Ministry of Word and Sacraments

Ministers of Word and Sacraments (MoWS) are called to preach the gospel, celebrate the Sacraments, exercise pastoral oversight and equip God’s people for ministry. They serve not simply as leaders of congregations, but as those who help the Church discern God’s will, nurture discipleship and enable mission.

Within the United Reformed Church this ministry may be exercised in a variety of ways. Some ministers serve in stipendiary appointments, while others serve in recognised non-stipendiary ministries. Some are called to local pastoral leadership, others to pioneer new forms of church or to serve in specialist ministries. Whatever the context, the ministry is rooted in the faithful proclamation of God’s Word and the pastoral care of God’s people.

Discover more about MoWS

Church Related Community Work (CRCW)

Church Related Community Workers (CRCWs) are ordained ministers whose primary focus is the Church’s mission within local communities. Rather than beginning with the gathered congregation, CRCWs begin by listening to their neighbourhoods, working alongside local people to address poverty, isolation, inequality and injustice.

Their ministry helps churches become deeply rooted in the communities they serve, enabling people to work together for lasting social change while bearing witness to the transforming love of Christ. CRCW ministry is both professional community development and Christian ministry, bringing together faith, justice and practical action.

Explore Community Work (CRCW)

Lay Ministries

The ministry of the Church is sustained by the gifts of countless lay people who serve in local congregations and communities. Elders share with ministers in the pastoral oversight and spiritual leadership of the local church. Lay Preachers and Worship Leaders lead worship, preach the gospel and help congregations grow in faith. Many others exercise ministries of pastoral care, children’s and youth work, discipleship, administration, music and mission.

These ministries remind us that leadership in the Church belongs to the whole people of God and that every Christian has gifts to offer in God’s service.

Lay Preaching

Lay Preachers have long played a vital part in the life and witness of the United Reformed Church. Called by God and recognised by the Church, they are authorised to lead worship and preach the gospel across congregations, bringing theological insight, pastoral sensitivity and a deep commitment to helping others encounter Christ.

Lay preaching is much more than filling a preaching rota. It is a ministry of proclaiming God’s Word, interpreting Scripture faithfully, and helping congregations reflect on the relationship between faith and everyday life. Lay Preachers often serve across several churches, offering continuity, encouragement and fresh perspectives within pastorates and Synods.

The ministry of a Lay Preacher is exercised in partnership with Ministers of Word and Sacraments, Elders and Worship Leaders, reflecting the United Reformed Church’s understanding that the ministry of the Church belongs to the whole people of God. Through careful preparation, theological study, prayer and worship leadership, Lay Preachers help nurture discipleship and enable congregations to grow in faith, hope and love.

For many, lay preaching also becomes a place of ongoing discernment, where gifts are recognised and a deeper sense of vocation begins to emerge. Whether serving occasionally or regularly across a number of churches, Lay Preachers make an indispensable contribution to the worshipping life and mission of the United Reformed Church.

Pioneer Ministry

God is continually calling the Church into new places. Pioneer ministers are called to establish new Christian communities among people who may have little or no connection with existing churches. They are gifted in listening, building relationships, innovation and helping new expressions of Christian community emerge.

Pioneer ministry often takes place beyond the walls of traditional church buildings, seeking fresh ways of sharing the gospel that are rooted in local culture while remaining faithful to the life and witness of the wider Church.

Read about Pioneer Ministry

Chaplaincy

Chaplains represent the Church in places where people live, work, learn and receive care. They serve in hospitals, schools, universities, prisons, workplaces, care homes, the armed forces and many other settings.

Chaplaincy is a ministry of presence as much as proclamation. Chaplains accompany people through moments of joy, uncertainty, crisis and hope, offering compassionate pastoral care to people of every faith and none, while witnessing to the love of Christ through attentive listening, prayer and practical support.

Stepwise: Learning & Growing

Stepwise is the 91��������’s flexible, mentored learning programme designed to help you explore your faith and your personal calling in daily life. It’s the perfect, low-pressure starting point for anyone wondering “what’s next?”

Explore Stepwise

Speak to Someone (Ministry Enquirers)

Sometimes, just talking it through with someone who understands makes all the difference. You can attend a Ministry Enquirers’ Event, speak with your local minister, or reach out to your Synod’s Vocations Advisor for an informal, supportive chat.

Get in touch about Vocations

Education & Learning

Enabling lifelong learning for all God’s people through resources, opportunities and training

Discover learning opportunities

The post Ministries appeared first on United Reformed Church.

Read or download the United Reformed Church Ministers’ Sickness Absence Policy and Procedure.

Introduction

The 91�������� aims to support ministers and Church Related Community Workers during periods of sickness absence, and to provide help and guidance towards returning to work.

This document describes the Church’s policy on sickness absence and the procedures to be followed in reporting absence and dealing with extended periods of sickness. Where the term “minister” is used, it should be taken to refer to any minister or CRCW carrying out stipendiary service for the Church. While the text may be taken to imply that ministers are all in pastoral care, interpretation should recognise the range of actual posts filled by ministers and CRCWs.

Responsibility for carrying out these procedures is divided between the individual minister, their Synod Moderator (who may delegate some aspects of the Synod role) and the Maintenance of the Ministry sub-committee (MoM) through the MoM officer. In some situations input will be sought from others, for example in relation to potential ill-health retirement. Where ministers are not deployed within a synod their line manager will fulfil the role ascribed to the Synod Moderator.

A copy of the full procedures is available to ministers/CRCWs upon request.

Sickness Absence Policy

Principles

The policy aims to ensure that during the course of an illness there is:

• Good pastoral and practical support
• Respect for an individual’s privacy
• Use of professional medical advice at an appropriate time
• Clarity about the financial implications of extended absence

While individual needs and circumstances differ, the policy aims to ensure that ministers can and do take sufficient time off to recover from illness. For this reason, ministers should not carry out any of their normal duties while they are advised by their doctor that they are not fit for work. Where the doctor advises that an individual may benefit from a phased return to work this should be discussed with the Synod moderator who will normally agree the details of a phased return to work, building up to a full workload over a planned period.

Pastoral care during Sickness Absence

Ministers should notify their Synod Office, pastorate/post and the MoM Office if they are unable to work for more than three days due to sickness and ensure that they are kept up-to-date if the absence becomes prolonged.

Pastoral care will be provided through the Synod Moderator who may delegate some elements of this to others (further references to the Moderator should be taken also to refer to such delegates). Regular contact will be maintained between the Moderator and those whose sickness absence extends beyond four weeks. The preferences of the minister and their family for the frequency and manner of such contact will be respected, subject to the minimum requirements of the procedures for regular Moderator reviews of sickness absence.

It is also the responsibility of the Synod to satisfy itself that the churches within a minister’s pastorate are supported, as far as is possible, during a minister’s extended absence.

The Pastoral Reference and Welfare Committee may become involved where the Synod Moderator judges this to be helpful.

Continuation ��of Stipend

Stipend will be paid during periods of sickness in such sums as shall be determined from time to time by the MoM sub-committee and will take into account the regulations and benefit schemes of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Under the terms of the current Plan for Partnership (para 6.1.2), ministers who are unable to work because of sickness or accident shall be paid full stipend (less any Employment Support Allowance or Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit received) for a period of six months. ��Any sickness arising in the twelve months prior to the first day of a new period of sickness will be taken into account in the calculation of those six months.

At the appropriate time after the beginning of any sickness absence, the MoM sub-committee shall determine, in consultation with the Synod Moderator and having taken independent occupational health advice, what further help, if any, should be given when the entitlement to full stipend comes to an end. The level of any payments to be made after six months will be notified by the end of the fifth month of absence, in the first instance, and may be reviewed later with regard to circumstances.

Occupational ��Health Advice

The MoM sub-committee may seek advice about the impact of an illness on the individual and their ability to work from the Church’s medical adviser and also from a specialist Occupational Health organisation. This may include a review of relevant medical records and a telephone or personal consultation.

Such advice requires the consent of the individual. Where consent is not given, the decisions of the MoM sub-committee will be based only upon the available information. However, under the terms of the Pension Fund Rules, any application for an ill-health pension may only be granted after obtaining such independent medical advice.

Disability

The 91�������� aims to follow the spirit of relevant legislation such as the Equalities Act 2010 (regardless of whether in an individual’s situation the legal obligations apply). Where an illness leaves a minister with a disability, the Synod will work with the individual and the pastorate/post to ensure that appropriate reasonable adjustments are made to allow the individual to work effectively.

Extended Periods of Absence

For some individuals incapacity through physical or mental illness may be judged to be permanent. In such cases ministers who belong to the 91�������� Ministers’ Pension Fund may apply for an ill-health pension.

At the point at which payments of stipend cease, some ministers will still feel unable to resume their full duties even though their illness is not considered permanent. Where such a situation is anticipated their Moderator may make reference to the Pastoral Reference and Welfare Committee; they may then invoke the Church’s incapacity procedure.

Grievance

Where a minster has a grievance about the way in which the sickness absence procedures are implemented, they are encouraged to make every effort to resolve this informally with those involved. Where an informal approach does not resolve the grievance the 91�������� Grievance Procedure provides a means of seeking a fair and impartial resolution of the grievance.

Sickness Absence Procedures

The pattern of timescales and requirements set out in the following sections may ��be applied flexibly where considered appropriate. The MoM convener will consider all individual cases and may make adjustments as judged appropriate. A summary of the key elements and timing of the procedures is set out in Appendix 1.

Notification ��of absence

Ministers/CRCWs should notify their Synod Office and the MoM Office if they are unable to work for more than three days due to sickness. This enables the proper records to be maintained.

The first seven days of sickness may be self certified (by letter, email or telephone) but after that all continuing sickness must be covered by a doctor’s statement of fitness for work (‘Fit note’). Copies of these notifications should be sent to the Synod Moderator and MoM Office.

Both MoM and Synod offices should also be informed when the minister returns to work after a period of certificated absence.

Record-keeping

The MoM Office will maintain a full record of sickness absence, decisions about the continuation of stipend, including copies of correspondence and notes of any telephone calls. They will initiate the Moderator Reviews, doctor’s reports and Occupational Health assessments as required and retain copies of the completed reports.

The Synod will maintain a chronological record of all their contacts with the minister and complete the necessary forms/reports needed by the MoM sub- committee in a timely manner so that decisions about the levels of stipend payable are based upon full information about the individual’s situation.

Fit Notes

The “Statement of Fitness for Work” was introduced to replace the old sick note in 2010. Doctors use the note to offer advice about the individual’s fitness for work.

The two main options are that the individual is “not fit for work” or “may be fit for work” taking into account the doctor’s advice.

In the latter case the Fit note may contain advisory information from the GP such as suggestions for a phased return, workplace adaptations or temporary adjustment ��to duties. ��The information given on the form is advisory and is not binding.

Where a note is received indicating that the minister may be fit for work, the Synod Moderator should take the initiative in contacting the individual to discuss how these recommendations can be put into effect. More details are given in ‘Return to Work’, below.

Actions During Absence from Work

While all doctors’ Fit notes should be sent to the MoM Office, communications with the minister will normally be through the Synod Moderator or their delegate.

It is important to maintain good communications with a minister who is absent due to sickness for more than four weeks. Regular pastoral contact by the Synod Moderator or a representative can demonstrate care and ensure that the ��Moderator has up to date knowledge of the minister’s condition. This may also enable the Church to provide appropriate support. With some ministers, perhaps in the event of mental illness, there will be a need for extra sensitivity; in such cases the Moderator may agree with the minister that a family member or friend be the Synod’s prime point of contact.

In any event, in order that the MoM sub-committee can carry out its duties, Moderators are expected to complete formal review discussions with the minister as described below.

Initial Moderator Review

Our practice is based upon evidence from research showing that people are more likely to get back to work as their illness recedes when they and their employers talk during periods of sickness and make plans for returning to work. Good practice is to begin to discuss and set a framework for actions towards a return to working when someone has been absent from work for a period of time, probably between ��4 – 6 weeks, and review this in the light of the actual course of the illness.

Where a minister’s sickness absence is expected to continue beyond four weeks, the MoM office will ask the Moderator to arrange a visit to the minister and complete a Ministerial Sickness Review Form. The completed form should be sent to the MoM Office who will forward this to the MoM convener. The minister will be sent a copy of this and any subsequent reports by the MoM Office if requested.

Subsequent Moderator Reviews

In the light of the initial review, and the nature of the minister’s illness, the MoM convener will determine a pattern for further reviews. The normal timing of follow- up reviews will be to request one at 10 weeks, and if necessary further reports to ��be completed by 5, 8 and 11 months. While best practice would be for these to be conducted during a visit, it is acceptable to conduct the reviews over the telephone by mutual agreement.

Medical Adviser’s Report

A medical adviser’s report will be requested if a fit note is received indicating that the absence may extend to 10 or more weeks or if there are earlier indications that the illness may extend beyond three months.

In such situations the MoM Office will request a report from the Church’s medical adviser. When a report is needed, the MoM Office will send the minister a form which includes information about their rights under the Access to Medical Records Act 1988. The minister is asked to give consent and pass the form to their GP, who will forward their responses to the Church’s medical adviser. ��The GP’s answers remain confidential to the medical adviser, who will make a report based upon them, including a diagnosis. This report will be sent to the MoM convener.

Occupational Health Assessment

In addition to the medical adviser’s report, the Church’s appointed Occupational Health organisation will be asked to review the position if the sickness absence continues for more than three months and where it seems possible that absence may extend to six or more months.

It is important that this report is completed and returned to the MoM Office in good time to allow the MoM sub-committee to consider whether, and at what level, any stipend payments should be made beyond six months. This decision has to be made by the end of the fifth month of absence. An additional important benefit of this assessment is that it incorporates an opportunity for the minister to have a confidential general discussion of health issues and receive advice on lifestyle/ health management.

The process is initiated by the MoM Office, who will inform the Moderator and the minister of the need for Occupational Health assessment. The minister will be sent an information sheet and the consultation referral form. The referral form will indicate the specific questions on which advice is sought. The minister is asked to complete Section D and send it on to the Moderator for their completion of Section E and return to the MoM Office. The form will then be sent to the OH company who will conduct their consultation with the minister either by telephone or face-to- face.

When the OH company has undertaken the consultation and sent its report to the MoM Office, the contents will be shared with the Moderator and the MoM sub- committee. The report, which is advisory only, will focus upon the work-related aspects of the minister’s health, their fitness to work and the practical steps that might facilitate a return to work. Medical information remains confidential to the OH organisation.

The minister may obtain a copy of the OH report from the MoM Office. If they wish to comment on the contents of the report, they may send such comments to the MoM Office, who will forward these on to the MoM sub-committee and Synod Moderator.

A further OH report may be sought at a later date if the MoM sub-committee considers it necessary in deciding whether further stipend payments should be made.

Application ��for Ill-health Pension

Where incapacity to work appears to be permanent, a minister who is a member of the 91�������� Ministers’ Pension Fund may apply for an ill-health pension. The Pensions Executive will consider this request on behalf of the Fund’s Trustee.

Their decision will be based upon an assessment of whether the minister is, and will continue to be, unable to carry on his/her occupation because of physical or mental impairment. As the pension fund rules require the Trustee to make a decision based upon advice from a registered medical practitioner, an OH assessment will be requested in these circumstances.

Return to Work

On return to work, the date of return should be advised to the MoM and Synod offices.

Where there has been an extended period of absence a phased return to work may be appropriate. When a Fit note suggests a pattern of increasing duties, the Moderator should initiate a discussion about phased return to work. Such discussions might also arise in the course of regular contact between the minister and Moderator. Any such planned return to work must be agreed between the Moderator, the pastorate/post and the minister in a written plan of increasing involvement towards full duties. The plan would normally last up to two months, and not generally beyond three months.

The aim of phased return to work is to build up the workload in stages, beginning with those that seem easiest to undertake or by limiting working hours/location to those that best suit the minister’s condition – and not necessarily beginning with the aspects perceived to be of most importance to the church(es). The approach will differ for different people and illnesses; there are no hard and fast rules.

Some examples of such patterns of return to work are: to begin with only Sunday services with the attaching preparation being undertaken; starting by working only mornings or afternoons with no evening meetings or pastoral visiting; in a multi- church pastorate, return might be limited to specific church(es) for the first few weeks.

Once a planned pattern of return to work has been agreed the MoM Office should be informed of the date of phased return to work. At this point, where stipend has been reduced, the MoM sub-committee will normally agree to restore payments to the full level.

If in practice a return to work does not continue as planned, this should also be notified to the Synod Moderator and MoM Office. In any event the Moderator should report to the MoM Office on progress at the end of the planned phased period of return to work, and monthly if the period extends beyond four weeks.

Where, at the end of the planned phased return to work, the minister has not yet returned to full duties, but is expected to recover sufficiently to do so in future, the MoM sub-committee will decide whether it is appropriate to reduce the stipend payable to reflect the level of work being undertaken. If it is considered unlikely that in the foreseeable future the minister’s health will recover sufficiently to allow a return to full duties, the process of formally reducing the minister’s full-time service should commence immediately.

(Effective from 5th October 2016)

Appendix 1

NB. Where a phased return to work is agreed, this will also be reviewed by the Synod Moderator or nominee at monthly intervals

Download this policy

• 91�������� Ministers’ Sickness Absence Policy and Procedure (PDF | 657mb)

The post 91�������� Ministers’ Sickness Absence Policy and Procedure appeared first on United Reformed Church.

1. Introduction

1.1 Lay preachers are an integral part of the church. Along with the other recognised ministries in the United reformed Church, Lay preaching affirms that ministry is the work of the whole people of God.

“The Lord Jesus Christ continues his ministry in and through the church, the whole people of God called and committed to his service equipped by him for it…… For the equipment of his people for this total ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ gives particular gifts, and calls some of his servants to exercise them in offices duly recognised within his Church.”

See Schedule A paragraph 19 and 20 (page 6) of The Basis of Union

1.2 Among the offices so recognised by the United Reformed Church is that of a lay preacher.

“The worship of the local church is an expression of the worship of the whole people of God. In order that this may be clearly seen, the United Reformed Church shall (a) take steps to ensure that so far as possible ordained ministers of the Word and Sacraments are readily available to every local church; (b) provide for the training of suitable men and women, members of the United Reformed Church, to be accredited by synods as lay preachers.

See Schedule A paragraph 25 (page 6) of The Basis if Union

1.3 The provisions of paragraph 25 are intended to establish the principle that worship should be led by representative persons recognised by the wider church as well as by the local church.

• to do and to bear his will all the days of their life.

See Schedule B (page 4) of the Manual Details the functions of the elders’ meeting

2. Safer Recruitment

2.1 The United Reformed Church is committed to the safeguarding and protection of all within our church communities. The United Reformed Church recognises the importance of carefully selecting, training and supporting all those with any responsibility within the Church.

2.2 Those thinking of becoming an Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher should, where possible,

a) attend an Enquirer’s Event organised by the Ministries Office and normally held in February and October each year via Zoom;

b) be a church member for at least one year;

c) be given copies of the leaflet Become a Worship Leader, even a Lay Preacher;

d) have a conversation with the Synod Lay Preaching Commissioner;

e) have a conversation with their minister/interim moderator;

f) agree for their names to go forward to Church Meeting.

2.3 The applicant should contact the Ministries Office for a registration form plus copies of

a) The Marks of Ministry of an Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher

b) 91�������� Guidelines for the Conduct and Behaviour of Lay Preachers

c) A course outline

2.4 The Synod Lay Preaching Commissioner should ensure the Ministries Office receives:

a) The application form

b) A Church meeting minute that the church meeting approves of the candidate going forward;

c) Two references – one being the minister of the church or the interim moderator where there is no minister;

d) Should these no give cause for concern then the Ministries Office would organise the DBS (can’t do PVGs for lay preachers so they are all DBSs); if there is a blemish this is followed up by the Secretary for Ministries and the 91�������� Designated Safeguarding as per the usual process.

2.5 Any concerns during training come back to the Ministries Office where the concerns would be dealt with.

Last updated: July 2021

Download this guidance

• Safer Recruitment of Assembly Accredited Lay Preachers (PDF | 126kb)

The post Safer Recruitment of Assembly Accredited Lay Preachers appeared first on United Reformed Church.

Find out what happens at an assessment conference and what’s expected of the assessment board when considering candidates for ministry.

The objective is to reach a decision on behalf of the Church as to whether to send a candidate for training for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work.

This is achieved by reaching a careful and balanced view of a candidate’s potential for ministry in the United Reformed Church and advice about appropriate training.

Reaching such a decision is easier said than done, because subjective and personal elements in any assessment or person cannot be eradicated and should in fact find their place.

The question ‘Can I see this person as my minister or CRCW?’ is a valid one. However, it is important that a judgement on a person’s suitability for ministry is more than just intuitive and is determined by an appraisal of a candidate’s potential to display and develop qualities and skills deemed necessary for ministry.

The criteria for ministry have been a matter for continuing debate for the Assessment Board. General Assembly in 1996 agreed Criteria for Assessment. ��The Core Competencies for Church Related Community Work Ministry (May 2015) and the Marks of Ministry for Ministers of Word and Sacraments (May 2019) form the basis of this assessment.

The Assessment Panel at an assessment conference is drawn from the Assessment Board appointed by the General Assembly. It includes experienced ordained, commissioned and lay members, those with particular gifts in counselling, personnel management, theological perception, those with personal knowledge of various styles of ministry, community development work and from differing theological stances.

A panel will normally consist of four members, balanced as far as possible in the various categories. Each candidate will have two in-depth interviews with members of the panel working in pairs. The task is demanding, searching and at times deeply moving, and assessors are all too aware of the responsibility laid upon them.

The panel receives all the paperwork in the candidate’s application. Interviewers read these papers before meeting the candidate so that the interview can be conducted in the light of the individual’s concerns and personal statement.

Interviews take account of previous experience in the church and the community, the circumstances of a call, a candidate’s devotional life, expectation of future ministry and views about the training they feel they need.

The application form and various references, including a report from the synod form the basis of discussion, but the conference provides the opportunity to go much deeper. Often the candidates are faced with questions about their faith or themselves which have never occurred to them before, and it is clearly a learning process for them, let alone the assessors.

For candidates for Church Related Community Work the interviews will include a 10 minute presentation on their understanding of faith producing actions which make a positive difference to people and their communities.

Personal Development A professionally trained person in the field of Personal Development assists the assessment conference through appropriate tests and conversation in order to help evaluate potential and identify particular issues.

Group Exercises All candidates take part in two group exercises which help to demonstrate their awareness of current issues, pastoral sensitivity and the ability to work collaboratively.

The Education and Learning Board at assessment conferences consists of representatives of the Resource Centres for Learning and the Education and Learning Committee. Board members meet with each candidate to discuss the training programme appropriate for the ministry for which the candidate is applying. The Education and Learning Board plays no part in formulating the recommendations of the Assessment Board. ��The following Code of Practice has been agreed by the General Assembly:

(i) The assessment conferences shall take careful account of any wishes expressed by a candidate.

Factors to be taken into account will include:

• The Resource Centre for Learning (RCL) milieu which will best enable the student to develop personally and spiritually,
• The kind of course most suitable;
• The size and balance of the student body at any particular time,
• The final choice is without prejudice to the admission procedures of the college.

A subsequent change of Resource Centre at the request of the candidate will only be recommended if good reasons can be clearly stated to all concerned.

(ii) In the interest of all concerned, a candidate may contact or visit any of the three RCLs before the assessment conference.

Pastoral care is exercised by a chaplain, who is not part of the assessment process. The chaplain’s role is to lead worship and be available to candidates for support and debriefing.

The assessors are very much aware of the role of synods both before and after the assessment conference in ensuring that pastoral support is offered to all candidates, whether or not they are commended for training.

Worship is an important part of the assessment conference and is led by the chaplain.

During 2020, because of restrictions on movement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, assessment conferences have been held online via Zoom. The Assessment Board has kept to the process as described above as far as is possible. Instead of two group exercises there will be one presentation and one group exercise.

The Assessment Board may decide to invite the candidate to return to the next in-person assessment conference.

Last updated: November 2020

The post What happens at an assessment conference? appeared first on United Reformed Church.

��1. Introduction

Meeting in November 2018, Mission Council passed the following resolutions:

1. Mission Council, acting on behalf of General Assembly, authorises a model 4 non-stipendiary ministry which will provide for locally ordained ministers, as outlined in paper H2, November

2. Mission Council directs the ministries committee to ensure that plans for this model of ministry are appropriately complementary to other ministries of the church – including stipendiary ministry, current models of non-stipendiary ministry, local leadership (recognising that this is currently directed by synods) and the eldership, including the specific role of authorised

3. Mission Council rules that the training for this model of ministry need not be bound by the standard set out in resolution 37 of General Assembly 1997 and that further training might be required before an NSM model 4 could transfer to other models of non-stipendiary or to stipendiary

4. Mission Council instructs the ministries and education and learning committees to implement model four non-stipendiary ministry in consultation with the assessment board and the resource centres for

2. Candidating and Assessment

2.1 The supporting text for the November 2018 Mission Council resolutions specified that the call to ministry for model 4 NSM should be determined in the same way as other calls to ministry of word and sacraments through both the synod candidating process and the Assembly’s assessment Subsequent discussion involving representatives of the ministries committee, education and learning committee and synod moderators identified one additional piece of paperwork. This is a role description and person specification for the intended NSM model 4 role and the candidate’s reflection on these.

2.2 Fitting this into the established candidating process, as agreed at General Assembly 2016, would produce the following steps:

a. The candidate meets with the synod moderator to discern a sense of This meeting shall also explore whether the candidate might serve in their own church or is open to serve in a church other than their own.

b. If all pre-assessment criteria are met the synod candidating secretary is informed and an application form is supplied to the candidate

c. Synod candidating secretary receives the application and personal references and provisionally books a space for the candidate at an assessment conference

d. Arrangements made for the candidate to conduct an assessed service and the candidate supplies reflective accounts on a Church Meeting and a synod (Note that some synods also require a candidate to shadow a minister or undertake a short placement.)

e. Church Meeting interview and If there is a decision to recommend the Church Secretary sends a report to the candidating secretary.

f. Local interview on behalf of the synod (where held).

g. Synod interview and If there is a decision to recommend the synod candidating secretary notifies the ministries office and forwards the candidate’s papers, including a synod report.

h. A role description and person specification will be finalized by the relevant synod committee in agreement with the synod moderator (see below at 4 and 2.5). This, along with the candidate’s reflection on how they meet the description and specification is included in the papers sent to the ministries office.

i. Assessment conference which includes interviews with assessors and a panel representing the education and learning Prior to the conference the candidate will be required to complete an online assessment, the outcome of which is discussed with a personal development officer.

j. After the conference members of the assessment board will meet the candidate in the relevant synod on a previously agreed date.

k. If the decision is yes, the candidate is offered a training place subject to completion of the required medical and psychological screenings and a satisfactory criminal record The outline pattern for training will have been determined by the education and learning panel at the assessment conference and will take note that preparation for this model of ministry is not bound by resolution 37 of the 1997 General Assembly. See section 3 below for further information on Education for Ministry Phase 1 for NSM Model 4.

2.3 It is noted that synods may vary slightly in the detail of how certain stages are undertaken (e.g. who checks that the preassessment criteria are met, at what point reflective accounts are obtained) but the process should include the steps given above.

2.4 The production of a job description and person specification may begin earlier in the process and may grow out of discussions that take place quite early However, it becomes a formal tool in the discernment process at the assessment conference stage. It is important that the identifying of the leadership role needed in the local church is addressed robustly by the appropriate synod body and not confused with the testing of a call to that identified ministry.

2.5 If the candidate is successful and it is agreed they should go to Assessment Conference a role description and person specification should be drawn up by the Synod Pastoral Committee (or equivalent) in agreement with the moderator and the local church which may include some or all of the following:

Role Description��

• To provide visible leadership in the church by worshipping at the church reguarly
• To lead worship on a regular basis (specify the intended frequency, eg. the number of services per month)
• To give leadership to the church community in seeking to plan and develop the mission strategy of the church
• To assist the Elders in planning for the nurture of church members
• To teach, or to help provide teaching for, those seeking baptism, confirmation or membership
• In association with the Elders, to be responsible for pastoral care of members, and to be prepared to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice
• To chair Elders’ and Church Meetings
• To give guidance to the Elders and Church Meetings on denominational matters
• To represent the church at meetings of Synod Together and the Synod Area
• To give leadership to the church in ecumenical matters, including representing the church on the local Churches Together.

Person Specification

• Education/Qualifications/Training
• Skills and abilities
• Knowledge
• Other requirements

2.6 The above process is particularly intended for candidates for Model 4 non-stipendiary Ministry of Word and Sacraments, hence there is no reference to the variations in the process that apply to candidates for Church Related Community Work

3. Principles for equipping people for Model 4 NSM

3.1 Mission Council resolved that the training for this model of ministry need not be bound by the standard set out in resolution 37 of General Assembly Therefore a Diploma of Higher Education in Theology is not required before an individual can be ordained and inducted to non-stipendiary service in Model 4. The Education for Ministry Phase 1 (EM1) programme for someone accepted for NSM Model 4 will be tailored by and to local circumstances.

3.2 The Education and Learning Board at the Assembly Assessment Conference will stipulate which Resource Centre for Learning (RCL) will be responsible for the individual’s EM1 programme, if they are accepted for training by the Assessment The designated RCL will work with the student and their synod to outline a programme in the weeks after the Assessment Conference, and will seek agreement from the Education and Learning Board before EM1 commences.

3.3 EM1 for NSM model 4 may commence once the necessary post-assessment processes have been completed (see 2k above). EM1 for NSM model 4 does not have to start and end in line with the academic year. Start dates will be determined by the RCL, in consultation with the Education & Learning Board.

3.4 Ministerial formation for NSM model 4 is locally embedded, and a student will not normally need to stand down from all their existing responsibilities in their sending church, although (depending upon their experience) the RCL and synod may ask that the student vary their responsibilities and/or gain some wider experience locally.

3.5 A student pursuing EM1 for NSM model 4 would take at least one-year full time or two years part time to undertake the agreed programme for their learning and experience.

3.6 The RCL will ‘sign off’ the student when they have completed their EM1 programme satisfactorily by issuing a Leaving Certificate in the normal way and having kept the Assembly Assessment Board informed of the student’s This will be sufficient for General Assembly and Synod purposes. The subsequent ordination certificate will specify that induction is to NSM model 4.

4. Requirements within EM1 for NSM model 4

4.1 There are several important facets of ministerial development that are listed as��particular subjects below (see section 6). It should always be the case that the evidence of attainment of standards in these subjects includes sufficient attention to certain essential aspects that are interwoven in all that is asked of ministerial students. These essential aspects are:

• Children, youth and intergenerational work
• Ministering contextually
• Intercultural awareness
• Understanding of discipleship in the contemporary world
• Inclusivity

4.2 Individuals accepted by the Assessment Board to train for NSM model 4 are subject to some of the same requirements of other EM1 students, given that they are anticipating being ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacraments in the United Reformed Church, albeit in a specified local These requirements are:

a. Completion of the “Introduction to the United Reformed Church” course, tutored by synods, and including attendance at the “Ethos and History” weekend held annually for new EM1 students at Westminster College in Some candidates for NSM4 may have completed all or part of this course previously. They will need to show that they have fulfilled all the assignments, and will attend the next available Ethos & History weekend.

b. Safeguarding awareness:

i) Training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and children at levels specified by their Synod and RCL;
ii) Evidence of participation in a course on Safe Boundaries in Pastoral Practice course which meets the standards of the 91��������;
iii) A formal conversation with their synod safeguarding officer to confirm their understanding of 91�������� expectations on safeguarding and boundaries.

4.3 Given the nature of NSM model 4, the following requirements will also be included in their EM1:

a. Attendance at synod or RCL-led courses on pastoral support of the dying and grieving unless substantial experience already gained in these areas.

b. Completion of one year (full-time) or two years (part-time) ‘placement’, at least five hours per week, which may be in their sending church and/or other context agreed by the RCL and synod

c. Work with an assigned RCL Tutor to complete portfolio of all evidence and to reflect upon their practice in at least one one-hour tutorial each half term during the period of EM1

d. The reporting requirements for students pursuing EM1 for NSM model 4 will be��similar to those of other EM1 students, using a standard reporting format based on the marks of Ministry of Word and Sacraments accepted by Mission Council in May 2019 and taking into account the role description and person specification agreed during the candidating process.

5. Core Subjects in EM1 for NSM model 4

5.1 Broad recommendations on EM1 for NSM4 will be made by the Education and Learning Board at the Assembly Assessment The details will be worked out by the designated RCL in consultation with the synod, taking into account the appropriate prior learning and experience of the student such as completion of TLS courses, Assembly- Accreditation as a Lay Preacher, service as a Synod-recognised local church leader, previous and current employment or voluntary work, etc.

5.2 Alongside any formal assessment which may be attached to a particular course, the student will be expected to maintain a Learning Journal to show evidence of their understanding and abilities in each subject, including in relation to the essential aspects listed above in section 1.

5.3 The RCL may ask for any work that doesn’t reach an appropriate standard to be repeated.��This also applies to practical tasks such as chairing meetings.

5.4 Any person undertaking a supervisory or reflector role with the student must be agreed by the RCL and the synod.

5.5 Any fees associated with courses which are agreed to be necessary by the RCL and synod will be re-imbursed by the normal Education & Learning committee systems for NSM model 4 students will also be reimbursed for eligible expenses.

5.6 What follows is a ‘menu’ from which an agreed programme will be developed, depending on the prior experience, strengths, aptitude and needs of the individual student and the role which the synod has identified for them to fulfil:

^{*These levels are the England and Wales system. Level 4 indicates year one of a degree programme, level 5 year 2. In Scotland there is a different set of numbering and Level 4 in this document = SQA 7 and Level 5 = SQA 8.}

Download this guidance

• NSM Model 4: Discerning a call and equipping for service (PDF | 193kb)

The post NSM Model 4: Discerning a call and equipping for service appeared first on United Reformed Church.

Special Category Ministries are outside any deployment quotas; they are in addition to ordained ministry being exercised by the vast majority of ministers in local pastorates. The ‘special category’ posts represent an attempt by the Church to recognise its missionary task on the ‘frontiers’ of industry or education and in the face of social need. They are ‘special’ only for the purposes of deployment. It is important that this post is seen as part of the Synod’s mission strategy, and the application should indicate how this is so.

Special Category Ministry posts are broadly of three kinds and your ministry will fall into one of the three categories:

• new or priority areas of outreach where pioneering work is required and where it would not be appropriate to expect the Synod to provide a minister from the existing deployment quota;
• chaplaincies: ministers in ‘workplace’ ministry or in educational institutions, often universities;
• innovative ministry in unique situations.

Ministers of Word and Sacraments in a Special Category Ministry are officer holders of the United Reformed Church. They serve in accredited posts with the agreement of the local church (or groups of churches) and Synod. The post is for a five-year term in the first instance. This may be extended for a second five-year term only.

The work of the post is managed locally by a management group. The postholder will also have a support group.

The management group will meet with the post holder at least every six weeks in order to direct her or his work and progress the mission of the post. One of the members of the management group will be the postholder’s Line Manager. In order to evaluate the work/mission of the post, there will be regular reviews.

The Accreditations Sub-Committee is responsible for the oversight of the post and will maintain contact with all accredited posts through the Development Worker (CRCW & SCM).

Any Synod wishing to make an initial enquiry concerning a possible project should contact ministries@urc.org.uk.

The post Special Category Ministries appeared first on United Reformed Church.

��Continuing discernment

The journey from the exploration of a call to ministry, through selection, training and introduction, and then to ordination or commissioning is one of the most significant journeys that any Christian can It involves a willingness to open your life and your vocation to the testing of the Church.

It demands a great deal in terms of commitment, vulnerability and openness. It is a journey that, at every point, has no assured outcome and no pre-determined end. In itself it is a test of a person’s readiness to be shaped by the disciplines of the Church community and to engage in significant processes of discernment and searching.

Anyone who is willing to set out on this journey needs and deserves the assurance that they will be treated with integrity and honesty, that their pastoral needs will be addressed with courtesy and care and that whatever the outcome, the Church will continue to hold them at every stage in faithful care. The issuing of a call to a pastorate or post, subsequent ordination/commissioning and induction can never be guaranteed.

At every step of the journey, both Church and candidate are engaged in testing a call and at every stage it may become apparent that a different path is the next At every point, both Church and candidate are seeking to work out what is right.

There will be judgments to be made; about suitability or progress, about learning and personality, about availability and readiness. The Church is committed to making any judgments about vocation with care and rigour, in a spirit of prayer and discernment.

Such decisions will need to be made by assessment conferences as they consider entry to training, by Resource Centres for Learning as candidates take and progress through courses, and by local congregations or communities as they ask whether someone is called to a particular post or pastorate.

As decisions are made, and oversight is exercised, the greatest care will be taken to act with justice and wisdom. In every circumstance the Church will surround decision making, training and progression to new paths with appropriate and significant pastoral care.

Those�� who engage in this journey are asked to be continually open to the wisdom of the Holy ��Spirit, acting through the councils, teachers and processes of the Church, as God’s people seek to listen for God’s will and to act in God’s name.

Those who oversee candidates for ministry (assembly committees, synod officers*, college tutors, etc) also expect to care for these Discussions about oversight are inseparable from those about care. Nonetheless the two issues are distinct.

Oversight reflects the church’s responsibility to ensure, so far as it can, that those who enter its ministry are ready and suited to serve. Care aims to help those who have offered for�� ministerial training to sustain and draw strength from their relationships – with God, family, friends, neighbours, church and self.

Occasionally the two responsibilities must be dealt with quite separately. This paper, then, deals with both topics; they are linked, but they should not be confused.

The oversight and care of candidates for ministry should be exercised with due discretion and respect for the individuals It is also important to recognize that all stages of candidating and Education for Ministry Phase 1 are subject to the Data Protection Act of 1998, which is a law designed to protect the privacy of individuals, in particular with regards to the processing of their personal information.

It is therefore important that assembly committees, synods, and Resource Centres for Learning have clear protocols for keeping information on individuals, and understand the conditions under which candidates may have access to information on request.

Decisions to be taken about entry to Education for Ministry Phase 1��

It is important to distinguish four separate issues:

One: Whether�� someone should train for ministry

Since General Assembly 2007 this decision is taken by the Assembly Assessment Board acting on behalf of the United Reformed Church. Candidates only attend an Assessment Conference as a result of a synod decision following a synod interview.**

Two: Through�� which Resource Centre for Learning someone should train for ministry

This is a decision of the Education and Learning Board at the Assessment Conference, following Resolution 40 on Assessment Procedure passed by the 2007 General Assembly. The decision is reached after the Board has interviewed the candidate and taken careful note of any training recommendation of the synod.

Three: When someone should train for the ministry

For a few candidates, whose educational qualifications are marginal, there is a question about readiness to start training. This decision lies with the Assembly’s Assessment Board following the General Assembly’s decision in 1997 (Record for 1997, p 40: “such professional qualifications or experience of life and work as, in the opinion of the Assessment Panel … provides a suitable foundation for training”).

Where a candidate’s educational background does not clearly match the United Reformed Church’s declared standards, the Assessment Board will seek advice from the Education and Learning Board at Assessment Conference, in order to decide whether the candidate is ready to enter formal training straightaway or whether further preparatory work is needed.

Synods are therefore asked to initiate early contact with the Church’s Secretary for Education & Learning about any unusual cases, in order that there may be due and timely consideration of individual circumstances.

Four: Who tells the candidate whether they will be sent to train for ministry

Members of the Assessment Board will meet with the candidate and synod representatives in the second or third week after the Assessment Conference to meet the candidate and convey the decision.

This is also an opportunity to talk to the synod about the final decision and, where the decision is to send the candidate for training, to discuss through which Resource Centre for Learning they will train, and the ongoing care and oversight of the candidate/student with synod representatives. If the decision is not to send the candidate for training or to defer training then the discussion needs to focus on the debriefing process and care of the candidate.

For the sake of simplicity and clarity the rest of this web page will refer to the “student”, to distinguish between the individual’s progress through the initial assessment process and their entry into Education for Ministry Phase Assessment of an individual’s suitability for ministry does not end when a candidate is accepted as a student, since discernment continues throughout the Education for Ministry Phase 1.

Starting training – contact between relevant bodies

��Copies of the Assessment Board and Education and Learning Board’s decisions are sent to the synod in the week following an Assessment As soon as possible after the candidate has formally accepted the offer of training, a copy of their application papers is sent from Ministries, via Education and Learning, to the appropriate Resource Centre for Learning.

These papers will also include the Assembly Assessment Board report, the Education and Learning Board report, any comments from the synod, the report of the Personal Development Officer, along with the reports of the pre-training health screening and psychological health screening conducted after the Assessment Conference.

It is vital that any qualifications and comments made during the initial assessment process are kept in mind throughout training and are reviewed when the final decision on eligibility for a call is taken.

The Resource Centre for Learning will invite the student for a meeting to discuss their recommended course of study, financial support during training, and other practical matters such as housing and residential arrangements.

All students in Education for Ministry Phase 1 are expected to complete the Introductory Course (An Introductory Course on the United Reformed Church – worship, structure, history, ministry). This is tutored by their synod over a number of local It includes a residential weekend on the ethos and history of the United Reformed Church coordinated by the Secretary for Education & Learning.

Responsibility for keeping the Assessment Board updated on a student’s progress rests with the relevant Assembly Officers (Secretary for Education & Learning and Secretary for Ministries) working in conjunction with the Resource Centre for Learning and the synod.

Who cares?����

The stresses of passing through a complex and extended process of training can be great, and the Church has a responsibility to offer its ministerial students pastoral care that both respects their needs and supports their The Church expects to honour that responsibility as follows:

• The synod has an anchor role in the care of the individual, beginning from the time they make their initial application to be considered as a candidate for ministry, sustained during the initial assessment process, and continuing throughout the training period and beyond, whether or not the completion of Education for Ministry Phase 1 results in the issuing of a If synod officers are not well placed to provide constant or close care themselves, they must satisfy themselves that this is being provided.
• The Resource Centre for Learning has a prime role through its regular contact with the student, and should seek to provide support through an assigned tutor.
• Resource Centres for Learning should ensure that each student has a viable set of arrangements for pastoral care which is appropriate to their This may, in some cases, include the appointment of a suitable person to the office of Chaplain to the Resource Centre for Learning. Arrangements for pastoral care should ensure that the student has someone to whom they can take concerns who is independent of the assessment and discernment processes and fully committed to confidentiality.
• A number of student families experience strain during the training years, and have not always found it easy to share their It is important that:a) the synod should initiate a pastoral contact with the family, as soon as the candidacy is Thus, if a candidate is accepted many months before training formally begins, the need for contact and care may begin then and should include advice on related matters such as the financial implications of training and ministry;b) when a family has relocated to live near a Resource Centre for Learning, the Centre should initiate a pastoral contact with the family soon after the move.
• How (and indeed whether) such an initial contact leads into a longer-term pastoral relationship will vary from family to Some responsibility lies with the person who has made the contact for sustaining it in ways that may be helpful.

Thus there are important expectations that pastoral care will start at a very early stage in candidacy, and that it will be available throughout Education for Ministry Phase Nonetheless, no single system or practice will ever suit all candidates equally well. All who carry responsibility should expect to care for individuals in – to some extent – individual ways.

Should it become clear to either the synod or the Resource Centre for Learning that a student or student’s family is experiencing extreme difficulty or stress they should, with��the permission of the individuals involved, inform the Secretary for Education and Learning in the first instance so that an appropriate response can be considered.

The Secretary for Education and Learning will keep the Secretary for Ministries informed. There may be cases where pastoral necessity requires a decision to be taken about the continuation of Education for Ministry Phase 1. The decision would be taken by the Assessment Board, having consulted all parties including the student.

Education for Ministry Phase 1 – contact between relevant bodies

The Assessment Board has an oversight duty towards those who have been recommended for This needs to be exercised in close cooperation and consultation with the Assembly Officers, the synod and the Resource Centre for Learning because for much of a candidate’s training period the Assessment Board’s oversight will be exercised remotely through the receiving of summary reports.

Throughout training, the Assessment Board will delegate routine oversight responsibility, through the Secretary for Education and Learning, to the Resource Centre for Learning, which should have regular contact with the synod in relation to each student, on at least an annual basis and preferably at more frequent intervals.

The Secretary for Education and Learning is eligible to attend key meetings of the Resource Centres for Learning and thereby hear and participate in deliberations about students’ progress. It is primarily through the Resource Centre for Learning that the Assessment Board is represented in the training process as well as in the pastoral care of candidates.

The synod should be involved in the discussions leading to the preparation of the annual report, so that this becomes a shared Such contact and involvement from the synod will normally involve a personal visit to the training institution and to the candidate.

The purpose is both to monitor and to affirm, and problems that arise will initially be addressed within these consultations involving the Resource Centre for Learning, the synod and the student. However, there may be some cases in which issues of discipline or performance begin to develop to a point at which formal procedures are initiated. It will then become necessary to separate the roles of pastoral care (synod) and oversight (Resource Centre for Learning /Assessment Board). This is discussed further in below.

Annual Reports

In 1998 the synod moderators offered a list of eleven headings which they hoped to see used in college and course reports on students:

1. Background and experience
2. Contribution to college
3. Placement work
4. Worship and preaching
5. Academic performance
6. Relationships
7. Leadership qualities
8. Spirituality
9. Theological perspective
10. Development objectives
11. Other matters to consider

Consistent use of these headings in annual reports from Resource Centres for Learning should enable all parties to see more clearly how the student is developing through Education for Ministry Phase 1, and how any difficulties have been addressed and dealt with. It is understood that individual Resource Centres for Learning have��inherited reporting systems which may be shaped by ecumenical requirements and local practice. However, the spirit of the moderators’ request in 1998 is that if at all possible the reporting pattern for all United Reformed Church students should be consistent.

It is essential that nothing in the annual reports, or indeed anything in placement reports or other reports which play a part in assessment, should be concealed from the Data protection is one issue – we cannot expect to deal in closed reports.

Factors that eventually ought to influence placement in service need to be addressed openly as they arise by the Resource Centre for Learning with the student, in consultation with the sending synod, and if necessary with the Secretary for Education and Learning and Assessment Board. There should be no secrets and no surprises in any of the annual reports.

The RCL will send a copy of the student’s annual report to the The RCL will also send a copy of the report to the Secretary for Education & Learning, who will ensure that the Secretary for Ministries is aware that it has been received. The Secretary for Ministries will confirm the progress of students with the Convener of the Assessment Board, through a simple listing of reports received.

At any time during Education for Ministry Phase 1, a student may raise a personal matter that they wish to be handled with special discretion during the eventual introduction In such a case it is important that all concerned make clear to one another the expectations and boundaries that apply in dealing with such an issue. Making an introduction requires sharing of personal information; sharing of personal information requires consent.

The synod moderators begin to introduce candidates to vacant pastorates in their final Therefore the penultimate training report, if satisfactory, should be treated as a ‘provisional certificate of completed training’.

It implies that, so far as can be judged at this point, the candidate is expected to be ready and suitable for ministry at the completion of the course. The decision as to whether or not the penultimate training report is satisfactory rests with the Assessment Board.

It is important to be aware that two reports are written in succession at the end of the penultimate year of EM1 – a normal end of year report and a report specifically for the synod moderators.

The normal end of year review report emerges from the student’s self-assessment, placement report(s), the tutor’s report, and any other documentation which is a routine part of the RCL’s review process for It is this penultimate year report which will inform the Assessment Board’s decision on a student’s progress towards ordination or commissioning.

The annual meeting of the Assessment Board takes place in the first half of September so, for reasons of timing, it may be that the Convener of the Assessment Board and the Secretary for Ministries will act on behalf of the board in declaring a student eligible to go forward to the next stage of the process, unless doubts have been raised about an individual’s progress by the RCL.

The process for dealing with such a case is covered below.

The report for the synod moderators, which is written once provisional readiness for ministry has been confirmed by the Assessment Board’s officers, is written by the RCL and forwarded to the moderators for their meeting in Like the annual reports, this report is seen and signed off by the student.

The moderators are particularly keen that this report for each student should address directly the eleven issues noted in the guidance sheet. Not only do these headings address the issues which are relevant when seeking an introduction to service, but consistent use of them will enable clarity and parity when students from different Resource Centres for Learning have to be considered together for introduction to service.

The Assessment Board or its officers should not be asked to make a decision about a student’s readiness for ministry on the basis of incomplete Neither should synod moderators be asked to weigh factors of which the candidate has not been told, because otherwise their job becomes impossible. However, it is also important that all reports on a student should be dealt with discreetly and carefully.

As with other annual reports, the Assessment Board’s officers should receive the penultimate year’s report from the Resource Centre for Learning through the Secretary for Education and In the penultimate year this should be done in time to enable the next stages of the introduction process to proceed as scheduled. The Assessment Board, through the Secretary for Ministries, will ensure that the student, the Resource Centre for Learning, the synod, and the Secretary for Education and Learning are informed of its decision.

The Assessment Board’s decision on readiness for ministry should be notified to the next convenient meeting of Ministries Committee acting on behalf of General Assembly.

Introductions to vacant posts

Once agreement to proceed to introductions to vacant pastorates or posts (Readiness for ministry) is given by the Assessment Board, the Secretary for Ministries should ��ensure that both the student and their Moderator are informed of this

This is a vital stage, and requires the utmost care by all parties, along with considerable frankness about any apparent difficulties. If this stage is tackled properly, the processes of the ��final year should run more smoothly for all concerned; but below gives some guidance for the rare cases where they do not.

The process outlined in ‘ Annual reports’ above is based on a usual four year EM1 programme, and it may need to be adapted where completion is expected to be other than in the following For students heading for stipendiary service agreement should, if possible, be given at least six months before completion of training.

For those intending to serve in a non-stipendiary capacity agreement should preferably be given at least four months before the completion of training.

Pastorates to which students in their last year of EM1 are introduced, and students themselves, need to be told explicitly that entry to ministry is dependent on (i) the satisfactory completion of any academic courses which were included in the agreed training programme, subject to any amendments which may have been agreed with the Secretary for Education & Learning during the EM1 period; (ii) the receipt of a certificate of completed training from the Resource Centre for Learning (sometimes known as a “Leavers Certificate”); and (iii) the Assessment Board’s agreement.

When problems emerge

All students, when accepting the United Reformed Church’s offer of training, undertake to abide by the procedures and protocols of the Resource Centre for Learning to which they are Similarly, when registering for a particular course of study with a university as part of their agreed EM1 programme, they undertake to abide by the terms and conditions set by that institution.

In the same way that universities have their own disciplinary and grievance procedures, it is expected that the Resource Centres for Learning will make clear their policies and procedures through their student handbooks and other guidance documents. Students should expect to be supplied with such documents, or given online access to them, when they join the Resource Centre for Learning.

Issues may arise for the student, or between the student and the Resource Centre for Learning which, whilst pressing, do not cast serious doubts about a student’s progress towards In such cases the Assessment Board looks to the Resource Centre for Learning and the synod to liaise to resolve the issues.

The Resource Centre for Learning and the synod should use their judgement as to whether the Secretary for Education and Learning needs to be informed, and the student should be aware that such action is being taken.

In exceptional cases, and where there are not serious doubts about a student’s progress towards ministry as described below, the Resource Centre for Learning and the Education and Learning Committee*** may come to the view that the student and the United Reformed Church might be better served by the student transferring to another Resource Centre for Learning to complete their training.

Requests for transfers should be made in the first instance to the Secretary for Education and Learning. Transfers can only be made with the agreement of the Assessment Board, Education and Learning��Committee (through its Studies Panel), the current and potential Resource Centres for Learning, the synod, and the student. Transfers can be costly and disruptive for all concerned, and therefore will not be countenanced lightly.

If there are serious doubts about a student’s progress towards ministry at any point, including at the time of the penultimate report, or during the final year of training, the RCL will instigate what is known as Stage 1 of the ‘Amber Light’ procedure. The procedure is included in the student handbooks of each Resource Centre for Learning.

It includes the requirement that the Resource Centre for Learning, after due consideration with the synod and the student, and with their knowledge, contacts the Secretary for Education and Learning to inform them that the procedure is to be operated. The Secretary for Education and Learning will inform the Secretary for Ministries that such a contact has been made.

The purpose of the ‘Amber Light’ procedure is to determine what action is to be taken in response to the concerns regarding a student’s readiness for ministry. The outcomes of Stage 1 of the procedure will be either:

1. that action has been undertaken which has sufficiently addressed the concerns that were raised; or
2. that the concerns have not been In this case a recommendation for the Assessment Board to instigate Stage 2 of the ‘Amber Light’ procedure will be submitted through the Secretary for Education & Learning to the Secretary for Ministries.

There can be a number of outcomes from Stage 2 of the ‘Amber Light’ procedure, including a decision by the Assessment Board to withdraw the offer of a place on EM1 and thus end a student’s progress towards ministry.

If a student’s EM1 is deferred or terminated for any reason, the Assessment Board and especially the synod should ensure that appropriate care, support and consideration are given. Any financial implications should be discussed with the Secretary for Education and Learning and the Secretary for Ministries.

The receiving synod must be kept informed if the deferral or termination has taken place during the process of call to a pastorate. The receiving synod is responsible for informing the pastorate of developments, whilst taking into consideration the pastoral implications for the candidate and the pastorate of how this is to be done.

Entry to ministry

The moderator of the receiving synod should check before any ordination or commissioning that a Certificate of Completed Training has been issued. No ordination or commissioning should proceed without either the certificate being to hand or absolute assurance being given by the appropriate training institution or authority that it has been granted.

Last updated: 30 September 2014

^{* All references to synod in this paper are taken to mean the synod through which a person has candidated or in occasional cases another synod to which responsibility for them has been formally transferred. In the latter case the Ministries’ Assessment Board and Education and Learning committees need to be informed, through the Secretary for Education and Learning.}

^{** Synods may not change the recommendation of the Assembly’s Assessment Board. However, members of the Assessment Board will meet with representatives of the Synod should there be a difference between the decisions of the two groups in an attempt to reach a common mind.}

^{*** The Committee acts through its Studies Panel in order to make prompt decisions about amending the nature and duration of the educational programmes which individuals are undertaking in preparation for public ministry. It consists of the Convenor and Secretary of the Education & Learning Committee, the Coordinator of TLS, the Secretary for Ministries, the Assembly Leadership in Worship Advocate, and one other appointee.}

Download this guidance

• Oversight and care of candidates for ministry (PDF | 550kb)

The post Oversight and care of candidates for ministry appeared first on United Reformed Church.

The enquiry stage

Meeting with Minister or Interim Moderator

Informal and exploratory

Meeting with Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy

Informal and informative. However, the Moderator has a responsibility to check that the potential candidate fulfils the basic age, membership and educational criteria agreed by General Assembly. If a candidate does not meet any or all of the criteria the Moderator should discuss what steps could be taken in order for the candidate to satisfy the criteria or what other forms of service the candidate might be encouraged to offer to the Church.

Enquirers Event

At any point during this stage of the process the potential candidate should be encouraged to attend an Enquirers Event.

This pre-assessment phase needs to be undertaken carefully and unhurriedly and may take two or more years. The need to fulfil the pre-assessment criteria should not prevent prospective candidates from enquiring about the Ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work and beginning to explore their sense of calling.

Support and co-operation from the local Church, and Synod should begin from the time of the initial enquiry. The pre-assessment phase is a time of growth which can be encouraged in several ways e.g. Synods can arrange opportunities for prospective candidates to “shadow” one or more ministers.

However, the Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy is responsible for checking and confirming that the pre-Assessment Criteria have been satisfied before the formal assessment process begins with the Church Meeting commendation and report.

Once the pre-assessment criteria have been met, the Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy will pass the enquirer’s name to the Candidating Secretary. ��The Candidating Secretary will then send the application form and other paperwork to the enquirer. It is at this point that the formal candidating process begins.

The formal assessment stage

The formal assessment process will proceed as follows: Church Meeting decision, Synod decision, the Assessment Board which makes the final decisions about forwarding a candidate for�� training and the method of training taken after Assessment Conference interviews.

Church Meeting Interview

Produces a decision of a Council of the Church. If the decision is not to recommend the candidate will not proceed to the next stage.

Synod Interviews

Produce a decision of a Council of the Church. If the decision is not to recommend the candidate will not proceed to the next stage.

Therefore, any candidate who goes on to the Assessment Conference goes sponsored by the Synod. The structures of each Synod will doubtless determine how the Synod interviews are to be conducted. Synods have taken over the responsibilities which once lay with District Councils even though these may be devolved to a more local area grouping of churches.

This means that the Synods will need to oversee arrangements for an assessed service and any appropriate placement work or ‘shadowing’ for candidates for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments. Visits to established CRCW posts and workers will need to be arranged for candidates for Church Related Community Work.

Candidates will also be expected to attend both a Church Meeting and a Synod meeting and to write a reflection on both.

The Synod also will need to collect local knowledge and opinion of the candidate, which is set in a wider context than that of the local church alone, to help in reaching an informed decision. This may be done by arranging for an interview in a local grouping of churches which will then send a report to the Synod prior to the Synod interview itself.

The Synod interview should also identify whether there are determining factors in each candidate’s situation, personal or otherwise, which the interviewers would want the Education and Learning Board to take into account in selecting the resource centre and training programme.

This information should be sent to the Education and Learning Board via the Ministries office along with the report and decision on the candidate for the Assessment Board.

After the Synod interview the Synod should ensure that the candidates who have not been accepted for training receive appropriate support. This may include an element of mentoring if the candidate has been advised to reapply after completing some further, wider exploration of the United Reformed Church

Before the Assessment Board Conference

Once the candidate’s application form has been passed onto the Assessment Board by the Synod Candidating Secretary candidates will hear from the Ministries Office with details of the Assessment Conference and advising the candidate that they need to undergo psychometric testing with the Ministries preferred provider.

Assessment Board Conference

At the end of this Conference two decisions will have been made on behalf of the United Reformed Church, recognising that the Assessment Board has a mandate to do its work from General Assembly.

The first decision taken by the Assessment Board will be whether the candidate may or may not go forward for training.

If there is a positive recommendation it will be accompanied by a second decision taken by the Education and Learning Board as to the Resource Centre through which the candidate (now a student) will be trained. The Education and Learning Board will also outline the nature of that training.

The Education and Learning Board interviews the candidate during the weekend of the Assessment Conference but plays no part in the decisions reached by the Assessment Board.

No candidate will be informed immediately of the decisions of the Assessment and Education and Learning Boards. Arrangements need to be made with the Secretary for Ministries for a meeting between representatives of the Synod Ministries Committee and the Assessment Board to�� discuss any implications of the decision reached regarding the candidate.

This will take place within two weeks after the Assessment Conference and the candidate will be informed of the decision as soon as possible after that meeting, preferably on the same day.

An offer of training is subject to satisfactory completion of the necessary medical and psychological screening agreed by Mission Council in May 2011.

Any appeal against the Assessment Board decision will be made by the candidate using the Assessment Board Appeal process and on the basis that the approved procedure has not been followed.

Candidates are free to reapply after two years.

After candidating

��During training

The Synods will be asked to continue to exercise the pastoral care of the candidates as is presently the case. This should not present a conflict since no candidate will have been sent to the Assessment Conference who does not have the prior support of the Synod.

It will be for the Synod to decide whether the pastoral care of any particular student should remain with the original sponsoring Synod or be transferred to the Synod within which the student receives training. To a large extent this will depend on whether a student relocates to be near the Resource Centre for Learning.

Synods will also continue to attend the annual progress meetings with the training institution. However, copies of these reports should be sent to the Assembly Ministries/Education and Learning Committees which have responsibilities on behalf of the whole Church.

This will enable the committees to evaluate, and learn from, the decisions that have been taken and raise their awareness of any concerns which may emerge.

The readiness for ordination or commissioning should also involve all who have been involved in the assessment and training process. This includes the following but also see Procedure for Awarding College Leaving Certificates/Completion of Studies. A leaving certificate lasts for three years from the ate of granting:

• The Resource Centre for Learning
  – exam board approves the student’s academic marks and the RCL is satisfied that the student has completed their studies to a satisfactory level;
  – the final annual review panel meets and agrees that the RCL should grant the leaving certificate;
  – the RCL informs both the sending and receiving Synod that a leaving certificate has been granted;
  – the RCL sends the final college report to Education and Learning and Ministries Committees for approval along with a copy of the letters to the sending and receiving Synods.
• Education and Learning Committees receives the student’s final report from the RCL for��approval.
• The Secretary for Ministries, on behalf of the Assessment Board of the Ministries Committee, receives the student’s final report from the RCL for approval and commends the student for ordination or commissioning to the receiving Synod

Last updated: November 2020

Download this guidance

• The assessment procedure (PDF | 178kb)

The post The assessment procedure appeared first on United Reformed Church.

Information about candidating for the ministry and the pre-assessment process.

The objects of the assessment of candidates are:

• to explore the sense of call
• to recognise individual qualities
• to identify the potential to acquire further skills and knowledge through training

The Candidating and Assessment information material includes:

• the list of pre-assessment criteria
• the areas to be addressed throughout the Assessment process

The enquiry stage

Meeting with Minister or Interim Moderator – this is informal and exploratory

Meeting with Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy – this is informal and informative. However, the Moderator has a responsibility to check that the potential candidate fulfils the basic age, membership and educational criteria agreed by General Assembly.

If a candidate does not meet any or all of the criteria the Moderator should discuss what steps could be taken in order for the candidate to satisfy the criteria or what other forms of
service the candidate might be encouraged to offer to the Church.

Enquirers Event

At any point during this stage of the process the potential candidate should be encouraged to attend an Enquirers Event. These are held twice a year and give the enquirer the�� opportunity to meet with those exercising ministry as well as to ask questions of the Secretary for Ministries.

Pre-Assessment Criteria

As from General Assembly 2007, the formal assessment process will proceed as follows: Church Meeting decision, Synod decision, the Assessment Board makes the final decisions about forwarding a candidate for training and the Training Board decides the method of training. These decisions are taken after the Assessment Conference interviews and candidates will be informed of the decisions within two weeks of the Conference. The process can be halted at either the Church Meeting or Synod interview stages.

All prospective candidates and those who interview them must know which criteria have to be met before the formal process of assessment can begin.

The prospective candidate needs to:

• have been in membership of the United Reformed Church for at least two years prior to candidating
• conform to the age criteria applied in 2006 following the General Assembly resolution 1997 (the lower age criteria relate to training – 18 for Ministry of Word and Sacraments, 21 for Church Related Community work. Candidates may begin the process before this lower age and young candidates should not be discouraged. The upper age criteria require application before a candidate’s 53rd birthday for stipendiary service. There is no upper age criteria for nonstipendiary service
• in the case of candidates for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments, have had a report written, on at least one service conducted and one sermon preached by an assessor appointed by Synod
• in the case of candidates for Church Related Community Work, have experience of some form of community work. At the Assessment Conference these candidates will be asked to make a 10 minute presentation on their understanding of CRCW answering the question ‘In what ways can our faith produce the actions that make a positive difference to people and their communities?’
• understand, accept and be committed to the Basis of Union of the United Reformed Church in particular the ordination and commissioning promises and the statement of the Nature, Faith and Order of the United Reformed Church and;
  a) have attended Church Meeting and Synod
  b) supply a reflective account of Church Meeting and Synod attended
  c) satisfy the required medical examination indicating fitness for training and ordained or commissioned ministry
  d) complete the form relating to disclosure of criminal convictions and court orders.

In addition, prospective candidates must show they are able to undertake the academic aspects of ministerial training. The minimum requirements will be those agreed from time to time by General Assembly on the advice of the Education for Learning Committee. In order to be accepted as a candidate for training for both Stipendiary and Non-Stipendiary ministry, the candidate will need to have reached the following educational standard:

a) GCSE (Grade 9-4 )or Scottish National 5 certificate (Grades A-C) in English Language or the equivalent (IELTS 6.5) as an essential prerequisite.
b) Plus one of the following:

i) 2 ‘A’ Level’s;
ii) 2 Scottish ‘Highers’;
iii) A degree from a UK University, or equivalent;
iv) 120 first degree credits from the Open University or other UK University working on a modular system;
v) An advanced GNVQ, involving a substantial quantity of discursive work (Level 3 and above);
vi) A successful completion of the two foundation years of the Training for Learning and Serving course including the successful completion of the essay option. The agreed standard for successful completion is an average mark of 50% for six assignments (in essay format) of the Foundation Course, marked on the access scale, with all essays having achieved the pass mark of 40%.
vii) A successful completion of the two-year Foundation Award in Theology, Mission and Ministry with the University of Durham through Luther King House. Please speak with the Secretary for Education and Learning for further information;
vii) Such professional qualifications or experience of life and work as, in the opinion of the Education and Learning Training Board, is of equivalent standard and provides a suitable
foundation for training.

This pre-assessment phase needs to be undertaken carefully and unhurriedly and may take two or more years. The need to fulfil the pre-assessment criteria should not prevent prospective candidates from enquiring about the Ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work and beginning to explore their sense of calling.

Support and co-operation from the local Church, and Synod should begin from the time of the initial enquiry. The pre- assessment phase is a time of growth which can be encouraged in several ways e.g. Synods can arrange opportunities for prospective candidates to “shadow” one or more ministers.

The Synod Moderator/or their deputy is responsible for checking and confirming that the preAssessment Criteria have been satisfied before the formal assessment process begins with the Church Meeting commendation and report.

Areas that will be discussed throughout Assessment

This is a long list but everything in it is important in a life of Ministry. These criteria should be kept in mind by everyone involved in the assessment process and explored in depth at the Church Meeting, Synod and Assessment Board interviews. The emphasis should be not on what is already known but on self-awareness and the desire and potential to learn more.

Faith

• their Christian journey
• their devotional life
• their sense of call to the ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work
• how their understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith is developing
• their awareness of their own doctrinal position
• their acceptance of the diversity of positions held within the United Reformed Church Ministry of Word and Sacraments
• their acceptance of the importance of worship, including all-age worship, preaching and the sacraments
• their understanding of ministry and of the promises to be made at ordination
• their awareness of the variety of ministerial situations and their willingness to serve in any of these
• their understanding of, and response to, the expectations placed on ministers
• their awareness of the attitudes and skills needed in pastoral care.

Personal Development and Character

• their concern for all creation
• their sense of the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ and their experience of the Spirit’s enabling and sanctifying power
• how they reflect on the implications of ministry in the context of all their significant relationships
• their personal history and their ability to reflect on the way their experiences have influenced them
• their response to any situation in which they have faced risk or difficulty
• how they handle conflict
• their level of self awareness, desire to grow towards human wholeness and their ability to learn from their own and others’ beliefs and experience
• how they value people, including those from whom they perceive they are different
• their potential to become competent in written and spoken communication
• their awareness of their own training and development needs
• their ability and willingness to respond positively to ministerial education and training
• how they organise and prioritise their present work and leisure time and their ability to relax
• their understanding of different styles of leadership and where each is most suitable.

The Community of the Church

• their reflective account of the Church, and Synod meetings they have attended
• their understanding and knowledge of the wider Reformed tradition
• their awareness of local ecumenical relationships and regional/national ecumenical initiatives
• their understanding of the ministry and mission of the whole people of God, with particular reference to their present church community.

The Church in the World

• their understanding of the mission of the Church and how their ministry could contribute to it
• their understanding of issues in society and how the Church might respond to them
• their understanding of the relationship between Church, local and wider, and society.

Once the pre-assessment criteria have been met the Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy will pass the enquirer’s name to the Candidating Secretary. The Candidating Secretary will then send the application form and other paperwork to the enquirer. It is at this point that the formal candidating process begins.

Date of last revision: November 2020

Download this guidance

• Candidating and pre-assessment overview (PDF | 182kb)

The post Candidating and pre-assessment overview appeared first on United Reformed Church.

Education for Ministry: Phase 1

Advice, information and guidance for students embarking on the first phase of Education for Ministry

The post The candidating process appeared first on United Reformed Church.