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A Note to Church Leaders
ICY is utterly committed to local church. We insist that all we do is part of local church expression, and all our team and students are accountable to local church leadership. Consequently it is highly unlikely we will be prepared to take anyone on without the approval of their local church leader. We will be asking you for a reference and would ask you to be very candid in your responses. This isn’t a reference for a job or even purely for a course, but for a ministry as part of local church. For this we need to be sure the applicant is both gifted and called. In fact we would want you to be prepared to see the applicant as being sent out by your fellowship to learn and minister.
We do encourage all students to keep in contact with their home church and would encourage you to pray for them. We have deliberately costed the course to make it accessible to all, regardless of financial means. However if your fellowship can offer some financial support to your student, then it may also enable him/her to participate in short study and ministry tours with other ICY partners in the Middle East and Africa.
Finally as we’ve already said we are available to answer any questions you may have, or to serve you in any way we can. It may even be we could place a student with you to replace the one you’re blessing others with! If we can help we will.
A Note to Parents
ICY Executive Directors, Colin and Melissa have just been through the exercise of watching their teen starting College this year! So they do understand something of the angst most parents go through at this stage of their child’s education. We recognise you will have many questions, particularly if you don’t necessarily share your child’s faith, and as we have said would encourage you to contact us directly if this would help, and not just during the application process. We aim to stand with you behind your child to see him or her prosper.
We also recognise that for many students this will be the first time that they have left home, and some will be going a long long way away. We do insist every student gets time off to go home, and make this increasingly flexible the further someone has to travel. We also encourage you to visit your child’s placement if you can. We will provide the very best support we possibly can for your child while away. This normally means living with a Christian family, being part of a good local church with full line management, pastoral back up and personal mentoring, having a local supervisor and study assistant, and being part of a peer team, and a wider regional team. Even then though it’s not foolproof so we do need to know when its not working, but we hope we can together
1. What denomination is ICY and its partners?
ICY is not a church nor is it affiliated to any one denomination. It is evangelical, and seeks to serve all churches who love Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and the way to knowing the Father, who believe the Bible is the Word of God and are seeking a fullness of the Holy Spirit to become more Christ-like and fruitful, to serve Him with gifts of the Spirit, and to worship Him in truth. We also very much believe in the church as the body of Christ and ICY exists to serve and resource local church to fulfil its commission and reach out to its local community.
What is ICY’s Doctrinal Statement?
ICY holds to the Evangelical alliance Statement of faith which states:
Yes! We need to offer set hours of lectures for each module and need to fulfil requirements for individual tutoring and mentoring. The way we do this though is by offering intensive conferences and weekly meetings for lectures and placement tutors where you live and work. It is unashamedly hard work, but it does mean that you not only get a Bachelors or Masters after three years study like most college courses, but you also gain invaluable experience as you go along. Learning on the job is an excellent way to understand and apply what you are being taught, and equally significantly you will be bearing fruit for the kingdom in contexts where otherwise there probably simply wouldn’t be the resources to reach out to young people.
3. What is the difference between ICY and a Bible College?
Officially our courses are classified “extension” courses. This means they are not taught in house or on campus but on the field. This way of learning will suit some but not others. For some, there is a real need and call to step aside for a while to learn and hear from God. This is thoroughly Biblical, as seen in the life of Paul for instance. ICY doesn’t offer this space in the same way a Bible College can. ICY offers a different opportunity which allows you to study and gain a Biblical qualification but in the context of ministry.
4. What sort of people do these courses?
If you are caught between wanting to go into ministry and study and get a qualification, then these courses probably suit you. The sort of people we are looking for are those who have a heart for the Lord and for young people, who have a passion for youth ministry and sense a call into longer term Christian ministry of some description, who are teachable, enjoy working as part of a team, are flexible, servant-hearted and not afraid of hard work!
The accredited courses are run by Together in Mission who provides the lecturers for each conference. There are strict criteria for the eligibility of lecturers and we also ask you to evaluate them for future reference! More details of Together in Mission can be found on the Undergraduate and postgraduate course pages.
The unaccredited courses are lectured by the ministry leaders, ICY core team and invited guests. They tend to be those speaking in the evening inspirational sessions for instance and consequently are of a pretty high standard. These lectures give you the chance to develop themes raised in the evening in more depth and a more informal and conversational style. You can also request lecture themes which you think will particularly benefit your ministry.
6. What sort of classes would I take and how often would I take them?
The undergraduate and postgraduate programs are taught on the regional residential conferences, which happen for seven or eight weeks a year, and are fairly intensive. The day begins with devotions at 8.30am and then lectures begin at 9.30am until 1pm and then resume after lunch at 2pm until 5.30pm. After dinner there are a range of activities including worship and inspirational input, prayer for the work aroud the world, or else something purely recreational. These conferences sound busy and they are, but they are also great opportunities to receive spiritual input, get to know what others are doing around the world, and have a break from what you are doing. For many they are an absolute lifeline.
We aim to keep the classes small. This means we like between 12-20 students in a group. The dynamic then allows for more interaction.
In addition of course are your weekly cluster groups where your personal tutorial and mentoring will take place. Here too you will have the opportunity to discuss what you're learning with others on your course. There are also opportunities to participate in conferences in other regions, and of particular interest could be the conferences held at Bethlehem Bible College. You will need to cover your costs for these, but they will offer you an unrivalled opportunity of learning in a variety of contexts and cultures.
Links to the course curriculums can be found on the undergraduate and postgraduate pages.
The unaccredited course offers the opportunity to join in some of the formal lectures but also has other input of its own, which is tailored to suit the needs of those on the conferences and also allows us to learn from special guests with particularl areas of expertise as they join us on the conferences.
7. Does each location [US, UK or Australia] have a different ministry focus?
Yes, they do. In the UK for instance there are tremendous opportunities to take Religious education lessons, Assemblies and lunch time groups in schools, and most of the works would focus on these. In the US, our partner Pure For God have a number of special focuses including as their name suggests a strong and radical discipleship element, but also opportunities to get involved in mission trips to the UK and beyond. Everything in Australia is unique, but a particularly exciting opportunity will be to engage in outback youth ministry where there would have been practically no youth ministry previously.
8. What specific costs do the church usually cover?
The church is responsible for your board and lodging, your work expenses such as travel around your area, and to and from clusters and conferences, a weekly allowance of about $70 for your spending money, and most of any tuition costs. You still need to find the balance of any tuition costs which is $3000 for the undergraduate or postgraduate courses. (You can if you wish ask the church to pay this out of your weekly allowance). This tuition fee by the way covers all your books so you shouldn't have any substantial study costs beyond the usual paper, pens etc. You will though need to cover your travel costs, including visas, to and from home to your placement and any health and travel insurance costs.
9. Is there a small break in there for a holiday or trip home to visit family?
We ask your church, ICY partner work and the trainers to sign an agreement with you. In this agreement, there is provision for five weeks holiday, five weeks mission opportunities and of course the conferences, clusters etc. So you should get at least five weeks to see family each year. However in addition there are the public holidays of the country you are visiting and what we call time off in lieu. This means for instance if you are working two weeks solid on a camp, you are entitled to some extra time off for the additional hours you've worked. So for instance a typical year might look like this. You start in September, do a mission trip for two weeks in early November, and then leave for home for 2.5 weeks over Christmas. In the spring you might visit another worker for a week to see how they do things, and have another week off over Easter. Come the summer, you may do some young people's camps and be entitled to another week and an half off in lieu. This means after all the camps and before you get into another full year, you have three weeks left to go home, catch up with family and friends and relax!
Having said all that, we find churches are very pastoral and caring particularly of those who've travelled a long way, and normally encourage a bit extra time over Christmas and in the summer. Then again the really clever ones, work it out so they do a mission trip with their kids back to their home ,and not only get to go home, but get their travel paid and have it all called ministry!
10. Can you change locations once the program has begun?
Yes, you can, although normally folk don't want to because they are only just getting to know the young people with whom they are working and only just beginning to feel they are making a difference. However if the placement isn't working out, a move is essential, and if you sense you've got about as far as you can go in that placement and need an extra challenge to be stretched and learn some more, then a change again can be a very good thing. We normally recommend you stay two years in a place but then maybe move on in the third, particularly if having done an undergrad course you are sensing you might want to stay on for a post grad course.
11. Could I end up in a church I’m not used to?
Yes, but only if you agree to it! The choice of church is between you and the church. In other words you must like them and they must like you. You will not be forced to go anywhere you don’t want to go. Sometimes it is good for those who have just had one expression of church all their lives to gain a broader experience. Other times, you may feel you have had enough changes just now and want to have the security of what you know and appreciate. The call is yours.
12. What if it doesn’t work out for me in my church placement?
We like folk to keep at it for at least 3 months. Then we do a thorough review, which gives both you and the church a chance to say if you think it isn’t working. If there really is nothing which can reasonably be done to change things, then we do offer you or the church a chance to change. Obviously we then need to find a new placement for you, and can’t guarantee that we will be able to do so if there simply isn’t one available, which is why it is so important to get things right in the first place. But you won’t be made to stay somewhere in which you’re not happy.
13. Can I pull out of a course and continue in the ministry, or else change a course without changing placement?
Yes, for instance you may choose to switch between an accredited course and unaccredited or vice versa. We do though encourage you to give a course a good amount of time before changing! As long as the placement agrees though, there is no reason why you shouldn’t stay on there.
14. What sort of living set up do the churches usually provide?
It very much depends upon you. Younger students we prefer to place in church families, obviously married students or those with young families we prefer to find independent acommodation for. Then again older students we like to find shared accomodation, if possible with other students or at least Christians of a similar age. If you are in a church family's home you will live as part of the family, with meals cooked for you, (although the good cooks, we always encourage to serve their host family whenever they can!). If you are in your own accomodation you will be given a food budget for the month. Ultimately though much depends upon local conditions. For instance in a student city, there will bep lenty of student houses you can be placed in. In a more rural setting homes are probably bigger and you may find yourself in an annex. We do though take a lot of care over accomodation because we have found this to be essential to your well being and fruitfulness in both ministry and study.
15. Will I have the opportunity to try out my own ministries or will I be required to stick with a specific one?
This is a very big one for us. We want as far as possible for everyone to be stretched in their individual gifting. Part of the profile we send to churches therefore includes a section on your gifts, and hopes and dreams. We then seek to find a church who can either give you opportunities in these areas or at least space to develop these gifts and aspirations outside of your primary ministry context. So for instance if you are into music or drama, sport or web design, we would hope we would be able to give you opportunities to use these gifts both in your local church and across the wider ICY family. Part of our review process is to check that where these things have been agreed, they are in fact being worked out.
You almost certainly will! Nearly everyone does. You should have a line manager, church pastoral support, personal mentor, Area Coordinator, Peer prayer supporter, ICY partner work leader and ultimately the ICY core team to care for you and support you through it. However you’ll also find phone cards make calls very cheap now, and we have all sorts of ways of helping you through the hard times. Remember everyone is going through the same thing together, so you should be able to understand each other and help one another through.
17. What happens when I’ve finished my course?
Anything! A lot of people stay on in their roles full time, others move on to other youth work roles, often still linked to ICY. Some go on to do another course, others return home, and sometimes set up their own hub of students, (which is how ICY has grown so quickly!). A number get married, although we hope that’s not why they came!
That all depends upon where you’ve come from, where you’re going and what you’re doing there! Europeans in Europe, Americans in North America and Aussies down under need not worry of course. Otherwise those on accredited courses will get student visas and those on unaccredited courses will tend to get missionary visas.
This is a European thing, which allows us to send Europeans from one European country to another with funding coming from something called European Voluntary Service. It enables us to send Brits to mainland Europe for instance and other Europeans to the UK. It works for 18-25 year olds and is a real help particularly where the church is weak and under resourced in Europe.
20. What sort of person will be overseeing me in my ministry?
Ultimately you are seconded by ICY to a church or ministry so we are responsible for your supervision! However in practice this means entrusting you to the care of a national or regional ministry such as Pure For God in the US or maybe MNet in the UK, or a European Evangelical Alliance partner in wider Europe. They will oversee your training, conferences and make sure everything is in place for you to have the most fulfilling and productive study and ministry time. Part of their responsibility is to ensure you then have local supervision. This will include a local Area Coordinator who will be responsible for bringing all of you from across a locality together on a weekly basis, and for mentoring and supervising you through your study.
Here's what we ask of those interested in being a supervisor: "You will need to be an experienced youth minister, with a mission focus, pastoral heart, administrative gifting, and teaching ability". That does tend to narrow down the field of those interested a bit! The local supervisor is likely to be assisted by a team of local church youth ministers and it is likely you will spend most of your time with one of these! Again we seek the same qualities in these local church supervisors. Basically their role is to ensure that you at the most formative stage in your study and ministry receive the very best opportunity to learn and be stretched safely.
21. Why are the study aspects of the courses not specifically youth work orientated?
To be honest, we have found the best way to learn practicalities of youth ministry is by doing it! The aspects of ministry which have to be taught in a classroom tend to be the more foundational elements such as the Bible, Theology, Characteristics of Leadership etc. Also we have found that the most important aspect of a course is that it is inspiring and missiologically focused. If you leave a lecture inspired to apply what you've learned, it will impact your day to day ministry.
Our training partner, Together in Mission, are utterly inspirational in this regard, and we simply haven't found better courses. Thirdly we hope to equip you for a lifetime of ministry. We recognise that most people won't be in youth ministry for ever, and we don't have a problem with that. In fact the more advocates we have for youth ministry in church leadership, on the mission field, or in secular employment come to that, the better. Finally we do have study aspects which are youth work orientated. It is just that they aren't core to the accredited elements of the courses. We have found that we teach youth ministry best by responding to opportunities and needs which is why we tailor our youth ministry teaching around what folk are asking us and who with particular specialisms we have available to teach at the time. We can only do this, if the course gives us the flexibility to do so.
22. What sort of roles would the qualifications equip me for?
We hope many of you will go into youth ministry full time, but we hope you will do so, with a radical missiological mind set, able to think outside of the box, and prepared to step out in faith. in fact we hope some of you will stay on within ICY to take on a team and join with us in serving the church reach the world for Christ. We pray daily some of you will be called to the mission field, and believe the experience and training will set you up perfectly for this. In time you may want to move into church leadership and both accredited qualifications, but in particular the Masters is tailored for those interested in leadership and church planting. Having said all that, "full time" ministry includes raising kids, working as a shop assistant, teacher or whatever, and we want you to be equipped for a lifetime of service whatever that looks like. Ultimately its who you become as you study with us rather than what you learn which counts. We want you to get a qualification but more than that, we want you to become more like Christ. This is what you really need to live life to the full for Him.
23. What does my tuition fee go towards?
Your fee goes straight to the Training provider and covers all your study costs such as lectures, all your books, and the marking of your assignments and ultimately your graduation.
24. Why do some churches offer more weekly allowance than others?
We set a guideline allowance, and ask everyone to give all they can. Some, particularly in Europe, simply can't afford this guide, and in these cases can only offer what they can give. We are careful to ensure that they aren't just being mean! But if they are being sacrificial and that genuinely is all they can afford, we want to offer the opportunity to those who may have supporting home churches who can serve not only their student but also a smaller church around the world. This way everyone gets blessed.
25. Can I do one of these courses in my home church?
If at all possible yes. Our only concern is that if there is no one near at hand to you, will you get the support, and feel a part of the network which is an essential element of what we are about. This isn't a correspondence or traditional distance course. It is a dynamic relationship which demands interaction. Having said that we would want to do all we can to make things work for you, and the best thing you can do is contact Colin and ask, colin@icy.org.uk. Who knows you may end up starting a brand new network and impact the young people of your community with the love of Christ in an amazing new way. Not a bad way to get a Bachelors or Masters!
26. Why would I want to consider an unaccredited course?
If you aren't interested in a qualification because either you have one, or just don't want one, and are more interested in mission and gaining an experience of the mission field, then this could be for you. Not being bound by the accredited elements of a course and the time input of assignments will free you up to spend time with your supervisor looking at subjects and issues you may consider more relevant to you. Also you pay nothing at all for this course, which means you save about $3000 which is probably enough to send you on two missions a year, which over the course of three years means you could gain experience on every continent of the world. Finally there may be places, particularly in Europe where we simply aren't equipped to offer the tutoring necessary for an accredited course, but it could be where God is calling you.
27. What if I want to study in Africa?
At present we aren't equipped to tutor you in the Bachelors or Masters in Africa. We can offer some unaccredited opportunities particularly through our partners, Africa Inland Mission in Tanzania, and this will be particularly relevant to those interested in cross cultural youth ministry in Africa long term. We do hope we can develop a hub out in Africa in years to come, but quality control is a problem for us.
28. How can my home church support me?
ICY is about partnerships and if you join us, we would like to extend that partnership beyond you to your church, family and friends. We see our partnership with all those close to you as a vital part of the way we can ensure that you can the very best out of your time with us. We would want to encourage your church to see you as a missionary as much as a student, an emerging leader whom God has given them to nurture and prepare for works of service. We would encourage them to pray for you, wherever possible give to you in order to allow you to participate in mission trips and have the fullest experience, and generally keep in contact in order to support you. For your part, you will need to keep everyone back home updated very regularly, and help them feel a part of what you're doing. We do have a pack which explains the opportunity to your church and you can download a note specifically for pastors, parents and friends here
29. Can I do a course if I’m married?
Yes, but the opportunities are more limited. Basically we need to ensure the church can offer you the right level of support including appropriate accommodation and allowances. Every year we can place a few married couples, especially if the couple are both participating in the courses on offer. It becomes increasingly difficult if you have kids, but even then, opportunities do come up, so don't give up, just be realistic.
30. Can I do a course if English isn’t my first language?
Yes, but your English does need to be really really good. Ultimately we only take people onto courses if we think they will graduate. If English isn't your first language then normally we would advice you to do a year unaccredited first, get the feel of things and then swap over to accredited if you are coping. Of course there are those whose English is better than your average Brit! Then you can join us and help the rest of us with our grammar!
31. Why can’t you process applications from some countries?
Sadly we get hundreds of applications from Nigeria, Ghana, India and elsewhere every year. Some are fraudulent but we know many are from true believers with a heart after God. However we simply don't have the resources in the developing world to distinguish between applicants and process applications. Instead we have chosen to invest our resources into partners in Africa and elsewhere who can develop training programs in their own countries. To be honest we have found these more cost effective, and more relevant to national Christians. We can train 50 in their own country compared with one taken out. What's more our experience of taking folk out of their countries hasn't been a positive one. Some have been influenced very badly by the materialism of the west. For others cross cultural relationships have been a major stress point. Its worked for a few but only a very few.
32. If I hold a particular view of Christian Leadership, will I find a placement in which I feel comfortable?
We take care to place you in churches in which you feel most comfortable and ultimately the choice of placement is in any case your own. This means that if you have particular views about Christian leadership, we would make sure you were in a context which respected that, and fitted your understanding of Biblical truth. Having said that, you would be part of a wider team of evangelicals who undoubtedly will think differently on this and other issues and we therefore require everyone is exercise very real grace in accepting and prefering one another as we unite in proclaiming a Christ-centred gospel.
33. What is the payment process for the accredited program; dates, methods, etc.?
We will need your payment the week before you start your course because we pass it all on to the training provider. You should though be able to pay by cheque in your own currency or local currency whichever is easier for you. By the way as this money is passed straight on to the training provider, we are afraid it is non refundable if you should subsequently pull out of the course. If you don't have the money, then we can either ask your placement church to pay the money instead of your pocket money, (although this of course can only delay a possible crisis, so we are a little cautious about doing this for the whole sum), or else you can start on the unaccredited course and perhaps transfer when you have the funds.
34. What grants, loans and other possible sources of income might be available to help pay my fees?
In Australia, Australians can take out student loans. Unfortunately Brits and Americans aren't so lucky! We do find most grant issuing bodies are overwhelmed with applications and few yield fruit. The best support tends to come from those who know you personally. We can provide you with a pack which includes letters from us to church, friends and organisations local to you who might be able to help support you. We encourage you in any case to keep in regular contact with supporters, not just for finance but prayer.
35. I'm taking classes at the moment, are there any classes that transfer? If not, are there classes I could take here that would aid me in my experience with ICY?
Potentially most courses can be cross accredited. In reality we have found it very hard to produce the evidence which allows for this to happen. Having said that, it is worth a go, and we do submit evidence to Birmingham Christian College for review for cross-accrediting purposes. We are also very interested in courses which share a value base and emphasis with our own in order to build partnerships, so it is always worth telling us what you are doing, and seeing if links can be formed. As far as preparation goes, the best recommendation we can give you is to read your Bible cover to cover. We will be inspiring you to love scripture, and see it as the most powerful tool in ministry. Get to know it, let God speak to you through it, and see how He can change you as a consequence.
36. What sort of contact would I have with ICY leaders and students?
There must be a lot because ICY is a team focused ministry. We will only place you where you have at least weekly contact with a supervisor/mentor and hopefully this should be much more than that. Of course you should also be a part of a local team for mutual encouragement, and you will find your weekly cluster meeting will be an oasis for you. Those doing the post graduate course may have a more challenging and pioneering role, but even then you must have access to a local supervisor/mentor. The best times though are the conferences which bring everyone together. These are times when we all come together as one, senior leaders, first year trainees, to worship, have fellowship, dream and hopefully inspire and serve one another. We come together from all over the world, and have a ball!
37. Would I work with other ICY students in my church setting?
Yes, you should at least have others locally in your community to work with, but hopefully in your church too. Ultimately you can choose where you are placed, which means that if you particularly want to be part of a team which meets daily and works closely as team you can. If you want a little more space to be stretched or even lead a team, then there will be opportunities for this too. You will not though be placed anywhere you don't want to go, or on a level of team with which you aren't comfortable.
38. How are my ICY or church leaders expected to challenge my faith?
What a great question! ICY is a group of people and ministries bound together not by structure, but by vision, values and virtues. We would want therefore not just to equip you in sharpening your gifting, but to inspire you to step out in faith to apply those gifts to pioneering and stretching visionary contexts. More important though to us is not just what you do, but how you do it. You should work with values of integrity, humility, love and grace. And even more important than how you do your work is who you become as you do it. In other words, vision or what you do is important, values or how you do it is really important, but most important of all is who you are or your virtues. We say this because ultimately it isn't what you do which pleases your Father. This is just an expression or outworking of what really counts. What matters to Him is your love: what lies at the heart of you. What we hope to challenge you with, simply put, is a love for Christ, which radically changes who you are, and how you then impact the world.
39. What about books and background reading for the accredited courses?
You will be given all the books you will need to read for the course, in the form of handbooks. There will be a lot of them, but the good news is they are yours to keep and the even better news is that the cost of them comes out of the course fees you would have paid. this means you don't need to buy additional books!
40. How is the Bachelors assessed?
You will be assessed on assignments set as part of the seven modules you will be taught each year, but in addition your practical ministry is equivalent to four more modules and you will be asked to keep a journal which will be reviewed as a twelfth module. In total therefore over three years you will have to pass the equivalent of 36 modules, 21 by assignment, and the rest through assessment of your ministry and journal.
