Grow at Rising Lights

One of the great things about stepping into a different Christian context is the opportunity to lift our horizons and hear from other evangelical voices.

Rising Lights is a brilliant way to do that.

As well as great Bible teaching - as Paul Mallard opens up the book of Philippians in our morning gatherings – there are lots of other helpful tracks and seminars to help us in our discipleship.

None of this is designed to replace the local church, but it is a chance to engage with thousands of other Christians and learn from one another.

The teaching tracks at Rising Lights are designed to help us to grow. They have three main aims: to engage our heads, our hearts, and our hands. All so that we can return to our churches equipped for the next season of discipleship and ministry.

Of course, these distinctions are not mutually exclusive, and each track will contain all of the attributes at some level, but they are helpful categories that ensure a good balance across our teaching programme.

Which track will you choose?

Getting you to think

Rising Lights is an opportunity to press pause on the busyness of life and to engage our heads into deeper areas of theology and Christian thought. These tracks are designed to get us thinking - perhaps more deeply than we are used to.

Andy Robinson – from the South Central Ministry Training Course - will be taking us through a Bible overview. He’ll be teaching us how the scriptures fit together and will help us to go deeper in our knowledge of our great God.

Pete Dray – a creative evangelist - will get us thinking about culture. Everything around us is changing at a bewildering rate but, while this presents challenges, Pete will help to prepare us for the opportunities for gospel proclamation that a changing culture presents.

We can also learn from saints who have gone before us. Historian Sharon James - from the Christian Institute - will look at four characters from church history to see what lessons there are for us in 2026.

Helping you to love Jesus more

We all want to love Jesus more. These tracks will engage our hearts and stir our affections for our saviour.

Author and theologian Tim Chester will host a track with that aim. He will help us love Jesus more deeply at the end of Rising Lights than we did at the beginning.

One of the ways we grow to love Jesus more is by engaging in prayer. Rachel Jones from The Good Book Company has written some really accessible books on prayer and will help us think more deeply about the power and pattern of our prayer lives.

Equipping you for Christian life

One of the most difficult things to do in the day-to-day of our Christian lives is to think practically. That’s because we are all engaged in what is in front of us, and we don’t always have time to learn new skills or think through things more creatively.

Three of our tracks are designed for this reason: to offer practical help for our Christian walk.

Evangelist Glen Scrivener will host a track on personal evangelism. His Speak Life ministry is designed to help Christians engage with those who don’t yet know Christ as Lord and Saviour. He will help us think about how we can reach our friends and neighbours with the gospel.

2025 has seen some devastating parliamentary votes around the beginning and end of life. James Mildred from CARE will be with us at Rising Lights to help us think about how we engage on life issues well from a Christian perspective.

We’ll also be helping married couples: Steve and Siân Robinson (The Cornerstone Collective) will lead a track to strengthen Christian marriages.

Our prayer for Rising Lights is that you will leave Torquay with your affections stirred for Jesus, thinking more deeply about him, loving him more dearly, and equipped to share the good news about him with those around you.