Shake-up in training for the ministry

This autumn sees the beginning of a new term for students of all ages:  children, undergraduates, people going into post-graduate study and, of course, ordinands and licensed lay ministers getting stuck into their new year of ministry training. Keith Lamdin, director of Stewardship, Training, Evangelism and Ministry in the diocese of Oxford, looks at some of the changes ahead for theological education.

Changes in Selection Category
From this Autumn people testing their vocation with Vocations Advisers and DDOs with the Bishop and with a National Selection Conference are facing some changes. Until now the selection categories have all been in a number of areas: vocation, ministry within the Church of England , spirituality, personality and character,  relationships, leadership and collaboration. To these six areas another has been added, Mission and Evangelism. All candidates for testing their vocation will need to persuade their selectors that they can ‘demonstrate a passion for mission that is reflected in thought and action’.

Stipendiary or Non-Stipendiary?
The House of Bishops have agreed that these ways of understanding ministry vocation should come to an end. In the old days, most clergy were in their late 20s and 30s when they were ordained.  Part-time and volunteer ordained ministry has been introduced over the years with a number of changes in our understanding of priestly ministry. The average age now of those being ordained as a deacon is late 40s.  Before, if you wished to change from being a volunteer (non-stipendiary) to stipendiary you had to get permission of the National Church. Now whether you are full-time or part-time paid or volunteer will be resolved in the Diocese with your Bishop according to your gifting, availability, personal circumstances and the availability of posts.

OMC at Ripon College
The separation of St Albans Diocese from the Oxford Diocese with St Albans going to join the Eastern Region has meant that the St Albans and Oxford Ministry course has had to separate out into two parts: one part going east to the East Anglia Ministerial Training Course, and the Oxford part set to merge with Ripon College, Cuddesdon. The course is reverting to its original name of the Oxford Ministry Course and will continue to run its present course in very much the same way, physically located at Ripon College, Cuddesdon for its weekly teaching and its weekends and organisationally woven into Ripon College, Cuddesdon so that there can be some sharing of teachers. There may also be some financial savings through the merger of administrative systems and better use of the Ripon College facilities. All this has been done in consultation with the other colleges in Oxford, so that in the spirit of HIND report into theological education, we can release the teaching resource from St Stephen’s House and Wycliffe Hall as well.