A groundbreaking course from Church Mission Society - in partnership with the Oxford Ministry Course at Ripon College, Cuddesdon - has received official approval as a training pathway for Ordained Pioneer Ministry in the Church of England.
For the first time, candidates for ordained pioneer ministry in the Church of England will be able to train on a course that has been designed entirely for pioneer leaders by Church Mission Society working with Cuddesdon. The course was approved by the Church of England's ministry division.
Jonny Baker, CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course leader, said,
This development is really exciting news! Fresh expressions, as a movement, has grown in this country through the recognition that we need to create forms of church that grow out of mission in different cultures and contexts rather than expecting everyone to join in with the culture of traditional church. This is a challenge that requires imagination, risk taking and a set of skills that is similar to those people who have crossed cultures in mission elsewhere in the world - so to be trained for mission by a mission community makes perfect sense for pioneers getting ordained.
We have found, in the first two years of the course, that such training has really helped pioneers in their vocation, confidence, faith, understanding and in their practice. The new partnership with Cuddesdon is unique as those getting ordained will also gain a rich understanding of Anglican ministry and mission and I have no doubt that this will lead to a continued growth of innovative mission and fresh expressions of church as well as a wider renewing influence in the church as a whole.
Rachel Jordan, National Adviser for Mission and Evangelism for the Church of England, described CMS as being 'uniquely qualified' to train pioneer ordinands.
Rachel said,
The roots of pioneering ministry are in the missionary movement and therefore CMS is uniquely qualified to train Church of England pioneer ordinands for the urgent missionary task in the UK. CMS pioneer ordinands will benefit from the years of experience in cross-cultural mission that is CMS's expertise and the Church of England will gain many well equipped and specifically trained individuals for 21st century mission.
Pioneer ordinand Johnny Sertin, who leads Earlsfield Friary in southwest London, said he was 'overjoyed', adding,
It is a watershed moment, from which many will benefit as we re-imagine the future together.
The Rt Rev Colin Fletcher, Bishop of Dorchester and a co-chair of the South Central Regional Training Partnership, commented,
I am delighted. It is great for pioneers and for God's mission in this country.
CMS has teamed up with Cuddesdon to make the course – where every module is approached through the lens of mission – available to those training to be ordained pioneer ministers. Students preparing for ordination will be involved in pioneering mission and learn 'on the job'. They will attend a day a week and two residential weeks with CMS pioneers and six weekends a year and two residential weeks with Oxford Ministry Course students, who are training for parish ministry.
This is a unique partnership between a major mission society and a leading Anglican theological college,
said the Rev Canon Prof Martyn Percy, principal of Cuddesdon.
In offering this new training route for pioneer ministers, CMS and Cuddesdon will be able to combine their resources together, making this venture one of the most innovative, rich and ground-breaking courses in the country.
Canon Tim Dakin, the executive leader of CMS, who is soon to become Bishop of Winchester, saw the approval of the course as significant for CMS and for the wider church.
Through the training and deploying of pioneers, ordained and lay, CMS will continue to offer prophetic mission in partnership with the wider church both locally and globally,
he said.
There are open days for the CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training Course at CMS Oxford on 23 February and 26 April. Full details of the course, students' stories and how to apply can all be found on the course website.
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