Are you passionate about planting and re-planting churches — or already involved in church planting and eager to sharpen the skills that underpin an effective ministry?
The Church Planting Track could be the perfect fit and complement your studies.
The UK Church & Church Planting
The UK Church has a long history of mission and church planting, and we are seeing a renewed energy and excitement about church planting. The Baptist, Methodist and Anglican churches in the North of England have pledged to plant upward of 1,000 in the next decade, and we are looking to play our part to train the people who will lead these plants and join the teams. This track aims to invest in the training of church planters of the future.
What is the Church Planting Track?
Our Church Planting Track is an accompanied learning process to equip the church
planters and church planting experts of the future. Participants are expected to be
involved in, or preparing to be involved in, a church planting initiative, including
those with strategic oversight for multiple church planting projects.
Students on the track are typically enrolled in a church planting module or working on
a dissertation or independent learning project focused on church planting or a related
topic, which forms a key part of their academic journey.
The modules address issues including:
- Biblical, theological and historical foundations for church planting
- Missiology and ecclesiology for church planting
- Models of church planting
- Learning from global movements
- Apprenticeship and leadership development
- Creativity and innovation
- Spirituality and sustainability
The Student Experience
Students on the Church Planting Track benefit from a tailored academic pathway that
includes church planting-focused modules, with options for accredited and nonaccredited. They also become part of a peer learning network, connecting with fellow
students and participating in an annual Practitioner Morning, while gaining access to
broader networks, such as the Gregory Centre.
Each year, what we offer will vary based on the number and needs of the students
involved, ensuring the experience remains relevant and impactful. Additionally, students
have opportunities to share their learning and, where appropriate, develop a public voice
as expert practitioners.
How does the track fit in with my programme of study?
Participation in one of the practitioner tracks is available to all St Hild students, and there is
no additional charge to be on the track. Participation can be combined with graduate and
post-graduate level study, or as part of an informal learning pathway arranged with one of
our tutors. Whatever your entry point, it’s our aim to inspire you, equip you and stretch you,
and throughout you’ll be engaging with practitioner-academics.
Specialisms Include:
Church Planting, Mission on the Margins, Christian Spirituality and Rural Ministry
Explore study Options
Module Options
The track offers flexibility and gives scope for a narrower or broader focus, including, for example, modules from our Mission on the Margins Track. You’ll have the opportunity to talk through the modules during the interview process, and these will be confirmed with an individual study pathway. St Hild modules include midweek, evening and weekend study at Mirfield and Sheffield as well as fully digital modules.
Core Church Planting Modules
Advanced Church Planting in Perspective/Church Planting in Perspective Online: Jan 25, Feb 1/22, March 22
An overview of the skills, dispositions and strategies relevant to church planting in various local and global contexts and an exploration of how church planting can enrich, and be enriched by, other theological perspectives. Led by Christian Selvaratnam.
Introduction to Church Planting
Running next in 2025/26
An introductory church planting course relevant to those looking to develop their foundations in church planting, team leadership and mission options for local contexts. Students can also make us of dissertations and ‘independent learning projects’ to study church planting with an assigned supervisor knowledgeable in that area.
For more information on Church Planting, visit The St Hild Centre for Church Planting, a national centre for church planting in the North of England.
Key Dates for 2026/2027
The Team
We have three staff members with particular expertise in church planting who are involved in supporting the track.
- Revd Dr Christian Selvaratnam, Dean of Church Planting.
- Revd Dr Alex Harris, Director of Baptist Church Planting and Regional Minister in the Yorkshire Baptist Association.
- Revd Dr Nick Allan, Director of the St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry and minister of The Well Church, Sheffield.
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For more information
If you would like more information about St Hild’s Church Planting Track, please contact Abby Harris, Project Manager for the St Hild Centre for Church Planting, at abby.harris@sthild.org.
Is something stopping you from taking the leap?
Come and talk to us about special needs adjustments, options for grants and scholarships, and also childcare and travel concerns – we want you here and will find a way to help!