Discipleship & Ministry Training
The work of the Department can be summarised under three categories:
Resourcing Parish Mission and Ministry
We work with parishes so that the local churches can be the outward-looking, welcoming and distinctive congregations that God calls us to be, and we hope to resource church members in their ongoing call to be disciples of Jesus. This includes helping ministers and congregations look at their ministry and mission in their parish context. It also includes helping people work out what God may be calling them to do in the future.
Formal Training for Ministry (Initial Ministerial Education – IME)
We have a particular responsibility for supporting clergy and Readers in their initial training, both before they are licensed or ordained and in the years immediately afterwards. The first part of the training is now done regionally on the Learning for Mission and Ministry Course. Curate training is organised within the diocese, working to nationally recognised criteria.
Continuing Ministerial Education and Development (CME/D)
We work with others to provide ongoing training for clergy and other ministers, both to individuals, and through diocesan events. Particular times of significant change are supported with regular provision of training, e.g. becoming a vicar, moving to a new post, being a Team Rector, etc.
A number of key themes undergird all the work of the Department:
Collaboration: Ministry is the work of the whole people of God, and God’s Spirit is ahead of us and already at work. We seek to work together within the Department, as well as with colleagues in Church House and in the parishes and diocese. We aim to help train others who will themselves work collaboratively and expansively in their ministry settings.
Mission: The gospel is good news which is entrusted to us to pass on, to others and to succeeding generations. The context in which we live changes, and the diocese itself is a very varied and fast-changing context. Churches and Christians bear witness to the gospel in how they live and how they speak of their faith. There are no easy answers either for individuals or for communities. While it may be easy to say what is wrong, it is harder to do what is right and good, and there are always new challenges.
Incarnation: Incarnation is the word that reminds us that Jesus – Son of God – lived on this earth with an earthly family, flesh and blood, human like we are, in a real and difficult world. We are called to live in the contexts where God has put us, working for their good, sharing with those around us. Incarnational mission is not done with a loud-hailer or by dropping leaflets, but happens as we share our lives with others. This world is God’s world where he has lived, and where he has put us.
