayer is to help you to grow in knowledge and love as you lead and serve others in the Christian life.
Our Convictions and Ethos
Crosslands is evangelical, reformational and missional, with a strong emphasis on developing deep biblical and theological understanding. Our core convictions are set out in more detail in our formal statement of faith. We do not take an official stance on other issues such as church governance, baptism, charismatic issues and so on. (Read our position statement on men and women in ministry). We encourage students to explore different perspectives on these debates with fellow learners and leaders, asking that you reflect a generosity of spirit on these issues whilst pursuing rigorous theological reflection and debate.
We want to be known for and characterised by:
- Being grounded in truth: Our Reformational convictions shape all that we do. We want to raise up disciples who are grounded in God’s Word, delight in Christ, and love the Church.
- Being shaped by the gospel: We want to be and develop disciples and disciple-makers whose lives and affections are shaped by the cross and resurrection, and who bring a faith-based, grace-centred approach to our interactions with one another and to everyday life.
- Being missional in focus: We embrace the missional identity of God’s people and long to see the name of Christ proclaimed in the UK, Europe and beyond. All of our training, research and formation both flows from and points towards a desire to see the cross of Christ reigning over these lands.
- Being embedded in the local church: We help to form disciples and leaders in the context of the local church, in partnership with the local church, for the sake of the local church. Our convictions, content and delivery model all keep the local church at the heart of learning.
- Being a learning community: Whether you are involved as a leader or a student, our hope is for everyone to learn and grow as members of the Crosslands community, both giving and receiving, no matter how established in or new to the Christian faith you may be.
- Being committed to cultural engagement: We put cutting edge research and Reformed perspectives on culture into the hands of churches and leaders, equipping today’s disciples to confront the challenges they face in their vocation, mission and ministry.
- Being flexible and innovative in delivery: We believe that rigorous, gospel-centred theological training should be accessible to anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. From courses for local congregations to research programmes for emerging academic theologians, we offer flexible, robust and innovative training for the whole church.