About us

The New Ground Academy is a two-year leadership training course, designed to sit alongside mentoring and hands-on experience in a local church context.

Who is Academy for?

The Academy is for current and future leaders. Many students already hold a leadership position in their church. We have a huge range of leaders including those who lead small groups and ministry areas, student, youth and children’s leaders, worship leaders and more. Some Academy students have been leading for many years; others have only recently started leading or are in training for a leadership role. We also welcome those recognised by local church as potential future leaders.

What does Academy aim to do?

We want to partner with churches in raising up leaders who will make disciples. We focus on four areas in which we want to help students grow:

Personal relationship with God

The foundation of Christian leadership is our own personal relationship with God. At the Academy, we want to challenge and equip students to deepen their relationship with God.

Leadership character

Character takes priority over skill in Christian leadership, so we put a strong emphasis on helping students grow in godly character.

Understanding of the Bible and how to read it well

Christian leadership should always be based on the teaching of Scripture. Across the two years of Academy, we help students gain a good grasp of the Bible’s overarching narrative and equip them to read the Bible for themselves.

Connection to New Ground

We are a family of churches caught up in God’s great mission to see many churches planted across the world and communities transformed by the love of Jesus. We help students catch something of who we are and connect with people across the New Ground family.

How does Academy work?

The Academy is a two-year course with four key elements:

Bible reading plan
All students are encouraged to follow a Bible reading plan that pairs with the home learning modules.
Home learning
Nine modules a year take students through the entire Bible. Students engage with learning materials via an online training hub. The learning materials include both video/audio teaching and activities for students to complete.
Local hub meetings
One Thursday evening a month, nine times a year, students gather with other Academy students from their local church to discuss the home learning modules. They also connect with other local hubs via Zoom to watch an interview.
Central hub meetings
Nine times a year, students gather on a Saturday for a day of teaching and discussion.

For more information on how Academy works, click on ‘Format & Curriculum’

Where does Academy run?

The Academy runs in the UK, the Netherlands and France.

In the UK, Central Hub meetings take place at the Everyday Church building in Wimbledon, which is easily accessed by both Underground and National Rail services.
In the Netherlands, Central Hub meetings are held at various New Ground churches allowing students to visit different cities and churches across their two years on Academy. The base gathers students from the Netherlands and beyond.
In France, the Academy runs in Paris, Rennes, and Montpellier. More information about the New Ground Academy in France can be found at new-ground.fr/academie.

For more information on the Academy Bases, click on ‘Bases’.

To express interest or find out about training in Scotland, visit the Grow Leadership Training Programme.

Cost

We have worked hard to make the New Ground Academy as accessible as possible. The current cost for the UK base is £250 per year. Students at the Netherlands base typically pay €400-500 per year.

The Academy offers bursaries to students who are unable to afford the standard fees. We also want to encourage local churches to offer financial help to leaders within their church family who may need it.