Training for Ministry 2010

Training

November 2010

Ministers of Word and Sacrament and Church Related Community Workers

for

United Reformed Church

Ministry

Throughout this document the word ‘Minister’ is used to identify those in the Ministry of Word and Sacrament and

Church Related Community Workers (CRCWs)

Training for Ministry 1

page

Introduction 2

1) The Choice of a Resource Centre for Learning for Education for Ministry Phase 1

2) Training for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work

ResourceCentresforLearning

NorthernCollege,Manchester 5

ScottishUnitedReformedand CongregationalCollege,Glasgow 15

WestminsterCollege,Cambridge 19

Contents


1) The Choice of a Resource Centre for Learning for Education for Ministry Phase 1

1.1 The United Reformed Church uses three Resource Centres for Learning to ensure the education and training of student ministers before ordination (or commissioning if they are Church Related Community Workers.

These are Northern College based in Manchester, The Scottish College based in Glasgow and Westminster College based in Cambridge. Northern College continues to have responsibility for the initial training of all Church Related Community Workers.

But for Ministers of Word and Sacraments the choice of which centre is right for which student remains critical. Consideration of the candidate’s vocational needs and circumstances is very important. Becoming a minister is a process of testing God’s call. This is continued through the process of education for ministry, and so preparing for ministry is not just a matter of acquiring relevant qualifications, it also involves practical experience and spiritual growth.

1.2 After acceptance by the Synod’s local interview, and just before attending the Assembly Assessment Conference, candidates are sent this digest of information about the Resource Centres for Learning that the United Reformed Church uses. Before or after the Assessment Conference a candidate may contact or visit any of these institutions.

The United Reformed Church will only finance the training of candidates who have been accepted for training for ministry by the Assembly Assessment Board.

Introduction


1.3 The Education and Learning Panel, which meets at Assessment Conferences, will advise on the choice of training routes and in discussion with the candidate will make the final decision on that training. The minimum requirements to complete training are set out below at 2.

It is important to note that the Panel will ref lect on each candidate and decide what training for them will best contribute towards providing a well-equipped Ministry for the Church whilst also taking the needs of the student into account. To those ends the Panel will have in mind the vocational needs and the circumstances of candidates as well as the distinctive elements of the resource centres.

1.4 In more detail factors to be taken into account would include:

a) The Resource Centre milieu which will best enable the student to develop personally and spiritually.

b) Any family or financial restrictions for the type or location of residence during training.

c) The programme of study most suitable.d) The size and balance of the student body at any

particular time. A subsequent change of Resource Centre at the request of

the candidate shall only be recommended if good reasons can be clearly stated to all concerned. The Education and Learning Committee shall consult with the Assessment Board, the Synod and the Resource Centre concerned.

1.5 The final decision is without prejudice to the admission procedures of the resource centre.

1.6 In the event of the Assessment Board accepting a candidate for training the candidate will be invited to a meeting with the recommended resource centre to decide on the detailed programme of study to be undertaken.


2) Training for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work

In order to obtain the minimum requirement for ordination, candidates are required to undertake:

a) The satisfactory completion of an Introductory Course with a synod tutor including attendance at the ‘Our Church, United Reformed Church Ethos and History’ weekend.

b) A programme of study through one of the Resource Centres for Learning which could be in full- or part-time mode but which ensures that students have reached a minimum of diploma level in theology usually currently known as a Foundation Degree; undertaken the equivalent of an 800 hour supervised and assessed placement; and normally studied for 4 years.

For many of those studying full-time it will include a theological degree at bachelor level. For those over 30 with the necessary academic background and Christian experience a full-time course might be taken in three years. For those with a first degree in theology then work towards a Master’s degree might be possible. Sometimes it is possible for a student to carry work forward from the initial training period and complete it after starting ministry, for example topping up diploma – level study to achieve a bachelor’s degree, or finishing off a dissertation. However this is not always a good idea. The early years of ministry can be fiercely busy, and the United Reformed Church has its own learning programmes (EM2 – see below) for supporting new ministers. Any work that runs on from initial training would need to be discussed carefully with the Education and Learning Committee’s Education for Ministry Officer and with the Training Officer of the receiving synod, for the synod is responsible for the new minister’s programme of learning. It is usually better to fully complete the initial training programme (Education for Ministry Phase1) before starting ministry, and you should plan with this in mind.


c) After ordination/commissioning Ministers will:i) proceed into Education for Ministry Phase 2

following an intentional programme of learning in the context of their first (normally) three years of service; and

ii) undertake appropriate subsequent training as Education for Ministry phase 3 throughout their ministry.

For further information about training for ministry in the United Reformed Church, please contact the Secretary for Education and Learning, The United Reformed Church, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT.

Phone: 020 7916 8635 email: [email protected]


(United Reformed and Congregational), Manchester

If you are preparing for a Ministry of Word and Sacrament or for a ministry in Church Related Community Work within the United Reformed Church, Northern College would be delighted to welcome you to share in our learning community. We offer a range of full-time and part-time study options from which we would seek to tailor your course to best suit your learning needs whilst meeting the requirements of the United Reformed Church.

All our courses are accompanied throughout by a personal programme of church and community placements developed in consultation with you and your synod in settings close to your own home. These practical experience placements run alongside the taught courses all through your time with us, allowing a creative interaction between the theoretical and practical aspects of preparation for ministry.

Northern College


Northern College

(United Reformed and Congregational), Manchester

If you are preparing for a Ministry of Word and Sacrament or for a ministry in Church Related Community Work within the United Reformed Church, Northern College would be delighted to welcome you to share in our learning community. We offer a range of full-time and part-time study options from which we would seek to tailor your course to best suit your learning needs whilst meeting the requirements of the United Reformed Church.

All our courses are accompanied throughout by a personal programme of church and community placements developed in consultation with you and your synod in settings close to your own home. These practical experience placements run alongside the taught courses all through your time with us, allowing a creative interaction between the theoretical and practical aspects of preparation for ministry.


Course assessment is almost entirely by written assignments and class presentations – only classes in biblical languages use traditional examination formats. Wherever possible, course assessment tasks are designed to explore how your developing theological understanding relates to your practical experiences on placement and in life as a whole. The use of art and poetry is encouraged where appropriate.

In addition, all courses have a strong international dimension, with learning from the world church and other world faiths having a significant place in the curriculum. Many of our students spend some time (usually four to six weeks) experiencing church life in a setting outside the UK as part of their programme. Also, our weekday classes in Luther King House regularly include students from a rich variety of cultural and theological backgrounds from across the world church.

Tell me about Northern College

Northern College was formed by the union of a number of historic, independent Congregational colleges. Today, we continue to serve the learning needs of the United Reformed Church and the Congregational Federation. We’re based at Luther King House in the leafy southern suburbs of Manchester yet we’re only a short walk from the fabled ‘curry mile’ restaurant district in Rusholme. In Luther King House we live and work in close co-operation with Northern Baptist College, Hartley Victoria Methodist College, Unitarian College Manchester and Luther King House Open College. Between us, we share a well-stocked theological library and run a range of degree programmes in contextual theology and church-based community work validated by the University of Manchester (post-graduate degrees) and the University of Chester (undergraduate degrees).

Northern College and our in-house partners are also linked through the Southern North West Training Partnership (SNWTP) to the Anglican Dioceses of Manchester, Chester and Liverpool, with whom we have devised and developed the part-time version of the Chester foundation degree


in mission and ministry that we all teach at weekends, weeknights and on-line, with classes in various centres across the region, including Luther King House.

What courses might I take?

FdA – Foundation Degree (in Arts) in MISSION & MINSTRY

For church ministry students without previous university-level qualifications in theology, we offer a University of Chester FdA – Foundation Degree (in Arts) in MISSION and MINISTRY. This is taught in a midweek format by the in-house partners in Luther King House and also in a part-time weekend format (with additional interactive e-learning and phone conference support). It normally takes four years part-time study or two to three years within a full-time URC study programme. The award is made at Higher Education level five (or ‘diploma’ level) and meets the requirements of the United Reformed Church for candidates for ordination.

The Chester FdA course covers the following areas:

• Learning Theologically Together• Encountering and Responding to Christ• Biblical studies• Worship, Preaching and Pastoral Care• Mission• Theologies and Ethical Thinking in Context• Churches in Society• Service and Leadership• Community work practice and development

(for those preparing for a community work ministry)

There is also an option within the full-time version to do an introductory study of Biblical Languages.

BA – Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) in CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY

Full-time church ministry students may wish to continue beyond FdA level to university honours degree level and complete a University of Chester BA – Bachelor of Arts


Degree (with honours) in CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY. This can easily be accommodated within a four year full-time programme. The Chester BA is a new degree that begins offering level three classes in 2010-11.

The Chester BA course includes the following study areas:

• Christian Homiletics• Old Testament Texts• New Testament Texts• Conflict Transformation for Churches• Philosophy, Politics and Ethics• Encountering Islam• Modern Theologies• Theology and Artists• Research Methods• A personal dissertation on a relevant topic

MA – Master of Arts in CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY

For full-time church ministry students who already have a degree in Theology, or achieve good results in the Chester FdA during their first two years of full-time study, it may be possible to progress to study for a University of Manchester MA – Master of Arts Degree in CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY, also taught by the staff team here at Luther King House.

The Manchester MA course offers the following possible study areas:

• The nature, methods and examples of contextual theology

• Worship, hymns and liturgy• Feminist perspectives on church and ministry• Researching issues in urban theology• The Bible in a post-modern context• Chaplaincy• Theology and Artists• Spirituality• Encountering Other Faiths• Theologies of Mission• The Ecumenical Movement• Mission History• Paul’s Gospel in Rome


FdA in MISSION & MINISTRY (community work pathway)

Community work ministry students (intending to be CRCWs), normally follow a specially devised four year full-time pathway with both Theology and Community Work modules. It is possible to qualify with a University of Chester FdA – Foundation Degree (in Arts) in MISSION and MINISTRY (community work pathway) or proceed to a University of Chester BA – Bachelor of Arts Degree (with honours) in CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY (community work pathway). The community work pathway through these degree programmes is recognised as a professional qualification in Community Development Work by the England Standards Board for Community Development Education, as well as being the required qualification for URC Church Related Community Workers. The modules of this pathway are being reviewed and developed during 2010-11 and so up to date information about them should be sought from the Community Development Tutor, Christine Jones – [email protected]

Research Degrees

The ecumenical staff team at Luther King House is also able to supervise students undertaking research for University of Manchester M Phil or Ph D degrees, should that provide you with a helpful and appropriate component of either initial or continuing ministerial education.

What will my time in college look like?

If you are studying full-time

A typical week for a full-time student would involve working for somewhere between 8 and 16 hours a week on church and community placements, normally near your home, and then to come into college on two of the first three working days of the week during teaching terms for classes, tutorials, and shared worship. The Manchester MA classes are on Mondays, along with the level three theology classes for the Chester BA programme. There are shared college courses for everyone on Tuesdays and the Chester FdA (weekday) programme is taught on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The

mailto:[email protected]


Chester degree programmes also involve three or four weeks of block teaching each year where you may be in class for three or four consecutive days.

Students who live more than 25 miles from the college are able to book overnight accommodation in Luther King House in single rooms with en suite facilities. This may be for one or two nights a week depending on class times and the distance from home to college.

Typically, most of your private study will be done in your own home, though there are good facilities for private study in the library at Luther King House for those who prefer to work there and you will need to take some time to gather resources for study from the library when you are present in Manchester (although more and more key resources will be available on-line).

If you are studying part-time

United Reformed Church ordinands studying part-time take the SNWTP version of the Learning for Mission and Ministry course, which leads to the award of a FdA from the University of Chester. The course lasts for four years, and each year is timetabled to involve six residential weekends. In addition there will be an interactive programme of e-learning supported by teleconferences, with a tutor and other e-learners.

You will do much of your work at home, and your course, like that for fulltime students, is centred around placements that will be arranged somewhere in your home area.

You will normally need to be available to come to Luther King House in Manchester for the six designated weekends a year. Those travelling from a distance can arrive in Manchester on Friday evening, but weekend teaching begins at 9am on Saturday and ends at 3.30pm on Sunday. You will also be expected to join a UK-wide e-learning group by accessing a broadband-connected computer from anywhere in Britain and engaging a number of pre-arranged group telephone calls. Some parts of the course might be taught in residential summer schools, but these are normally optional.


What will my time on placement look like?

Church ministry students (both full-time and part-time) normally have three church placements – two one-year placements during their first two years of preparation for ministry and one two-year ‘major’ placement during the final two years of preparation. It is normal for one of the one-year placements to be in an church setting outside the United Reformed Church and for at least one of the placements to contain some elements of chaplaincy as well as church ministry. The major placement is most commonly along side a minister in a United Reformed Church pastorate. The activities and responsibilities experienced during these church placements are individually negotiated between the student, the placement supervisor and the college tutor, to best fit the students learning needs and the opportunities offered by the placement setting. These church placements are expected to average 8 to 12 hours a week for full-time students in their first two years and 12-16 hours a week during their major placement. Part time students are expected to accumulate a minimum of 800 hours on placement during their four years of preparation for ministry. Alongside these church placements, full-time students are asked to develop a related community placement (perhaps in a school, or with a community group or in some community chaplaincy), usually somewhere close to their church placement. This is expected to be for around eight hours a week alongside the first two placements and around four hours a week during the major placement.

Full-time church ministry students are also encouraged to include an overseas placement of a few weeks duration and to spend at least six weeks offering ministry in a vacant URC pastorate – usually during the summer at the end of either their first or second year of preparation for ministry.

Those preparing for a community work ministry (CRCW) will normally have two placements, each of two years duration. For more information, see the paragraph below.


What about Church Related Community Work?

If you are preparing for a Ministry in Church Related Community Work, you will normally be studying full-time, but your course will be organised rather differently from that for full-time church ministry students. You will be based in a substantial community work placement near your home, wherever that may be within England, Scotland or Wales. During your four year course you will normally have two such placements, each lasting for two years. At least one of these will normally be in a church-related context.

Your taught course work each year will be based around five or six blocks of five consecutive study days. Five of these blocks will include attending the SNWTP study weekends alongside part-time church ministry students to study the theology modules in your course. These theology modules will also require you to be part of an e-learning group and share in related telephone tutorials. The theology weekends all and the community work modules are taught at Luther King House in Manchester.

Your course is likely to take four years of full-time study, and your course work will be split roughly half and half between theological and community work studies. The URC requires those preparing for a CRCW ministry to obtain the University of Chester FdA in Mission and Ministry (community work pathway), but it is possible for CRCW students to continue to university level three and obtain the related Chester BA in Contextual Theology (community work pathway) within the four years of their course.


Where will I live?

Part-time church ministry students only study with us six weekends a year (plus, in a few cases, a summer school of about five days). Full-time church ministry students are only with us for two days a week, for about half the weeks in the year (tho’ again, some may opt to add on a summer school of about five days). Community work students, though studying full-time, normally only study with us for five blocks of five days each year. All of this means that most of those preparing for ministry with us continue to live where they were living before they started their course. To help you see what you might need to do, consider this…

It’s entirely possible for part-time church ministry students and community work students to be based almost anywhere in England or Wales during their studies at Northern. Recently, Northern College students have been successfully based as far afield as Newcastle, Norwich, London, Bristol and South Wales whilst studying with us.

Full-time ordination students may also continue to live where they lived before they began their course, wherever this allows reasonable weekly travel to Manchester. It has proved quite possible to travel in weekly from such places as Lancashire, Liverpool and the Wirral, West and South Yorkshire, the East and West Midlands and North Wales.

Anyone who lives more than 25 miles from Manchester qualifies for overnight accommodation in Luther King House (single rooms with en suite facilities) for either one or two nights each study week.

Other full-time church ministry students have moved to live either in Manchester or nearer Manchester to make the weekly journey manageable. Sometimes they still need overnight accommodation at Luther King House for one or two nights each week.

In ALL cases we arrange your church and community placements as near as possible to your home base, wherever that may be.

This is what three current Northern College students have to say about studying at Northern College:


Mark Bates is studying for Stipendiary Ministry:

I started my training for Stipendiary Ministry through Northern College in 2006. It was agreed with the training committee that I should train part-time and continue working. At the start of my training I was really concerned about my own ability to manage college and full-time occupation.

I needn’t have worried, College staff were really helpful and supportive, offering words of advice and encouragement.

Training with other people from across different denominations was also helpful. This enabled us to share experiences with each other. Also the concerns which I was harboring at the time were also the concerns of others on the course. I found this strangely comforting!!

The whole experience has been truly memorable and friendships made during the course I feel sure will survive into the future.

As I start my final year (2010-11) - yes it has taken me 5 years. I move into college full-time and begin to look ahead to the next stage of my journey wherever that may take me and my family.’

Laura Collins is studying for CRCW Ministry:

‘My first year of training was one of my hardest years. Everything seemed so overwhelming, the academic work and the placement were completely new. There were so many times when I wanted to give up and find a regular job that wasn’t so challenging! It was a huge transition but even though there were times I felt like it was going to break me I always seemed to get through it. There was always someone at college to turn to, whether that be a tutor for help with a problem or a fellow student to moan with, I was never completely alone in the struggle. Early on I was challenged with the option of just ticking the boxes, just submitting


the work and seeing it as something to “get through” or I could enter in to it fully and allow myself to be vulnerable in the context. Though perhaps the least tempting of the options I decided that throughout my training I would put all of myself in to the training, that I would try and live out the gospel and face all the fears that come out being our true selves. I truly believe that it is through a place of honesty and vulnerability that real relationships can emerge and the Kingdom happens. In the first two years I have grown so much in confidence, I am living proof that through God all things are possible because I never imagined that I would be capable of half the things that training has forced me to accomplish. It is not an easy path, it is has been and will probably continue to have difficult, sometimes bleak moments but most of the time, at this stage I love what I am doing. Whilst nothing is quite so frustrating as working so closely with people as a CRCW does, it is also the most rewarding and I am hoping that I will still get the same genuine enjoyment from it in the future. I hope for many more days of coming home tired, covered in paint and glue, with my ears still ringing from all the chaos!’

Meryl White is studying part-time for Non-Stipendiary Ministry:

‘After 20 years the call to ministry still hadn’t gone away. I ’d tried all sorts of other avenues to scratch the itch but they didn’t reach the spot.

With two daughters at university to support the practicality of training for ministry myself seemed like an impossible dream. But – I was at the now or never age!

It was all made possible with the opportunity to train for the ministry by e-learning from Luther King House. It hasn’t been easy but it has been a way of fulfilling my call to motherhood and ministry.’


I’d love to take a course, but it would be difficult…

If there is any aspect of our standard programmes that might make it dif ficult for you to study with us (e.g. distance / cost of giving up work to study full-time / family commitments) we would be happy to consider with you, your synod and the Education and Learning Board at your Assessment Conference whether there are ways in which we could better adapt the training to your personal circumstances. You could make contact to start considering possible solutions to particular requirements through your Synod Training Officer or directly with Northern College as may be appropriate at any stage of the process.

Obviously, any DECISION about such matters would remain the responsibility of the Education and Learning Board that would meet with you at your whole-church Assessment Conference and would be taken in the light of the most appropriate learning possibilities on offer from all three URC Resource Centres for Learning that offer programmes for Education for Ministry, part one (EM1) as well as other factors, as indicated elsewhere in this booklet.

For more information, or to arrange an exploratory visit with us in Manchester, please contact The Principal, Northern College, Luther King House, Brighton Grove, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5JP Tel: 0161 249 2506; Fax: 0161 248 9201 email: [email protected]


Scottish United Reformed & Congregational College

We’ve our 200th birthday in 2011 but we like to think that we’re still very fresh in our thinking. Our educational philosophy and practice is distinctive and reflects the best in contemporary education. We are dedicated to integrating the learning of ordinands with that of the whole people of God – learning together with and from one another. Our commitment to scholarship in theology and biblical studies is matched by a strong interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning – courses draw on history, literature, social sciences and a range of other perspectives and experiences. We combine traditional approaches to scholarship with more radical perspectives on learning.

The main elements of Education for Ministry 1 ‘Scotland-style’

Studying at university

We deliver part of our formational programme through partner Schools of Divinity in the Scottish universities, particularly Edinburgh and Glasgow. For part-time students, there may be an ecumenical option through the Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church, serving all three partners in EMU (Episcopal, Methodist and URC).

Those who come to us:• without a prior degree generally study for a BD • If you’ve a first degree other than in theology, then

it may be for a graduate diploma – a fast-track qualification for graduates taking them to honours degree level in 2 years part-time.

• Theology graduates often follow a taught MTh in ministry which is designed for people in or preparing for ministry.

• There are also postgraduate research options.

Scottish College, Glasgow


The university divinity schools in Scotland remain important centres of ecumenical theological education. They are of the highest international reputation and draw students from all over the world. Arrangements can be made for study at another university, however, if that is a more viable option.

In the college community

The college is at the heart of the formational experience for ordinands. In studying and talking together, in shared regular worship and through bringing placement and other experience back into the college community, we nurture knowledge and understanding, prayer and ref lection, skills and imagination – intended not only to prepare you for ministry but to grow personally and spiritually, discovering more and more of that abundant life to which you are called.

Our modules are generally studied on Thursdays in Edinburgh and most are open courses when we welcome elders and members of churches, ministers undertaking continuing education and others. The college is a diverse group, enabling a rich mutual learning experience. Our integrated approach is intended both to capitalise on that range of experiences and perspectives and to prepare ordinands for being collaborative ministers in the widest sense. We seek to help in the breaking down of barriers between dif ferent roles and responsibilities in the life of the church. We are keen, as Edicio dela Torre says, to help birds learn to swim and fish to f ly!

To give you a glimpse of our approach to teaching and learning, here’s an outline of a module in this coming academic year.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN

A multi-faceted exploration of grief and mourning in contemporary society

• A minister with experience in the Lockerbie incident and with the World Council of Churches, helps us think through the issues around a major community trauma


• In If it is for this life only..., we explore our and others’ understanding of life eternal

• Using case studies from pastoral experience, a local URC minister helps us address the challenges of pastoral support and funeral planning today, particularly where the culture is predominantly secular

• End and ending of life issues of assisted suicide and living wills are the subject of current debate in society. What values and concerns are in play – and what are Christian perspectives?

• Appreciative inquiry is proving an important approach to organisational development – drawing strength from positive life-enhancing experience – but does it offer a useful contribution to working through grief?

• We go to the Lyceum Theatre to watch the play Every One. It explores the lives of an ordinary family –raising children, growing up, growing old. But all of this changes when Death comes calling.

• With a hospice chaplain and medical staff, we learn how End of life care is developed for those in the closing stages of life.

As well as the Thursday teaching programme in college, we encourage ordinands to participate in the wider URC synod of Scotland educational programme and this includes a significant spirituality and retreats dimension. Topics this year include Forgiveness; Identity and Ecclesiology; Worship Liturgy and Rites; Interfaith dialogue and collaboration; Stewardship; New ways in mission, worship and church life; ministry with people with dementia; pastoral studies; the novels of Iris Murdoch and Kierkegaard and the Bible. Our

study tour this year is to to Denmark, looking at mission in a multi-faith context, worship and spirituality through Night Church developments, learning for life, the ecumenical movement, Kierkegaard and Grundtvig, ‘happy’ and ‘holy’ in the Danish church.

Placements are undertaken throughout EM1 in a variety of settings – local


church including ecumenical settings, hospitals and schools, prisons and workplaces.

We are moving towards a theological education federation with ecumenical colleagues in the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church in Scotland and anticipate that this will enable us shortly to provide a weekend study programme option which is the norm in those denominations here. We currently have one student on the ordination course of the Scottish Episcopal Church. We expect too that online learning will play a more significant part of learning from 2010-11.

Who we areOur college was formed through a concern of early Scottish Congregationalists for an educated ministry and the development of the whole people of God in ministry and mission. Our roots like in radical movements in Scottish political, social and church life. We hope that we continue to exercise that radical ministry, following in and moving on in a tradition that.

We believe in education that is rooted in life and for life, that is participative and interactive, that draws on the experience and wisdom of the participants, that is radical in its thinking and in its action.

We stand in, af firm and seek to live out a tradition that:

• believes in developing an educated ministry but within a deepening discipleship of the whole people of God

• holds that faithful discipleship is rooted in a continual questioning

• draws on the wisdom in each person and community• understands the calling of Christian people to be a

calling to live and share the abundant life to which the Gospel testifies

• recognises the radical nature of the Gospel of Christ • is deeply rooted in and related to the life of the Church

but stands in critical interaction with the institutional life of the Church

• seeks to form and grow inclusive community• is committed to ecumenical journeying together.


Our strengthsAcademically and professionally, we have significant interest in such fields as

• Fresh approaches to Biblical study• Ministry with older people• Community work and development and grassroots

movements• Story and narrative approaches in worship and

education, pastoral care and organisational growth• Interdisciplinary ways of doing theology• Church development• Adult learning • Political and social theology• Engagement with civil society in dialogue and in

mission.

An important aspect of our college community life is the close connection between the work of the college and the life of the synod and its churches. The college acts effectively as ‘training officer’ for the synod and the education arm of the synod.

As our students prepare for university qualifications in parallel with their college studies, we are able to have a freshness and f lexibility that comes with the freedom of not teaching to the regulations and restrictions of a degree programme.

Nick Brindley is currently studying for Stipendiary Ministry:

‘ I ’m just going into my second year at the Scottish United Reformed and Congregational College, and reflecting on the experience so far I would say that the most characteristic aspects of the Scottish training experience are the close integration with the Synod, with the ordinands attending many events that are also part of Synod life and the way in which we are also, for the academic aspects of our training “guests” in institutions primarily serving other communities (currently three of us attend the University of Edinburgh which retains something of its Church of Scotland seminary flavour and one the Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church).


This combination of a context where the URC is a tiny minority with integration into the life of the Synod provides a fascinating contrast which constantly challenges one to think about what it means to be a denomination committed to ecumenism.’

The college staffThe Revd Dr Jack Dyce has been in ministry for over 30 years. His PhD is in adult education and he previously served as Regional adult education officer in Strathclyde region. As principal of the college, he is also training officer for the synod of Scotland.

The Revd Fran Ruthven has come to Scotland from the USA where she served with UCC in a range of pastorates, including periods in interim ministry, as well as being a faculty member in several universities. She comes to us under Special Category ministry to specialise in ministry with older people including the frail elderly.

The Revd John Young recently retired from the pastoral ministry of the URC. A former convener of the Assembly Doctrine Worship and Prayer committee and a former librarian, he has a particular interest in liturgy and worship and in poetry and literature.

The Revd Jan Adamson serves as field officer for local mission and development for the URC synod of Scotland, having trained for ministry after many years in management.

Mr Stewart Cutler is the Children and Youth development officer for the synod in Scotland and is a trained adult educator and youth worker. He has strong interests in fresh expressions in church life and worship.

The Revd Kathryn Price has many years pastoral experience and acts as college chaplain.

The college is in the process of filling a further academic staff vacancy.


But Scotland is so far away... (unless of course you live in Scotland already)

Yes, Scotland is dif ferent. It has its own theological traditions, its particular church and ecumenical life, its culture and history, its distinct institutions, greater political devolution and a renaissance in much of its life. We face many of the same challenges as other nations, but we have our own slant on how to address them. It ’s an exciting and ever-changing place to be.

Some things change less quickly. We enjoy a good quality of life – even our cities are wee! Very close to our urban areas are picturesque and culturally distinctive places and communities.

ContactJack Dyce can be contacted on 0141 332 7667 or at [email protected].

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WESTMINSTER COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE is owned by the United Reformed Church. Its chief purpose is preparing people for Christian ministry. Many church members come here to attend conferences, meetings and weekends as they deepen faith, learn together and develop their skills for a variety of ministries. In recent years there have been about 40 people pursuing programmes with the college – mostly from the United Reformed Church, with a few from other churches and parts of the world. For many years Westminster has served not only resident students, but also some who do most of their learning at a distance from Cambridge. As one of the United Reformed Church’s designated Resource Centres for Learning, distance learning is now a growing proportion of the college’s work.

Aims and hopesUnited Reformed Church congregations are very varied in character, and we serve in changing times. People who train through Westminster will prepare and equip themselves, so that they can serve sensitively and effectively in the dif ferent places to which they will be called by the church.

So training offered by Westminster aims at personal development – connecting the experience and insight students already have, with the deepened understanding of the ways of God that the course can offer.

Through a variety of placements the college tries to integrate practical experience and academic study. The aim is to blend the insights that come from working with people in church and community with the wisdom gained from books and teachers, from lectures, discussions and writing.

Westminster College, Cambridge


We take seriously the Church’s calling to mission, to serve God and make Christ known among our neighbours. Theology involves a realistic understanding of human community, and an imaginative vision of God’s varied ways of working in the world.

Christian partnershipThe college is committed to Christian partnership. Along with Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Orthodox colleagues, Westminster belongs to the Cambridge Theological Federation, which links eleven theological training bodies, in the city and across the Eastern region. So Westminster is one part of a large, close and strong Christian fellowship. Students can borrow books from the libraries of other institutions and, when in Cambridge, worship in their chapels, and eat in their dining rooms. Most of the teaching is planned and delivered jointly, drawing altogether on the expertise of some 40 theological teachers and serving more than 500 students; many classes are attended by students from around the Federation. Cambridge based members of the Federation meet regularly for worship and for community.

Centred in worshipEvery working day in Westminster begins, for those in Cambridge, with a short act of worship, led by a student or staff member. Meeting with God together is the heart of our life as a Christian college, and will play its critical part in all gatherings of students. We also have a new lunch bible ‘office’ of prayer in which those at a distance can also share.

Personal supportWestminster has five academic staff – all specialist teachers and committed to the church’s ministry, and all involved in the wider life of the United Reformed Church as well as in Cambridge. So the college offers not only teaching, but also the kind of personal support and care that can help students develop their strengths and confidence for ministry. Many student spouses, families and friends play an active part in the life of college.


Learning choicesWestminster offers the benefits of a small community, where individual needs matter, along with a diverse range of academic programmes that can respond to those needs. The Federation is linked to two very different local universities – Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin. There are several main Federation tracks – all designed and taught with ministry in mind – and various other possibilities in the universities. At the moment the programmes we run with Cambridge University are intended for Cambridge-based students, while those of Anglia Ruskin can serve distance students too (including some in continental Europe).

Bachelor of Theology for Ministry (BTh)

This is a basic programme of ministerial training, leading to a Cambridge University degree. The first three years of the course are based in Cambridge, and include both classroom and practical work. A post-graduate year – a requisite for United Reformed Church candidates – is spent on our living Ministry Programme, in supervised experience and theological reflection with a local church and its minister.

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Christian Theology

This degree course is awarded through Anglia Ruskin University. Some of the patterns of learning and assessment are more f lexible than at Cambridge University – for example, it is possible to study part-time, and there are distance-learning possibilities too. Students whose period of study is not long enough to finish the degree before ordination will be able, if they wish, to continue it part-time in the early years of their ministry.

In both of these bachelor’s degrees, previous theological work can enable a student to enter directly into the second year of study, or indeed (at Ruskin) into the third year.

Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Theology

This higher degree course, also awarded through Anglia Ruskin, is meant for people who have experience both of theological study and of Christian service. There is a wide choice of modules and all of these link theological thought to the practical side of church life. The MA can be taken


full-time over one year, or part-time over several years. It attracts both serving ministers, and students in training who have done some theology elsewhere.

BA in Theology and Religious Studies

Where a student has a strong academic record, and seeks an intensive taught course in the more traditional disciplines of theology, Westminster can use the BA programme at Cambridge University. This programme is always supplemented by pastoral studies, organised by the college. Finally MPhil and PhD degrees are available at both universities, so that a theological graduate can pursue a specialist subject of interest to a high level, and add to the total wisdom of the church. At this level too, there are part-time and distance-learning possibilities.

If you are to live in Cambridge

Westminster has plenty of single residential rooms. Some of these are let for a term or a year at a time; others are kept for those who spend shorter periods in the college, as part of a distance-learning programme. For those who want to make Cambridge their home base during training, some rented houses and flats are also available through Westminster. These are either on the college site or within easy reach. They vary in size, and can suit singles, couples or families.

This is what Nicola Gilbert, who is currently studying part-time for Non-Stipendiary Ministry, has to say about her experience of being part of the increasingly diverse Westminster community of students. Nicola lives at a distance from Cambridge, visits Cambridge for two days once a fortnight and has a local tutor and local placements:

‘Hard work ...true.Dull....false.Long drive ...true.Lonely ...false.Great teaching....true.Lost weight ...false.Life expanding......true.Impossible.......false.Worth it......Definitely!


I had huge reservations about training for the ministry even before I found out how far away Westminster College was! God, I felt should have called someone else! But somehow everything has come together. The practicalities have been beaten into subjection, and it has not been dull even for a moment. I have found out things about myself and God, and I begin to see what God wants me here for… I have even passed the essays! The best thing has been to be with people who understand the stubbornness of God calling and are prepared to be alongside in the journey.’

‘For me training for Ministry has been many things. I’ve forged relationships with other students in an ecumenical setting. Having come to ministry through TLS I’ve built on what I’d previously learned. I know that the friendships I’ve made with fellow students will continue once in ministry and serve to encourage each other.’

Phil Wall is studying for Stipendiary Ministry at Westminster:

‘And so where to begin on my first year at Westminster? Well, the food is amazing!

All in all, I ’ve had a great first year at Westminster College. It ’s a fantastic little community – small enough to get to know everyone but big enough to sustain an array of interesting characters. Both the staff and student community were hugely welcoming and I felt like part of the furniture in no time at all. The Federation here in Cambridge is an ecumenical body so you get to study with people from a number of different denominations and at various points on the theological spectrum which gives you the opportunity to get a wider picture of the contemporary church whilst developing your own understanding of what you consider your ministry to be. Cambridge is also a vibrant city which always has a lot of events, festivals, fairs and societies to attend and get involved with.

The college staff are extremely supportive in helping you to work out which program of study is right for you and you genuinely feel that they care about getting


the right degree program for each individual and their calling. The worship is as diverse as the people here and so is really helpful to experience. Then there are the extra opportunities for studying abroad, attending conferences and going on placements – all of which are useful in terms of getting experience of different contexts and types of ministry…as well as often being simply good fun. This year has seen me pretending to be young again with FURY, reflecting on Fresh Expressions at the summer school in Windermere and enjoying an incredible three week study tour of Israel and Palestine.

So the year’s been interesting, challenging, eye-opening and enjoyable. It ’s a good place to support and be supported by fellow believers who continue daily in their wrestling with what it means to be a faithful Christian, and in particular, a Christian minister, today. Come see what we do – what’s the worst that can happen?!’

Finding out

Westminster is always ready to respond to people who ask about its work, and about how they might fit in. Particularly at present, as the college’s remit expands to include more distance learning, we look forward to hearing from enquirers and ministerial candidates around the country, to talk about how our programmes could connect with their particular needs. College staff will gladly arrange to meet people who want to discuss these questions and concerns.

Write to The Director of Studies, Westminster College, Cambridge CB3 0AA, or phone: 01223-741084, or email: [email protected]

Training for Ministry 2010

Documents

Transcript of Training for Ministry 2010