Annual Seminar for Advanced Technical Skills in Biblical Studies

The Need

At Tyndale House, we believe that expertise in biblical texts and languages is foundational to developing good, faithful scholarship. Despite popular perception, such expertise is not marginal to understanding and contextualising Scripture. It is crucial to lead scholars deeply into the text so that we can bring its message faithfully to our churches.

In recent years, we have seen God increase the number of believers worldwide, but the global Church is under-resourced with teachers equipped with the technical skills to engage the biblical texts in-depth. Tyndale House is launching a programme to support local scholars with annual two-week intensive seminars in Africa to address this need.

An Investment in Biblical Scholarship in Africa

In September 2025, we will hold our pilot Annual Seminar for Advanced Technical Skills in Biblical Studies in Karen, Kenya, to serve the worldwide Church in developing local experts in the Scripture’s texts and encouraging biblical scholarship.

As the programme title implies, this will be an annual event. By committing to a multi-year programme, we will engage participants beyond the two weeks of the pilot seminar and build on technical skills taught in previous symposia. We hope that the cumulative effect of this investment will enable participants to produce work at the highest levels of scholarship.

We will consider the Annual Seminar successful if we see our alumni serving the local Church and applying knowledge of the biblical languages in preaching and teaching.

Tyndale House and the International Scholars Programme

Tyndale House, Cambridge, is an international research centre specialising in the Bible’s languages, history and cultural context.

Through our specialist biblical studies library and residential accommodation, we bring together outstanding Christian researchers from around the world to promote biblical understanding in the Church and beyond.

For over twenty years, Tyndale House has supported evangelical biblical scholars from across the globe to teach at a high level and resource their home contexts through its International Scholars Programme. This support has typically been through funding the stay of global scholars at Tyndale House to further their research or sponsoring events such as Language Intensives on-site at Tyndale House. The Annual Seminar for Advanced Technical Skills in Biblical Studies will be a new addition to our programmes, where Tyndale House will host training off-site and in locations more accessible to local scholars.

Programme Overview

This Annual Seminar for Advanced Technical Skills in Biblical Studies will recruit fourteen scholars to participate in a 2-week residential workshop on issues relating to the text and language of the Greek New Testament with special emphasis on manuscripts and grammar.

The seminar will consist of two intense weeks (Monday through Friday) of studying together. A typical day will include a combination of lectures, group work, and individual study.

Each subsequent seminar will be topical, concentrating on either the Old or New Testament (Greek or Hebrew) with various studies in grammar, historical context and sources, lexicology, and translation. Special attention will be given to how to serve the Church and its pastors best with our scholarship.

Around four months after the seminar, we will follow up with the participants to check on their continuing progress. Each scholar is encouraged to apply to return for the next workshop.

Participant Profile

Those invited to participate in the Annual Seminar should have an adequate working ability in Hebrew and Greek, combined with an intimate knowledge of Scripture. Generally, candidates will have at least a BA and be working on Master’s and PhD levels or above. However, those who can demonstrate these abilities without having the equivalent formal qualifications will be considered.

Please note that candidates for this programme must know New Testament Greek to at least an intermediate level. (This would be roughly equivalent to two years of study.) All candidates who advance to the interview round will complete language assessments in New Testament Greek and Biblical Hebrew.

Apart from academic suitability, participants will need strong recommendations from their local church on their character and leadership and demonstrate their commitment to and trust in Scripture by having good Bible knowledge.

Teacher Profile

Primary Tutor: Dirk Jongkind

Funding

The International Scholars Programme at Tyndale House will fund all participants’ accommodation, meals, materials, and tuition costs. Please note that this funding covers the participant only and does not cover family members or dependents. Travel and visa costs are not covered, but applicants are invited to apply for travel bursaries if those costs prove prohibitive.

Dates

Classes will begin on Monday, 8 September 2025, and participants should plan to arrive on Sunday, 7 September. The 14^th and 15^th of September (Saturday and Sunday) will be free days without classes. We will have our final classes on Friday, 19 September 2025.

Location

The Annual Seminar will be held at the Scripture Mission Conference Centre in Karen, Kenya.

Karen is a suburb of Nairobi, lying south-west of Nairobi’s central business district. The suburb of Karen borders the Ngong Forest and the Nairobi National Park and is a 35-minute journey (23 km or 14.2 miles) from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Application Deadlines

The Annual Seminar for Advanced Technical Skills in Biblical Studies selection committee wishes to inform all interested parties that the application window for the 2025 seminar has officially closed. We are no longer accepting or considering new applications for the upcoming seminar cycle. All applications received by the deadline have been recorded and are currently in the review process.

We have received a significant number of qualified applications. We appreciate the interest shown by all applicants and thank them for their time and effort in preparing their materials.

Next Steps for Current Applicants

All individuals who submitted complete applications before the closing deadline will receive communication regarding the status of their application by 2 May 2025. Those whose applications pass the first round of the review process will be invited to an online interview between 5 May 2025 and 6 June 2025. On 16 June 2025, we will send out acceptance notices to our 2025 cohort.

Future Opportunities

For those who missed the application deadline for the 2025 seminar, we encourage you to consider applying for the 2026 programme. Information regarding next year’s application process, including deadlines and requirements, will be announced in the autumn of 2025. Prospective applicants are encouraged to subscribe to our newsletter or regularly check our website for updates.

Contact Information

If you have submitted an application and have questions regarding your submission status, please contact us at scholars@tyndalehouse.com. Please note that we cannot accept new applications or supplementary materials for applications submitted after the deadline.