The Cornhill Australia courses train people to preach and teach the Bible in a way that is faithful, relevant and engaging.
Why Choose Cornhill Australia?
The courses are very practical:
- Each student usually does two practice Bible-talks each term (once you get going).
- Visiting well-known preachers share their ‘text-to-sermon’ experiences and assist in providing structured feedback on your practice talks.
- Students also learn to evaluate their own talks, and the talks of others.
Course Structure & Delivery
Cornhill Australia offers a two-year part-time course, with four eight-week terms each year. The Course is run in two cohorts with additional options:
- Tuesdays, located close to the Sydney CBD (Meeting at Moore Theological College, Newtown)
- Thursdays, located in Western Sydney (Meeting at MBM Rooty Hill)
- The Distance Course is based on the Thursday program
- Cornhill Extra involves targeted workshops and preaching groups, and participation in selected Tuesday subjects
*Both Tuesday, Thursday, and Distance courses cover the same material, though there may be some slight timetabling variations.
Course Subjects
This is an indicative list of the subjects you will study each year at Cornhill Australia.
First Year
- Introduction to Preaching (16 hours)
- Teaching Bible Genres: OT Narrative, Gospels, Epistles (54 hours)
- Bible Overview (28 hours)
Second Year
- Sharpening Your Preaching (16 hours)
- Teaching Bible Genres: Wisdom Literature, Law, OT Poetry, Teaching Topically (56 hours)
- Christian Belief (22 hours)
Throughout Both Years
- Text-to-Sermon Seminars: Taught by visiting pastors/preachers. A wide range of Bible genres are covered, with actual topics depending on who is teaching. (8 series, 65 hours total per year)
- Practice Talks: You usually give two per term and participate in evaluating each others talks
Assessment and Qualifications
- Cornhill Australia does not formally assess its non-MTS students . You get lots of feedback but your talks are not ‘marked’. You do not receive a formal ‘qualification’.
- MTS-Cornhill apprentices complete a small number of assessment tasks at Cornhill. These fulfil some requirements towards their Academic Studies in Theology Certificate (ASTC).
FAQS
Is it a public speaking course?
- A little bit, but that is not our focus.
- Our focus is always on helping you (a) to understand the Bible clearly and (b) to communicate that message to an audience today.
Is it just about giving sermons?
- We focus on giving ‘Bible talks’. But this is great training for anyone teaching God’s Word in any context (youth and children’s ministry, scripture in schools, personal discipleship, small group ministry etc).
- Students can generally ‘choose their own audience’ for their practice talks.