GRANT FUNDING PRINCIPLES

The Trust’s vision is to train the next generation of leaders for the Church in Scotland. By that we mean people who will be church leaders or people who will have other leadership roles in local churches (there may be some exceptions to this). The most strategic investment we can make is in people who will be church leaders, enabling them to get the best possible training.

The Trust funds individuals, not churches.

The Trust’s constituency is conservative evangelical churches. Across that constituency, we want to invest in the best people in the best training churches, irrespective of their affiliation / network. The Trust is committed to supporting people training across this constituency, encouraging the development of a national vision for training.

The Trust embraces biblical complementarity and, within that understanding, is committed to supporting both men and women in their training.

The Trust is committed to seeing people trained in Word ministry. Jesus Christ leads His Church through His Word. In local churches, leaders preach and teach the Bible and equip others to do so. That’s how they lead. And so, the Trust’s vision for training the next generation of leaders means people who are equipped to preach and teach the Word of God.

Grants are given to Apprentices and Leaders in Training (also referred to as Ministers in Training or Pastors in Training) only in churches where there are rigorous training programmes. Evidenced by:

• churches with a proven track record in training;

• for churches beginning training programmes, evidence of the rigour of the programme (written documentation and meetings with individuals delivering training);

• ongoing process of review to develop training programmes.

Training churches are required to complete an Apprenticeship Programme and / or Church Leader in Training Programme questionnaire. These will be used by the Trust for ongoing review in making grant awards.

Grants are given to Apprentices and Leaders in Training only in churches / networks which are aligned with the Trust’s national strategy. This will be evidenced by:

• expressed support of other programmes / networks / training providers;

• encouraging trainees who wish to pursue other programmes / training providers;

• willingness to contribute funds / access to their funding networks to the wider work of the Trust.

For Apprentices, grants are awarded to individuals training in a local church in conjunction with Cornhill Scotland (or equivalent). The Cornhill Course offers training in biblical expository ministry. The course is designed to equip people to understand the Bible accurately, teach the Bible effectively and apply the Bible appropriately. Cornhill ‘equivalents’ will be assessed individually by the Trustees.

For Leaders in Training, grants are awarded to individuals training in a local church in partnership with Edinburgh Theological Seminary, Cornhill Scotland Pastors’ Training Course or Crosslands. Others will be assessed individually by the Trustees.

For Apprentices & Leaders in Training, grant levels are reviewed annually.

Grants are assessed according to need (i.e. means tested). Individuals are required to demonstrate financial need to be eligible for a grant. The grant application forms ask for details of anticipated income and expenditure. Any grant awarded is constrained by the amount of any shortfall. Applicants who have no financial need but would otherwise qualify for a grant may be awarded a token grant of £500 at the discretion of the Trust.

Training grants are awarded on a match-funding basis. This means that any grant given by the Trust must be matched by the training church. The Trust also encourages individuals to raise additional support from other sources.

We aim to give consistent levels of grants to an individual throughout their years of training (subject to no material changes in their financial circumstances / available resources from the Trust).

Grants are usually paid in three equal instalments in the first week of August, December and March.

The Trust is committed to objectivity and equity in grant decisions.