A YEAR TO GROW IN YOUR KINGDOM CALLING AS AN
APPRENTICE TO JESUS

One year to grow in your God-given gifts and discover the new things He is working in your life. Get hands-on ministry experience in a variety of areas, all while receiving training and input from weekly sessions and mentorship.

Apply now for the next cohort coming September 2026

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The MA Year is a year of Christian formation, biblical teaching and practical ministry experience for those who want to go deeper in their discipleship and explore where God may be calling them.

At the heart of the year is a simple conviction: we want to equip you to flourish in the local church where God has placed you.

Open to those at Telford Minster and across local churches, you'll join a learning community of Ministry Apprentices, receiving teaching, training, mentoring and encouragement while continuing to belong, worship and serve in your own church.

Telford Minster provides the training hub. Your local church provides the ministry context.

Together, we want to help you become a more confident apprentice of Jesus.

A woman with long dark curly hair and glasses reading from a book into a microphone. She is wearing a dark jacket and black pants, and is standing on a stage with other people around her, some holding musical instruments, in a dimly lit indoor settin
A person with white skin, brown hair, glasses, wearing a white shirt, sitting on a couch with legs crossed. They are looking at a tablet. In front of them, another person is seated with a laptop on their lap, wearing a brown jacket. There is a televi
People gathered around a dining table with food and decorations, some sitting and some standing, in a room with three windows and a white wall.
Open Bible with bookmarks on the left side and handwritten notes on the right page, including a note that says 'He has called me by name' and highlighted blue text.
People gathered on stage at an indoor event, with a woman speaking into a microphone, and others standing nearby. A large screen displaying colorful light patterns is in the background.
Two men standing outdoors holding a sign that reads '#MAKING JESUS KNOWN' with website and social media information at the bottom. One man has light brown hair and is wearing a dark coat, while the other has dark hair, a beard, and is dressed in a pl
A woman with dark hair, glasses, and earrings sitting in an indoor setting, holding a stack of papers and a pen, with one hand resting on top of the papers. She is wearing a plaid shirt and appears to be focused or attentive, possibly at a meeting or
A woman with blonde hair and a light skin tone giving a presentation or talk on a stage with a dark curtain backdrop. She is wearing an orange jumpsuit over a light-colored shirt, with a lanyard and an ID badge around her neck. There are people in th
Close-up of a person's hand extended with fingers together, wearing a silver bracelet and a striped long-sleeve shirt, against a dark blurred background.
People standing on stage during a baptism event, with a large screen behind them displaying the words 'Baptism Sunday' and event details, and surrounding musical instruments and microphones.
Young man with glasses and brown hair, wearing a plaid shirt, holding a microphone, looking down, possibly speaking or singing, with a dark background and a person seated in the background.
People standing in a dimly lit room, praying or reflecting, with chairs and a window in the background.
People, including children and adults, gathered around tables in a room engaging in arts and crafts activities with markers, paper, and glue.
People sitting in chairs at an indoor event, some looking at their phones, others listening or waiting.
A young girl with brown hair and freckles sitting at a table, coloring in a book with a marker, surrounded by cups, with other people in the background.

One year growing as
an Apprentice of Jesus.

  • Explore Your Calling

    A year to discern where God is leading you. We believe He is calling each of us into something greater—both inside and outside the walls of the church. The MA Year is about making space to listen closely to what the Holy Spirit is saying over you for this season and the seasons to come.

  • Grow Your Gifts

    As part of the Church, we all carry gifts and skills that can be used to make Jesus known. The MA Year is about investing in those gifts, discovering new ones, and learning how to use them in real, impactful ways. Where possible, we want that growth to happen within your own local church, alongside leaders who know you and the community God has called you to serve.

  • Invest In Community

    Community is an important part of growing together as God’s church. You’ll walk closely with others in the MA cohort, the staff team, and wider church community. Growth happens best together, and you’ll be encouraged to build deep, life-giving relationships through Minster Villages and Groups.  

  • Make A Difference

    Make a difference throughout the week and on Sundays by getting involved on team in a variety of ministry areas. Jesus shows us the example of servanthood that we are to imitate to the world around us. We want to grow leaders who demonstrate the heart of Jesus in everything they do.

  • Step Into The Spirit

    This is a year of discovering new things. We believe in encountering the Holy Spirit afresh everyday and we want this to be central to your experience on the MA Year. This year will stretch you and encourage you to step out into the new things God is calling you into.

  • Rooted In The Local Church

    We believe deeply in the local church. That’s why the MA Year is designed to strengthen your relationship with your church. You’ll be encouraged to worship, serve and take increasing responsibility within your home church, with a local church leader helping you reflect on your development and creating opportunities for you to put your learning into practice.

We’d love to encourage you to pray about embarking on a transformational year as a Ministry Apprentice. Whether serving here at Telford Minster or in your local church, weekly training sessions, and ongoing mentoring, this is an opportunity to grow as an Apprentice of Jesus, understand and follow your calling, and gain new skills.

We like to explain the MA Programme experience through the ideas of Circles and Streams.

OVERVIEW

A Venn diagram with three overlapping circles labeled "Serving + Growing," "Formation + Mentoring," and "Teaching + Training," illustrating overlapping areas of service, development, and education.

Circles

I. Teaching + Training

Come together with other Ministry Apprentices for biblical teaching, theology, leadership development and practical ministry training. Through regular teaching sessions and Gather Nights, you’ll learn from leaders and practitioners, explore Scripture together and develop skills that you can take straight back into your local context. Topics across the year may include discipleship, biblical theology, leadership, mission and evangelism, preaching and communication, spiritual formation, pastoral ministry and understanding your calling.

II. Formation + Mentoring

Christian leadership begins with becoming more like Jesus. Alongside teaching and practical experience, the MA Year creates space to pay attention to your own life with God. You’ll be encouraged to meet regularly with a mentor, develop rhythms of prayer and Scripture, reflect with others in the cohort and make space throughout the year for retreat, worship and encounter with God.

III. Serving + Growing

This is where learning becomes practice. Your local church becomes the primary place where you experiment, serve, lead and grow. Together with your church leadership, you’ll identify opportunities to develop your gifts and take appropriate responsibility. You’ll then bring those experiences back into the MA learning community, where there is space to reflect, ask questions, learn from others and grow.

Chart with three rows of shapes and text labels. The first row labeled 'Worship + Prayer' has a pattern of dashed lines. The second row labeled 'Bible Study/Book Club' also has a pattern of dashed lines. The third row labeled 'Gather Nights' features solid wavy lines.

Every Thursday morning, MA are invited to join the staff team for Morning Chapel. This time not only begins the week in worship, prayer and Bible study, but also provides insight into what’s happening in the life of the church and where you can get involved.

During the week, there are also opportunities for the MA cohort to gather together to open the Bible for study and teaching. Across the year, this may look like journeying together through specific sections or themes of the Bible, reading a book together across a term, or discussing as a group the key elements of what it means to be an apprentice to Jesus.

Streams

A core part of the MA experience is growing together in community through shared rhythms of worship, prayer, and learning. To support this journey, we offer three streams that equip and encourage the learning cohort in both their spiritual formation, Biblical understanding and practical ministry.

Once a month, all Ministry Apprentices come together for Gather Nights. These are key times to gather for an evening of teaching, training, and encouragement. These sessions are designed to deepen your walk with Jesus, grow your understanding of Scripture, and equip you for mission and leadership within the church and beyond.

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  • One Cohort. Many Churches.

    One of the strengths of the MA Year is learning alongside people serving Jesus in different contexts. You might be part of a large church, a small parish, a church plant, a fresh expression or a new worshipping community. You’ll remain rooted there while becoming part of a wider learning community of people asking similar questions:

    - What is Jesus teaching me?
    - Where is God calling me?
    - How can I serve faithfully?
    - How can the gifts God has given me bless his Church and his world?

    We believe churches are stronger when we invest in emerging leaders together.

  • For Local Churches.

    The MA Year is also an invitation to churches. Perhaps there is someone in your congregation in whom you recognise leadership potential, a growing sense of vocation or gifts that need space to develop. Rather than having to create an entire training programme yourself, you can place them within the MA Year while continuing to disciple them and give them meaningful ministry experience in your own church.

    You provide the place to belong and serve.
    We provide teaching, training and a wider learning community.
    Together, we invest in the next generation of disciples and leaders.

  • Could This Be Your Year?

    You don't need to have everything figured out.

    You might already sense a particular calling, or know that you want to intentionally set aside time to grow as a follower of Jesus.

    Come and spend a year going deeper in Scripture, developing your gifts, learning alongside others and serving faithfully where God has planted you.

    Rooted locally. Equipped together. Sent wherever God calls.

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