For many busy pastors and teachers, theological training seems a distant possibility. Either we invest a huge amount of time in a theology course, or we content ourselves with the reading and preparation we do in our normal weekly routines (which may not always go much beyond our next sermon!) Short, intensive, in-service training - taking two or three days out, as a one-off, and going into a major book or theme in depth - would be ideal.

That is the aim of our 2015 conference, “Wrestling with 1 Corinthians,” with Andrew Wilson. Running across three days in July, a group of leaders, pastors and teachers will gather in Eastbourne, and go through 1 Corinthians in depth.

Few biblical books can claim to speak to as many pressing contemporary issues as 1 Corinthians, and few are drawn into as many controversial discussions. Leadership and church unity. The format of Christian meetings. Warning passages and the security of salvation. Sexuality and singleness. Divorce and remarriage. Men and women. Head coverings and hermeneutics. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Prophecy, languages and contextualisation. The continuation (or not) of spiritual gifts. Idolatry. Eschatology. And, most central of all Christian beliefs, the resurrection of Jesus. It sounds like a list of all the most discussed issues in the Western church today.

The cost of THINK 2015 is £95, which includes shared meals at lunchtime and in the evenings - which are a great context for relationship building as well as further discussion - but does not include accommodation (there is a Travelodge and a Premier Inn in Eastbourne, and a range of other cheap hotels are available). We will begin at 3.30pm on the Tuesday, and finish by 1.30pm on the Thursday