Foundations for Ministry

Due to an overwhelming demand for places, the Foundations for Ministry course starting in September 2009 is now full. Any further applications received will be placed on a waiting list for a place on the course in September 2010.

Foundations for Ministry is a new part-time lay training course run by the diocese to help you find and grow in the ministry to which God is calling you. It is suitable for anyone who wants to serve God in the church and in the world.

The course was developed in the Diocese of Chester and has been run there successfully for many years.

People may go on Foundations for Ministry to explore many different kinds of Christian ministry:

 

 

 

 

  • serving God where they are at work, in the family, in the community
  • roles within the church (children’s work, youth work, music ministry, churchwardens, PCC members, pastoral work, administrative work and more)
  • ordained ministry
  • licensed lay ministry (Readers, Church Army).

Download Foundations for Ministry leaflet

What does the course cover?

The course will look at the following areas:

  • God’s kingdom and what it means to be the church
  • How we apply our faith to life
  • What ministry is and how we can find and develop our own ministry
  • What are our own gifts and skills and how we can use them with others
  • How the Bible, prayer and working with others can support our ministry
  • Ways of working together that can enrich the ministry of the whole church
  • How small groups work
  • The challenge of mission and how we can share our faith as churches and as individuals.

As well as the main course content, what many people learn the most from on the course is each other. Foundations is designed as a course where people from different parishes can meet together to learn from and encourage each other.

How much work is involved?

The course consists of 24 Wednesday evening sessions (6.45-9.00pm) from September 2009 to June 2010. There is also an induction day and two Saturday study days. All sessions are held at Church House, Manchester.

The evenings usually include worship and a lively presentation on a topic followed by small group time. This involves discussion, reflection, practical exercises, personal sharing and prayer. Each group is led by an experienced leader and participation is encouraged.

Participants will need to do about an hour of ‘linkwork’ between sessions, which feeds into the group discussion. There are no essays or assessed work.

Who can apply?

The course is open to anyone who wants to grow and develop in Christian ministry. It is not a basics course, so we expect participants to have some background in Christian life and thinking. Applicants will already be involved in serving God through the church and in their lives.

If you are interested in applying, please discuss it first with your church leader and gain their backing before applying.

How to apply

The course costs £60. You need to apply with payment by 31 July 2009. There are 20 free places, one applicant per parish. Laity Development grants are also available to help meet the cost of the course.

Download an application for here.

Stories from people who did the course in Chester

Over the past 12 years, over 600 people have done the Foundations for Ministry course in Chester Diocese. People can sometimes be put off doing courses like this for fear it might be “too academic” for them – but Foundations is very much a practical course in Christian ministry and encouragement.

Here’s what some people who’ve done the course recently said about it.

Norman Miller from Runcorn:

I didn’t believe I could do the Foundations course, but with encouragement from my wife, family, friends, members of my congregation and Foundations course friends I was able to. I have gone on to further study, to the glory of God.

Anne Smith from Holmes Chapel:

This course was a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience in the company of a diverse group of committed Christians. The taught sessions were engaging and delivered with good humour. The group sessions developed into friendship groups. The atmosphere was affirming and positive and made learning together fun! Gifts and calling were examined and for some of us this confirmed a sense of vocation and has led to further training. For all of us the experience was enriching and enabling, confirming our faith and developing a desire to serve our local faith communities.