Agenda Volume 3 - Methodist Conference

57. The Fruitful Field Project
147 The design and implementation
of new pathways, opportunities,
programmes and resources for Local
Preachers and Worship Leaders is
clearly identified as a key early goal
for the Discipleship and Ministries
Learning Network. Even as work
to establish the infrastructural
components of the Network is
undertaken, the Committee is
confident that work on pathways
for Local Preachers and Worship
Leaders can be developed to take
their important place within the wider
work of the Network, with significant
progress being made by the end of
2012/2013. 18
An important value: Developing pathways
alongside and in partnership with
ecumenical partners wherever possible
148 In its preparatory work during
the current connexional year, the
Committee has sought to work
closely with ecumenical partners in
a number of different contexts. One
such context, which is likely to have
a significant impact on the life of the
Network, deserves closer attention at
this stage.
149 Alongside the work undertaken by
the Committee during the current
connexional year, the Church of
England has embarked on a project
to develop a new system of approval
for Anglican pathways into ordained
ministry and Reader ministry. A core
component of this new system is to
be “a suite of HE [Higher Education]
Awards with a single validating HE
partnership which would provide
the main highway of training and
formation for IME 1-3 [the first three
years of initial ministerial education
– ie pre-ordination training], which
would also provide dioceses with
an option for IME 4-7 [the period of
curacy – ie post-ordination training]
and for Reader [the lay office of
Reader] training; and would also
make provision for independent
students pursuing a variety of
vocations in discipleship and
ministry.” 19 In essence, under this
new system, all Anglican theological
colleges (with the exception of a
small number of courses within some
colleges) will share one validating
university, which will validate the suite
of awards which will form the basis of
the pre-ordination pathways offered at
each of the colleges.
150 The motivations of the Church of
England in this context can be
seen to complement the purposes
and values of the Discipleship and
Ministries Learning Network. For
example, the working party chaired
by the Bishop of Sheffield which has
18 This sub-section, along with paragraphs 52-53 and 103-111, constitutes the report which the Conference
directed be made in the context of the Ministries Committee’s work on The Fruitful Field in the Conference’s
reply to Memorials M34 (2009), M5 (2010) and M23 (2010). The sub-section also constitutes the report
which the Conference directed be made in Resolution 13/2 (2009).
19 Paper issued by the Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, “Formation for
Ministry and a Framework for Higher Education Validation: Phase 2 Report”, p.2
Conference Agenda 2012 703