In relation to Venning's ministry, we have seen that he was zealously committed to the ‘puritan revolution’ during the 1640s and ʾ50s, both through preaching and publication; as well as serving as one of the unpopular Triers and Ejectors. His motivation in this was similarly the promotion of godly preaching and of godliness in general. He has been described with good reason as a ‘man of no faction’ in the sense that he worked alongside colleagues of various viewpoints, and sought to encourage a relatively broad unity through mutual love and acceptance – not mere ‘charitable hatred’. However, his ecclesiological sympathies were clearly allied with the Independents and congregationalism, although he is studiously disinterested in discussions of Church government.

As we have noted, his experience in ministry at the Tower, in Devon, at St Olave's and in dissent all contributed to the shaping of his theology. Moreover, we identified the importance of his education at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in the development of his thought. Of particular importance for Venning, as for other puritans such as John Goodwin, the combination of the studia humanitatis with Aristotle was highly influential. In addition to this, Emmanuel's distinctive, independently minded, Reformed piety contributed to the shaping of his thought on worship. Also amongst these influences was that of Cambridge Platonism in relation to Venning's emphasis upon Reason and religious experience, complementing rather than contradicting his Reformed orthodoxy. It is to the Cambridge Platonists at the College that we can trace his combined emphasis upon reason and emotion in the godly life as well as his view of the value of Classical texts in promoting godliness. Its ethos of attaining happiness through learning and godliness was also highly influential in planting a notion that would become the predominant theme in Venning's theology.

Venning's theology reflects not only his English puritan heritage in Perkins, Greenham and Preston, and European Reformers such as Calvin, Luther and Beza, but also his theological debt to the Schoolmen – especially Aquinas and Kempis. He also supports Miller's assertion of the importance of Augustine in puritan theology.