Message School of Evangelism
This is the next step for those who have been transformed by the Gospel, know its power to save, and want to grow in their giftings to share it with the world.
Message School of Evangelism is a 10-month residential Christian training programme for ages 18+. We’ve been raising up evangelists since 2001 and have welcomed over 600 students from 20+ countries.
Our teaching and training will help you understand the gospel deeply, grow your faith personally and equip you practically to provide the hope of Jesus to a world in need. From week one, you’ll put your faith into action with placements in the community and opportunities to share your faith.
Wherever you live in the world, join us in Manchester, UK for a gap year plus an international mission trip that will change your life and the lives of those you’ll reach.
Train. Grow. Go
The Message School of Evangelism (MSE) year is split into three terms, each one designed to help you go deeper in your relationship with Jesus and give you boldness to share your faith in different contexts.
The year begins with a focus on equipping you with biblical knowledge and practical training so that you become more confident in the gospel, deepen your relationship with God and find new ways to put your faith into action. And right from the start you’ll spend mission time at your partner church.
In term 2, we want to give you a chance to grow and be stretched. You’ll have a day a week out on mission with one of our partners, with chances to serve and lead. You’ll be put into teams and start working on your own materials such a preparing lessons and planning gospel talks.
You’ve been trained, now you’ll be sent. You’ll head out in your teams across the UK and internationally to places like Germany, Albania and the Netherlands. It could be in schools, on community projects, doing street outreach or something totally new.
Teaching and Training
Over the academic year on MSE, you’ll receive more than 150 hours of teaching and practical workshops that will train you to be bold in your evangelism and go deeper in your personal faith. Studying the bible will be central to all that you do. As we grow in faith together, we focus on being rooted in Scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit, exploring various modules to strengthen our understanding and outreach.
Core modules include:
- Apologetics 101
- Bible 101
- Christian life
- Eden (Community Transformation)
- Freedom in Christ
- Heroes of the faith
- Local church
- Message ministries
- Ministry skills
- Practical and power evangelism
- Prayer and mission
- Sharing Jesus with other faiths
- Theology 101
- Youth work
In Term 2, you’ll have the chance to specialise with an elective module. You’ll dive deeper into a subject and develop new skills for mission in a weekly session.
Electives include:
- Creative mission – Learn how to use music as a tool to communicate the gospel and grow in your musical gifting.
- Preaching and Bible teaching – Deepen your understanding of God’s word and develop your ability to communicate it to others.
- Christian Leadership – Develop your character, sharpen relational skills and reflect on your God-given calling.
“There are so many reasons why MSE is an incredible year. I especially loved the teaching we had on the gospel as we went into so much detail and saw how so much of God’s character is shown through it. Since finishing the course and moving on to university, I’ve been able to practically use the teaching I received to share the gospel with others, for which I’m so grateful!”
– Phoebe, MSE Class of 2024
Course Tutors
Our experienced tutors will provide Bible teaching and the wisdom gained from their personal experience to equip you for evangelism.
Joseph Barrett, Course Leader
Joe’s been with The Message since he was an MSE student back in 2012 and he went on to drum for Message band, Brightline. As a band member he gained almost a decade of experience in sharing the good news of Jesus in schools, churches and on the mission field, seeing thousands of young people commit their lives to Jesus. During the pandemic he developed skills in Digital Evangelism through Message Live and today he gets to share his passion for the gospel with a new generation of students.
Sarah Hagon, Course Leader
Sarah takes the lead for pastoral support on the course. She has 12 years of experience working as a children’s pastor for a local church and leading a team living and evangelising in an urban area. She is committed to continuing connection with the local church where she oversees intercessory prayer and the Freedom in Christ course as well as running a small group.
Andy Hawthorne, Global CEO
The Message Trust Founder and Global CEO, Andy Hawthorne OBE is a world-renowned speaker, evangelist and author who has a wealth of learning from the last 30 years of mission. Andy’s passion for sharing the gospel has led him to serve and preach to people in urban communities, prisons and schools in the UK and across the globe.
Sam Ward, UK CEO
Sam Ward is the UK CEO at The Message Trust. He’s worked in urban mission for over 25 years as an active part of the Eden Network. He now co-hosts the Proximity Podcast, part of a new project that shares his passion to resource and support urban missionaries around the UK to share the gospel with the most forgotten communities. He has experience teaching in a range of contexts from small groups to some of the UK’s largest Christian conferences like New Wine and Spring Harvest.
Sarah Small, Head of Eden Network
Sarah Small co-leads the Eden Network, a movement of urban missionaries who live in some of the most under-served communities across the UK and beyond. Over the last 30 years Eden teams have been supported their neighbours and shared the gospel. Sarah and her family have lived on an estate in Manchester for well over a decade. She has a BA Theology from Manchester and MA Kingdom Theology from Westminster Theological College.
Ben Jack, Global Head of Advance
Ben Jack is the Global Head of Advance, the Message’s ministry to equip, encourage, and empower the global church for evangelism through small group mentoring. With Advance groups in over 105 nations, Ben has had the opportunity to learn from evangelists around the globe sharing the gospel in their local context and has over two decades of experience teaching the gospel.
Sammy Jabangwe-Hanton, Global Church Relations Manager
Sammy is a creative evangelist and preacher, who recently graduated from Nazarene Theological College with a BA in Biblical Studies. She is part of The Message Trust soul rap duo SoulBox, which travels around the globe sharing the gospel with young people. Sammy is passionate about the role of the church in seeing people transformed which has led her to be a member of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.
Tom Grant, Head of Proximity
Tom is Head of Proximity, an urban mission resource hub equipping churches and leaders serving in under-resourced communities through online content and in-person community. He also serves as Minister of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bootle, Liverpool. Tom holds a First-Class degree in Theology, Mission and Ministry from St Mellitus College, and has over a decade of experience in urban ministry.
On MSE, you’ll also get to hear and learn from guest speakers from organisations The Message Trust has worked with across more than 30 years of evangelism, including:
Placements and mission
Term 1 & 2 placements
As part of the course you’ll go on weekly mission placements to put what you’ve learned in the classroom into action. Some placements rotate, offering diverse experiences in mission and evangelism. Others remain the same, allowing you to journey with and disciple the people you meet over a longer period of time. In Term 2, this includes spending one full day a week out on placement. You’ll learn from those delivering mission in a range of settings and develop your skills alongside them. In total, you’ll gain around 300 hours of experience on mission.
We aim to tailor your placement to the areas of mission you’re passionate about, where possible. Past placements have included.
- Youth groups
- Community projects (e.g. Eden and Community Grocery)
- Prisons work
- Street evangelism
- Music workshops
- Homeless outreach
- Alpha courses
Term 3 – UK and international mission
In the final term, you’ll head out in teams on mission across the UK. Partnering with churches or Eden teams or doing something totally new, you’ll work together to plan, lead and deliver mission yourselves.
Part of your challenge, as for all missionaries, will be fundraising together as a group for an overseas mission trip. Recent trips have been to Germany, the Netherlands and Albania to work with young people and tough communities.
“My weekly placement with an Eden team in term 2 grew my confidence a lot. It pushed me to do many things I didn’t think I was capable of, and because of that, I realised that we’re called to do the things God has entrusted us with, not just what we think we can do in our own strength. This really encouraged and equipped me as I stepped out into mission.”
– Francisco, Class of 2024
MSE student life
There’s much to more to life in Manchester beyond the classroom. Read about our city, student accommodation and partner churches.
Go to student life
Fees, visas and admissions
All the details on what you’ll need to apply plus when and how to do it.
Go to fees, visas and admissions
Frequently asked questions
What pastoral support is provided?
You’ll regularly meet with the course leaders to receive support, be accountable and ask any questions you have. You’ll also have your own mentor from the experienced team of Message staff members who are each living out their own calling to love and serve Jesus. Mentors usually meet you for a coffee once a month to listen, encourage and challenge you in all that God has called you to do. For any students who would find it useful, there’s also optional counselling available at no extra cost.
Can I visit the Message School of Evangelism?
We hold online Open Days throughout the year so you can attend from anywhere in the UK or around the world. These video calls last around one hour and cover what a year at the school involves. There’s also a chance for you to ask any questions you might have. See the upcoming Open Days further down this page.
If you’re based in the UK and would like to visit the school in person, we can arrange a tour. Use the form below to book.
Will I get a job at The Message at the end of the course?
MSE graduates do sometimes take up roles at The Message at the end of their year but this is totally dependant on which vacancies open up and we can’t commit to employing graduates. We are committed to helping you find the right way to use your gifts in ministry beyond the course and will support you as you prepare your next steps. Most graduates go on to other ministries and churches at the end of the course.
Can I work part-time while on the course?
The Message School of Evangelism is a full-time course, there isn’t time to do paid work alongside your study and volunteering. We advise potential students to raise all the money you will need before the start of the year or ask people to sponsor you on a monthly basis to cover your costs. We can give you some guidance to help with fundraising, if you need it.
Do students get holidays during the course?
Yes, we take the traditional UK academic holidays and most bank holidays, which may overlap.
Academic holidays: one week in October, two weeks in December (Christmas), one week in February and two weeks in March/April (Easter).
Bank holidays: Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec), New Year’s Day (1 Jan). In some years students may also have Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May and Late May bank holidays off (dates for these bank holidays change each year).
