Guidelines for drawing up a Training Agreement (with downloadable template)
To help you draw up a Working Agreement and Training Plan, the following sets out some general guidelines and a ‘Worklist for Training’ keeping in mind the context of working in the Diocese in Europe. These represent good practice in the wider Church that may help your own processes of reflection. They should be regarded as useful tools rather than prescriptions.
These guidelines are particularly aimed at stipendiary curates and their training incumbents, but should be read by SSMs and their training incumbents and adapted as appropriate. Further particular guidance for SSMs is given at the end of this section.
Mutual Expectations
The relationship between training incumbent and curate is both personal and professional and each will have expectations of the other. It is important that these mutual expectations are declared openly as early as possible in the relationship so as to avoid later frustration.
Although pastoral authority in the chaplaincy rests with the chaplain and the chaplaincy council, some degree of authority is delegated to the curate. In relation to any given task, the extent of this delegation needs to be made clear.
With respect to confidentiality, the curate needs to know what material is to be treated as confidential and not to be shared with the chaplain/training incumbent, and what is not confidential and should be shared with the chaplain. This can be a major area of potential misunderstanding. The question of loyalty needs discussion, particularly the ways in which chaplain and curate can be played off against each other.
Housing
Curates’ housing should be subject to the same standards of inspection and maintenance as chaplains’ houses. Where the curate is finding his or her own accommodation, an agreement needs to be reached about the expenses that are to be claimed (electricity, heating, water, rubbish, etc.).
Resources
It is essential that provisions are made for the curate to have IT and telephone access in connection with work in the chaplaincy.
Use of Time
Basic understanding about the extent of the working day and the working week needs to be reached. The norm for time off is one day off per week plus six weeks’ holiday (four Sundays and a Sunday off after Christmas and after Easter). It should be clearly understood that ‘one day off per week’ does not mean that the curate is expected to work continuously the other six days. A standard pattern to consider is a working day consisting of three sessions - morning, afternoon, evening - of which the curate works for two of those sessions.
The pattern of the working day/week and time off should be negotiable, taking into consideration the normal responsibilities of a married curate to his or her family, and the fact that many single curates have family and friends who live some distance away. In the case of the latter, one day off per week may not be particularly useful and an alternative arrangement might have to be made. Furthermore, all curates, including those who are single, need time for shopping, cooking, cleaning etc. which does not totally compromise their time off work.
Worship
A curate needs to share in corporate prayer and worship, not only with the congregation, but also with the training incumbent and other colleagues. Times and occasions for this daily/weekly prayer time together, in person or online, need to be clearly stated.
There should be a regular opportunity to share in the design and leading of worship and in preaching. Agreement needs to be reached regarding the frequency of preaching (initially once a month is suggested in the diaconate, twice a month after priesting) and it is desirable that the curate’s sermons should be reviewed with the training incumbent and with other colleagues, lay and ordained, if appropriate. A suggested feedback form here.
Personal Growth and Development
A curate shares in corporate prayer and worship, both with colleagues and the congregation. In addition, it is essential that the curate consults a spiritual director/soul friend on a regular basis and is given the opportunity to make a retreat, at least once a year, not to be considered as holiday time. Strong encouragement should also be given to reading across a wide spectrum.
Professional Development
Curates:
The main bulk of Initial Ministerial Development, IME Phase 2, is done in the chaplaincy. The diocesan IME 2 Programme is intended to complement the training within the chaplaincy and offer the opportunity for further formation and ministerial development in the company of other recently ordained clergy.
The diocese organises two four-day residential training courses, usually in May and November, in the first three years following ordination. The topics covered are as follows:
Mission (in different contexts: Diocese in Europe, wider Church of England, Anglican Communion, Ecumenical relations. Work on the Diocesan Strategy ”Walking together in Faith”; “Breathing Life” – an invitation to engage together in the work for Racial Justice; the “Marks of Mission” of the Anglican Communion including “Caring for Creation”).
Making Peace with Conflict in the Church (Conflict Resolution with Bridge Builders).
Breaking Open the Word: Preaching for Today’s World (different styles/contexts, media, reflecting also the wide variety of cultural, ethnic and language backgrounds of congregations and clergy in the Diocese in Europe).
The Spiritual Living of Our Ordination Vows (Prayer and Spirituality – an introduction to different traditions; an introduction to the Sacrament of Reconciliation).
Issues in Personal and Public Ministry: Priorities in Ordained Ministry (Church Governance, Canon Law, including updating on Safeguarding training, training in Stewardship, good practice in ministry including Time Management and work on Power Dynamics).
Liturgy and Worship (building on pre-ordination training, expanding on the use and versatility of Common Worship).
Throughout the three years of the curacy, workshops and training seminars take place on Zoom. These include sessions such as Unconscious Bias Training, Social Ethics, Caring for Creation, training in Neurodiversity.
Written work: A written reflection on the IME 2 residential training sessions, including theological reflection and pastoral considerations of the theme covered, is to be sent to the DDMD no later than four weeks after the residential session.
Meetings: The curate, training incumbent and DDM meet in person in connection with the annual residential Seminar for Training Incumbents and Curates at which the Working Agreement and the Training Plan form the basis of a discussion of the development of the curacy. Follow up meetings take place on Zoom, approximately every six months of the curacy.
At each of the residential IME 2 sessions, the curate and the DDMD will meet individually and go through the Working Agreement and the Training Plan, noting any revisions or adjustments, and ensuring that training goals are being fulfilled, that the work of formational and ministerial development is ongoing, and that the curate flourishes in ministry. It is an opportunity to discuss any issues pertaining to the curacy that the curate wishes to bring up.
The DDMD updates the Bishop on the ministerial development of all curates and curacies every two-three months; more often if necessary.
Curates in the Diocese in Europe are expected to do one or more short placements, either in a parish in the UK or in another chaplaincy in the Diocese in Europe. The curate is asked to write a report on the placement, to be sent to the DDMD no later than four weeks after the completion of the placement (a report is also asked from the placement incumbent).
The curate is asked to write a Letter of Reflection on his/her first year of ordained ministry which is sent to the Bishop with copy to the DDMD, and is part of the discernment for ordination to the priesthood. For continuing deacons this forms part of the discernment for the next stage of the curacy.
At the end of the curacy, and as part of the End-of-Curacy Review, the curate is asked to write a Paper of Reflection on the whole experience of the curacy, particularly on his/her formational journey and ministerial development in the course of the first years of ordained ministry. This is to be sent to the DDMD as part of the preparation for the End-of-Curacy meeting.
Upon entering the IME 2 Programme, curates are invited to join an online theological reflection group that meets once a month; the curates in turn facilitate this.
Curates should be given every opportunity to build on the skills that they already bring to the curacy, as well as being encouraged to explore and develop particular interest in areas of ministry encountered in the curacy (please see also Part II, Section 7, ‘Worklist for Training’). The curate must be given regular opportunities for theological study and reflection, time which is separate from sermon preparation, and the training incumbent should help the curate to build this into the curate’s working week.
Curates may express a desire to undertake a formal course of study leading to an additional qualification such as a diploma, a degree or a further degree. Any such course of study during the curacy would need to be carefully negotiated with the training incumbent and with the Diocesan Director of Ministerial Development. The financial assistance from the Diocese is likely to consist of a very modest amount of CMD money. If a prospective curate is already engaged in a continuing course of study before leaving the pre-ordination college or course, this fact must be declared to the training incumbent and the likely implications carefully explored.
Besides the time spent outside the chaplaincy in the IME Phase 2 Programme there may be other learning programmes / training events / conferences that the curate wishes to attend or that the training incumbent considers necessary or desirable. Agreement on attendance at such events will need to reached and not simply assumed. If necessary, the Diocesan Director of Ministerial Development may be consulted. Other extra-parochial interests and commitments (other than those that coincide with time off) will need to be agreed between the curate and the training incumbent/chaplain.
In the course of the curacy, usually in the Spring or Summer of the second year, the curate is expected to do one or more short placements in a chaplaincy in the Diocese in Europe or a parish in a UK diocese, in order to gain experience of other traditions within the Church of England and to experience ministry in another context. This is particularly important for curates in Europe as the chaplaincy in which they serve their curacy may well be the only Anglican church in that country. Placements are also important as they offer the curate an opportunity to observe and learn from different styles of leadership in ministry. Furthermore, placements offer opportunities for curates to gain wider experience of the Occasional Offices, since in some churches in Europe such opportunities are limited. Serious consideration is given to match curates to a placement that will be most rewarding for their ministerial development.
Annual Seminar for Training Incumbents and Curates
A residential 24-hour Annual Seminar for Training Incumbents and Curates takes place in connection with the Autumn IME Phase 2 residential session. The seminar provides an opportunity for training incumbents and curates to explore together themes of importance to their ministry. This is also a possibility for all of the training incumbents and curates of the Diocese to come together to pray, work and socialise.
On the first day, training incumbents and curates attend one of the Seminars in the three-year cycle, two of which are set topics: Clergy Well-Being/Resilience Training and Cross-Cultural Working. The topic for the third Seminar varies and is chosen taking into account issues of particular concern for clergy in Europe, e.g. the Seminar in 2022 having as its title ‘Walking with the Traumatised’ (with particular focus on the ministry of the many chaplaincies in Europe who currently work with and support refugees, including those from the war in Ukraine). On the morning of the second day training incumbents and curates meet for a session on best practice in Supervision and Staff Meetings (and the distinction between the two), after which the Training Incumbents meet alone as a group with Diocesan Staff to discuss issues pertaining to curacy training.
Staff Support
There should be a regular staff meeting for purposes of staff communication and planning. It is expected that curates will attend chapter meetings, Deanery and Archdeaconry Synods.
Supervision sessions must not be confused with staff meetings and should take place (in person or online) for stipendiary curates at least once every two weeks; for SSM curates supervision should take place once every two weeks for the first year of the curacy, moving to a three week pattern of supervision in the second and third year, if considered appropriate by the training incumbent and curate. The pattern and frequency of supervision may be discussed further with the DDMD.
Tenure of Office
A curacy is expected to last for a period of three to three and a half years (stipendiary curates) to four years (SSM curates). Appointments to the post of chaplain are not usually offered to clergy with less than four years’ experience of ministry. It is possible to terminate the curacy before the period in question has come to an end, but such cases should be very exceptional. Under ecclesiastical law the curate may leave the curacy, but not until the end of three months after he or she has given notice to the training incumbent/chaplain and the bishop of his or her intention to leave, unless the bishop gives written permission for the curate to leave sooner. The chaplain/training incumbent, with the bishop’s permission, may require a curate to leave, but only after six months’ notice. If the bishop refuses permission, the chaplain may appeal to the archbishop of the province. The bishop may revoke the curate’s licence with immediate effect for any cause which appears to the bishop to be good and sufficient, after having given the curate sufficient opportunity to show why the licence should not be revoked; however, the revocation is subject to the curate’s right to appeal to the archbishop. The bishop will also normally have the right to revoke the licence subject to a reasonable period of notice without any right of appeal.