Claire is one of our staff members who has come up through the Reign Ministries ranks. From being a Reign youth, to doing the gap year and degree, and then finally becoming a valued part of the staff team, she is truely imbedded in our family!
Back in September 2021 I caught up with Claire to talk about her experience of doing the degree. In particular I wanted to see how the course had helped her develop skills and confidence in leadership.
“I had already done a gap year with Reign but I really didn’t think that the degree was for me. I found writing difficult and hated doing essays. Then I felt God calling me to go in that direction. Looking back, I can see the change in myself from the beginning of the gap year to the end of the degree.
I found that my classes not only gave me a deeper theological understanding, but I also came away with practical skills to use when discipling young people.
The training was relevant, and I felt able to share what I’d learnt with the girls in my discipleship group. Which, in turn, left them wanting to know more. Since then, two of those young people have begun their own journey with Reign Ministries.
One of the best things about being in the Reign family is that there is space for you to come as you are. Each student is cared for holistically, being formed by the community, peers, tutors and other staff. We have a foundational value of being completely for one another.
When a whole community of people get together, surround you, and are completely for you – however you come – it gives you the space and freedom to grow into the person who God has made you to be. I was becoming more secure in myself.
I’m still growing in a lot of the skills that Reign has given me. I hated having to do presentations, but in hindsight, practicing these in class provided a safe place to learn this key skill. And now I’ve even been able to hold assemblies in front of an entire school.
The degree gave me the knowledge and practical tools to minister to young people in my area. But even more than that, Reign was concerned with who I was, God’s calling on my life, and who I was becoming, in Him. It has given me a degree, but has also shaped the woman I have become, and continues to shape who I am becoming.”
Reign Ministries has a vision to impact churches across the UK by training up a generation of disciple-making youth ministers. This goes beyond students graduating with a degree. Our students emerge from the programme equipped to lead, disciple and build relationships. Our aim is that at the end of their three years with us they are more connected to God, and His plans for them, than the day they started. Claire’s story of feeling unprepared and unsure of her abilities is common for many new students. We celebrate when they can look back and see the impact Reign Ministries has had on them through this journey.
Maybe you could be the next ‘Claire’ to join our degree next September? To come along to one of our information sessions or open days, or do request a prospectus, click the links below!
Categories: Testimony, Youth Ministry Degree Course
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