Widening opportunities

The Very Rev Dr Martin Fair highlights work which is taking place on the development of ministry training.

AMONGST all that transpired at this year’s General Assembly, of considerable importance was the receiving of an outline plan for the overhauling of how the Church of Scotland prepares people for ministry – ministry in all its kinds.*

This came in the form of a Supplementary Report, presented by the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team on the Thursday morning of the Assembly.

Given that this has been under discussion for some years, it is a long-overdue breakthrough and one that has been broadly welcomed across the Church, this being reflected in the Assembly’s approval.

Of course it has taken a considerable amount of work to get it to this stage, with wide-ranging discussions and listening exercises having taken place. When something that involves a significant shift is being proposed, it is natural – and right – that enquiry is made and that questions such as ‘What is wrong with the present system?’ and ‘What is to be gained by the proposed developments?’ are asked. And it is not unusual, when considering such bold shifts, that while some will warmly embrace what’s being proposed, others will be more hesitant and will want to be reassured that the plans make sense.

So what is in this plan?

It includes the renewing of Initial Ministerial Education in such a way as to offer greater link-up between that which is learned in the classroom and that which comes through practical placements and through the Church’s conference programme. Through earlier reports and more recent consultation with ministers in their early years, what was heard was a sense that the various elements of preparation for ministry often feel disconnected and that not enough of it is aimed at readying people for the challenges of ministry in a much-changed and now largely missional context.

The kind of reflective practise that will be embedded in the new model will, we trust, better ready our candidates for the realities of ministry in 21st century Scotland (and beyond).

Regarding Initial Ministerial Education, the Assembly also approved the introduction of a diploma-level course to sit alongside the degree courses presently offered. The diploma will, in certain circumstances, be the most appropriate path for some of those being called to ministry. (Various other denominations already accept diplomas and in years gone by, the Church of Scotland itself ordained candidates after the gaining of a Licentiate of Theology (LTh).)

The Church’s People and Training Team is looking forward to working with our various academic providers and other stakeholders over the coming months to bring this plan to the point at which it can be rolled out.

Sitting alongside all of that will be a brand-new introductory pathway which is being described as the Apprenticeship Route. In essence, this is being offered to widen the door – to offer a route through which more people might take up the challenge to explore whether or not God might be calling them, and to what form of ministry they might best be suited.

Firstly, then, the new route will function as a more in-depth period of discernment and one which will allow for a wider range of people to start the business of enquiry.

In this, there’s an acknowledgment that there’s no right or wrong ‘type’ of person. We see this through the pages of the New Testament when, for example, comparing Peter and Paul – two giants of the early Church. Clearly they came from vastly different social backgrounds with one being a highly-trained rabbi and the other a humble working man, later described by the religious authorities as being ‘unschooled and ordinary.’

And yet both were called and both had enormous impact in the spread of the gospel and in the growth of the Church.

Can the Church today do more to ensure that ministry is seen as being for ‘all sorts?’

Secondly, it will be a thoroughly hands-on way of learning, much as the apprenticeship schemes that we’re familiar with in other walks of life generally are. What better way to discern and learn than by doing, all under the supportive tutelage of an experienced mentor.

But that’s not all. Completing the Apprenticeship Route will, it is envisaged, lead to the awarding of a Certificate in Church Studies which will involve apprentices taking a range of short courses, all designed to offer both general, foundational learning and that which is specific to each apprentice’s sense of calling.

Who might apply? Anyone! A certain number of apprentices will be taken on each year, each one being assessed for suitability before being accepted. The route might, for example, suit younger people who have not as yet engaged in further education and it might well be suitable for those considering youth work roles or Ministry Development Staff roles.

Apprentices will be paid which, again, might help to make it possible for more people to consider exploring ministry.

At the end of the two years, it is very much hoped that some apprentices will proceed to apply for and to be accepted as candidates in training for full-time Ministry of Word and Sacrament or for the Diaconate. Others might pursue different forms of ministry whilst others still might move on to other careers, understanding that their ministries will be rooted in the life of their respective congregations.

These are the plans and the coming months will be devoted to confirming details, putting together budgets and doing all the other bits of building work required to make this a reality.

Whilst this is a new scheme for the Church of Scotland, might it in fact be a return to that which is tried and tested – to the way in which Jesus apprenticed his first followers?

* Though the Church of Scotland believes that all Christians have a ministry to exercise, its practice is to recognise that within that general principle, there are specific ministries which it assesses and trains for. Currently these are Readership, Ordained Local Ministry, Ministry of Word and Sacrament and Diaconal Ministry. These are our ‘Family of Ministries’ and each is both unique and important.