Building Biblical literacy key to discipleship for Tasmanian corps
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Captain Andrew Webb, Corps Officer at both Ulverstone and Burnie Corps, has a Masters in Theological Studies. Rather than just sharing that knowledge from the pulpit, the North-West Tasmanian officer has decided to run free theology classes for anyone interested.
By starting the free theology classes, Andrew says he’s simply doing what Jesus did in sitting down with people and teaching them. “If I’ve been given the spiritual gift of teaching and I’m not using it to build up the body of believers – what am I doing?”
“I disagree with the concept of a division between clergy and lay people and education has been one of the markers of that,” he says. “It shouldn’t be that the person up the front has all the knowledge and the congregation have to adopt everything they say. I want people to have the tools and knowledge to judge what is right doctrine. I want theology to be accessible.”
The first course that Andrew offered through Ulverstone Salvos and to the wider north-west Tasmanian community was ‘Exploring the Old Testament’. The next year they did ‘Exploring the New Testament’ and now he’s teaching ‘Introduction to Theology’. These are courses that people could do through a registered theological college, but often people have difficulty accessing online content, and there are no colleges within driving distance.
Across eight consecutive Monday nights at Ulverstone Corps, and Wednesday mornings at Burnie Corps, the lights go on, and people from all different denominations arrive for the class.
One night at Ulverstone, a gentleman who had never been before walked inside. He had just noticed that the building was open, and thought he could volunteer if there was a community activity happening. When Andrew told him he was teaching a theology class, he asked, “Have you got room for one more?”
Ever since he started the theology classes, Andrew has never had less than 15 in a cohort. He says he looks forward to the classes, as teaching stretches and matures his own understanding.
“I also learn because they share their points of view and it helps to mature my thinking. If you are only getting an academic point of view, it’s one sided. The students carry a very practical theology. They explain how they see God working and active. We have great conversations and great debates.”
Andrew is currently working on a submission for a doctorate. He is passionate about writing about the Atonement from a Salvationist point of view. The goal of his PhD is to find a way of viewing what happened on the Cross in a way which enhances the rest of The Salvation Army’s practical theological framework. But that’s all just a side-hustle
alongside his role as Corps Officer, where, alongside his wife LC, they oversee the congregations, as well as the busy weekday mission and ministry that includes a hub of numerous Salvation Army services.
LC Webb, Andrew’s wife, is ministry assistant at Burnie Corps, as well as overseeing the vital community support teams at both locations. She is also studying a Bachelor of Theology in her “spare time”. She is passionate about discipleship and raising up people who know Jesus deeply.
“One of the things that I know is when the church starts to take ownership of their church, it’s more difficult for the Devil to take hold,” she says.
The Salvation Army’s National Spiritual Life Committee has been getting feedback from the Army’s frontline about the Army’s spiritual pulse. Recent feedback from the Victoria Division Spiritual Life Forum was that “in some places there is a real hunger for God’s Word and a growing depth in mentoring and faith formation. At the same time, though, there are identified gaps in Biblical literacy and the need to rebuild strong discipleship foundations.”
For Andrew, that was the case when he arrived at Ulverstone Salvos. “I realised that our people really have a hunger to grow in their understanding of God, faith and the church. They really do care, but haven’t had the formal training opportunities that I have had. Only attending on Sundays and then maybe a Bible study is not enough.” He says many don’t know about resources like Bible commentaries or BibleHub.
“The free theology classes are about resourcing and equipping them so we can go on that deep discipleship journey together.”
