Nathan Hilton
As a young man, Nathan was an unlikely candidate for seminary training. But, rescued by Christ from nihilistic philosophy and a lifestyle that coupled substance abuse with purposeless self-denial, Nathan came to us for a training that would allow him to disciple people like himself: people who had been failed by the UK church scene. So why did Nathan choose Westminster?
”All other options I considered were broader, more inclusive. I wanted to be in the safe hands of a unified staff body, all speaking with one voice; to be in little danger of being led astray by someone who has a maverick position. Westminster allowed me to learn my distinctives better than I’d have learned them anywhere else. There are no similar options I know of in the UK.”
“One of the reasons the evangelical church is weak is that our traditions are weak: robust Reformed evangelicalism in England waned and died within the 19th century. Westminster is seeking to build something that will last for several hundred years. A UK seminary that is historic, Reformed and Confessional–pastorally oriented and committed to the ordinary means of grace–is needed in this country for the generations to come.”
“Westminster is seeking to build something that will last for several hundred years.”
Nathan now pastors a church plant in Sunderland. How did his degree help him prepare for this ministry?
“I was taught how to understand a passage, turn it into a sermon and apply it to the congregation–and how to minister to people outside of the pulpit. By God’s grace, I was given the tools to serve my people well. They come because they appreciate the solid preaching of the Word, which they haven’t heard in recent years. They are brought into a congregation that is self-consciously committed to historic orthodoxy. Our churches are both ‘for today’ and ‘committed to the past’–we’re able to learn from people who’ve gone before us.”
