Academic Study

Content

The academic course consists primarily of four modules in the first year and five modules in the second and final year. These are delivered by from the Eastern Region Ministry Course (ERMC) based in Cambridge, UK, with which the Diocese in Europe works in partnership.

The modules are:

Year 1:

1. Introduction to the New Testament (TMM1011)
2. Brief Introduction to Church History (TMM1147)
3. Brief Introduction to Christian Doctrine (TMM1107)
4. Introduction to the Old Testament (TMM1021)

Year 2:

1. Introduction to Pastoral Care (TMM1421)
2. Introduction to Spirituality and Discipleship (TMM1517)
3. Introduction to Preaching (TMM1347)
4. Introduction to Christian Ethics (TMM1167)
5. Elements of Ministry and Mission in Context (TMM1317)

These are online classes/lectures delivered once a week, in the evening. 

These modules are complemented by training in preaching, teaching and pastoral care which will mainly take place in your chaplaincy and which will help you to integrate your academic study with your ministry.

These modules cover the core curriculum required of Readers by the Church of England (see Shaping the Future: New Patterns of Training for Lay and Ordained.) An agreed overall standard for Reader training allows Readers admitted in the Diocese in Europe to transfer to other Dioceses in the Church of England. If you move during your training, you should receive credits in your new Diocese for work already completed.

The Warden of Readers will admit and license you as a Reader on satisfactory completion of the modules, the receipt of three each of our Preaching Reports (Appendix 4) and Liturgical Reports (Appendix 5) and the Ministry Assessment (Appendix 6) from the Chaplain.  You will be required either in the course of your training or shortly after licencing to attend a residential course on the Anglican Tradition. This will be offered every three years over a weekend in the UK or on the Continent.

Licensed Readers who would like to be authorised to officiate at funerals are required to have completed a Diocesan Workshop on Funeral Ministry, usually held every two years either in the UK or on the Continent.

Procedure

When you are admitted as a Reader in training, the Director of Reader Ministry will write to you to establish details of the content of your training. On receipt of the request from the Director of Reader Ministry, ERMC will send you your first module. The Diocesan Finance Officer will invoice your chaplaincy. If you do not receive the study materials and textbook within three weeks, please contact the Director of Reader Ministry.

The Diocesan Office will keep a comprehensive record of the marks you receive for essays and modules.

Contacts

You should contact the Director of Reader Ministry for questions relating to the Reader course: i.e., requests for ordering modules and questions relating to practical training. The Director of Reader Ministry is available for pastoral matters.

Training in the Chaplaincy

Readers and their chaplains should discuss this section

Role of Chaplain

The welcoming of a Reader into a Chaplaincy assumes a pattern of ministry which is exercised in a team. The Chaplain, of course, has responsibility overall for the life, mission and ministry of the Chaplaincy, including any dependent congregations or worship centres. This responsibility is shared with other assistant clergy if there are any, but importantly with those who are licensed to lay ministry, the Reader or Readers.

A fruitful cooperation in ministry will depend on a recognition of the gifts, experience and interests of the Reader, all of which can complement and enrich the competencies of the whole team. Such a pattern flourishes when the “leader”, the Chaplain, is prepared to trust the ministerial colleagues, to commend and support their fruitful contributions to the overall ministry and offer guidance and advice when there are difficulties and challenges. Thus, the Chaplain’s role is key in the development of a Reader’s ministry, whether for a Reader in Training or a Licensed Reader, as he or she guides, encourages and teaches from the wealth of their experience.

It is a fact that most clergy, including bishops, have been formed and trained in a way that did not give much emphasis on collaborative ministry, so this is a skill that many in ordained ministry are always needing to develop and refine. Nevertheless, in accepting a Reader colleague into the Chaplaincy, there is a commitment to mutual support and genuine partnership, within the responsibility for the cure of souls which is given to the priest.

Support

Reader training in the context of the Diocese in Europe is almost inevitably an isolated and isolating experience. As a Reader in Training, you are likely to encounter new ideas which may challenge you. You may find yourself being given low marks for what you thought were well-thought-out pieces of work. You may find the discipline of studying alone very hard to maintain. For all these reasons, we encourage you to set up an informal support group, drawn from your own congregation. This should be a small group of two to five people with whom you can meet regularly for prayer and discussion of what you have been learning.

This offers not only support and fellowship, but also the experience of passing on or teaching the material that you are studying which will help you to deepen your learning. This group may also offer constructive feedback on practical work such as preaching and leading services. You may find it helpful to explore the Central Readers’ Council website at www.readers.cofe.anglican.org.

Local training

Your chaplain may or may not be part of your support group, but unless another local supervisor has been appointed, s/he will play an important role in teaching and supervising the parochial aspects of your training. This will include preaching, leading worship and liturgy, leading intercessions, administering the chalice, home communions, teaching, and pastoral care.

During your training, you are expected to gain experience of preaching, teaching, and leading worship in your chaplaincy. Episcopal permission for this need not be sought since it is a recognized requirement for those training for accredited ministry. Readers-in-Training should be given opportunities to develop their preaching and liturgical skills as appropriate, but they should preach no more than once a month.

Resources for exploring most of these areas of ministry are available from the Director of Reader Ministry. If possible, your training should be integrated with the training of others in the chaplaincy who are exercising some form of public ministry. As your training progresses, you may develop your teaching skills by leading workshops, Lent groups, prayer groups etc.

This booklet contains a Ministry Agreement with Chaplain (Appendix 2) which should be completed by the candidate and chaplain together before training begins. At the end of training and before the decision to license, the chaplain must complete the Ministry Assessment Report (Appendix 6) and return it to the Director of Reader Ministry.

This booklet includes feedback forms for assessment of preaching and liturgical leadership. These can be printed and completed by the chaplain and a group of lay people in the chaplaincy and discussed with you. During your training three preaching feedback forms (together with the sermon) and three liturgical leadership feedback forms should be returned to the Director of Reader Ministry.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a critical issue: it protects the privacy of the individual and the integrity of the pastoral work of the church. Any Readers engaged in pastoral work need to respect and uphold confidentiality in all pastoral engagements. This means that personal details are not automatically passed on to the incumbent or ministry team without a person’s knowledge and consent. There are, however, certain circumstances that legally require disclosure: domestic violence, child abuse, terrorism. Even so, it is necessary to let the person know that this will happen, and that any information will be passed on only to those agencies with the responsibility to take appropriate action. (Make sure you are aware of the Diocesan and your church’s safeguarding policy).

Supervision

The Ministry Agreement between Reader and Chaplain requires regular meetings between Reader and Clergy. In addition to such meetings, it may also be appropriate to identify a person outside the chaplaincy situation who can provide a listening ear, particularly for Readers engaged in pastoral duties. Such supervision provides opportunities to talk through situations (without naming names), consider other perspectives, and be encouraged and challenged. It is a safe and confidential place to explore issues not easy or appropriate to discuss with the Incumbent. The supervisor is not there to provide answers but to facilitate helpful reflection.

Training Events

The main disadvantage of training for Reader ministry in the Diocese in Europe is the lack of contact with other candidates for this ministry. This deprives our Readers in Training of the opportunity to study and work together with Readers in Training from a variety of theological and ecclesiastical backgrounds. This is partly balanced by the fact that many of our chaplaincies have members drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. During your training, you should seek to use this resource by discussing the ideas you are encountering with people from different church backgrounds than your own.

Readers in Training are strongly encouraged to attend local training events offered in the Archdeaconry, and other similar workshops. The Diocese in Europe regularly runs two workshops, (Anglican Tradition and Funeral) which are an opportunity to learn new things and meet with others. Details of such events will be circulated to all Readers. All Readers in Training should plan to attend at least one such event, and if possible two, during their training. The Diocese in Europe organises Reader Conferences every four years.

Further Support

If there are issues you need to discuss but prefer to talk to someone outside the chaplaincy, you can contact the Director of Reader Ministry or the Interim Warden of Readers.