Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prospectus
2008
NORTH THAMES MINISTERIAL TRAINING COURSE
It's not that they are part-time students: rather the on-going dialogue
between demanding jobs, and domestic responsibilities on one side, and
their growing engagement with Christian faith, mission and ministry on
the other, enable them to develop a vital capacity for theological under-
standing and realism in spiritual leadership. This contextualised way of
doing theology equips them uniquely for Christian service in the world of
today and tomorrow.
We are delighted that from this year onwards we will be developing this
pattern of ministerial formation with St Paul's Theological Centre,
Brompton. As partners in the exciting new venture that is St Mellitus Col-
lege, we look forward to benefiting from their vision for mixed mode
training and pioneer ministry, just as we trust that they will be enriched
by our curriculum, and by sharing with us in the residential parts of the
North Thames course.
With St Paul, we intend that "with firm foundations you may be strong to
grasp what are the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know
the love of Christ that passes knowledge..."
In the first instance, this means bringing together the resources and ex-
perience of both NTMTC and St Paul’s Theological Centre, based in west
London. These will be at the heart of the new college, although we hope
other institutions will come on board in due course. St Mellitus expresses a
very exciting vision for theological education and formation: we hope that
in time it will greatly enhance the mission and witness of the church in
this key area of the country, and of the world.
Organisation
The North Thames programme of ministerial formation is made up of
three Phases. Phase 1 lasts for 9 months, Phase 2 lasts for one year, and
Phase 3 lasts for two years in the case of ordinands (3.1 and 3.2) and one
year in the case of reader candidates. Anglican ordinands normally start
their training with Phase 2, so that their course lasts for three years.
Reader students similarly begin with Phase 2, but finish their Phase 3 in
one year rather than two, and therefore complete their course in two
years. Methodist students start with Phase 1, which, together with Phase 2
constitutes Foundation Training as approved by the Methodist Church.
Methodists who candidate successfully for presbyteral ministry may go on
to Phase 3 for their ordination training. A flow chart of the complete pro-
gramme is included in this Prospectus, and further details can be found on
our website.
The academic year is divided into three terms of approximately ten weeks
each, in which teaching and learning takes place on one night for each
student, each week. These sessions take place in two centres: on Tues-
day evenings at NTMTC’s administrative offices in St George-in-the-East,
Shadwell and on Thursday evenings in the Chapter House of Chelmsford
Cathedral. The first term of Phase 2 is preceded by a one-week induction
programme for new students (including Methodists from Phase 1), and the
final term of Phase 3 is shortened to seven weeks to give final year stu-
dents time to make necessary domestic arrangements before ordination.
Reader students train alongside ordinands for the first year of their
course, but pursue a distinct programme of teaching in their second year,
details of which are given in the section headed ‘Reader Training’ below.
In addition to the work on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, there are
seven residential weekends in the year, two in each of terms one and
three, and three in term two. Residential Weekends are generally held at
All Saints Pastoral Centre, London Colney, near St Albans, and last from
supper-time on Friday to late morning on Sunday (the exception is the
retreat weekend in each year, which takes place over the same time-
frame but in another location).
There is also a Residential Week, which is held at All Saints Pastoral Cen-
tre during the first term of each year.
Exploring the answers to these questions not only leads us into a deeper
understanding of the good news of God’s Kingdom, but also helps us
make the move from training into ministry. Thus although they cover es-
tablished theological disciplines like Biblical Studies, Doctrine, Church
History, Ethics and Pastoral Theology, our students do so from the stand-
point of the questions that theology must answer, and the resources it
must draw upon in the
process. This includes some resources, like sociology and psychology, that
are not part of the traditional academic structure of theology.
The Study Units in Phase 2, Theological Foundations for Ministerial
Formation, are designed to equip students with the basic tools they will
need to undertake the sort of integrated theological study and reflection
that is called for in Gospel Perspectives. This part of the Classwork Pro-
gramme introduces the themes of Church and Ministry, the study of the
Old and New Testaments, and the Christian Tradition. The approach to
learning here, as in the rest of the course, is primarily participative, in-
cluding a variety of educational methods. It engages students in an inter-
active way, drawing on the methodology of adult education. There is lots
of opportunity for discussion and reflection together, and often reading or
other work to do in preparation for a session.
Students from the Methodist Church are required to undertake Foundation
Training to discern their vocation before they attend a Connexional Candi-
dates’ Committee. We have responded to the requirements of the Meth-
odist Conference for a part-time programme of Foundation Training by the
introduction of Phase 1, Exploring Vocation, which, together with our
Phase 2 Theological Foundations course, meets the criteria set by confer-
ence for this type of programme. Exploring Vocation comprises four 5-
session study Units, The Story So Far …; People of the Book; The People
Called Methodists; Vocation to What? Foundation Training students also
undertake a placement in their first year, which is arranged by Margaret
Jones, our Senior Methodist Associate Tutor. In their second year of Foun-
dation Training, Methodist students follow the Phase 2 Theological Foun-
dations course as outlined above.
All these Study Units take place at Shadwell on Tuesday evenings and at
Chelmsford on Thursday evenings throughout the academic year. They
can be of different lengths. Theological Foundations, for instance, starts
with a one-week induction unit on study skills for mature learners. This is
followed by a five-week unit on Church, Ministry and Personal Develop-
ment, a ten-week unit on the Bible, and a fifteen-week unit on the Chris-
tian Tradition. In Phase 3, the Study Units are all fifteen weeks long, ex-
cept the last one which is twelve weeks.
Study Units are made up of “blocks”, which comprise five weeks’ worth of
Tuesday evenings and a Residential Weekend. There are seven resi-
dential weekends in each of Phases 2 and 3, (but none in Phase 1) offer-
ing opportunity for time spent together, praying, sharing meals, and dis-
cussing matters of mutual concern and interest, as well as study, and they
are a vital part of the Course. Most weekends are related to the work
done in the rest of the Unit, but in each year one weekend is set aside as
a time of retreat.
A longer opportunity to spend time studying together is provided each
year from Phase 2 onwards with the Residential Week at the end of
October. Each Residential Week has four themes, and these are indicated
on the flow chart.
Alongside the Classwork Programme there are three modules that run
continuously through the curriculum in which you work on a one-to-one
basis with a Tutor or Supervisor. PerPersonal Development involves
you in keeping your own log or journal of your spiritual and ministerial
formation throughout the programme. Your Tutor will meet you each term
to reflect on this together, and you will also be asked to respond in writing
to a questionnaire about this aspect of your training at the start of the
course, and at the end of each year.
Models of Ministry requires the undertaking of a series of projects. In
the first year the project is focussed on your work or other aspects of your
daily life, and, ideally, supervised by a colleague in the workplace, if that
can be arranged. In the second year the project is based in your home
church and supervised by the minister or someone else who shares in
leadership there. In the third year it takes the form of a placement in a
church which is distinctly different in some way from your home church.
Finally, Bible in Depth, begins at the start of Phase 3 and continues
through to the end of the programme. It is an opportunity to study a se-
ries of biblical books in depth, a pattern of biblical study which comple-
ments the more thematic use of the Bible in the Classwork Programme.
Reader Training
The reader training course is a two year course delivered in partnership
with NTMTC. Reader candidates study for a Dip HE Ministry, awarded by
Middlesex University.
The second year of reader training focuses on training for the distinctive
role of reader ministry and is delivered by the diocese. This year of the
course includes seminar days which introduce a topic, alongside workshop
and training days. Seminar days which introduce a topic are arranged as
follows. Students meet in locally convened tutorial groups approximately
once a month throughout the year. This aspect of the training involves
work-based learning and includes assessed sermons, a placement and a
parish project.
The topics covered on the course as well as the styles of learning are
subject to moderation by the Ministry Division Reader Education Panel of
the Church of England. These areas of study are interlocking and all in-
volve theological reflection as well as practical skills.
Personal resources
All students have a personal Tutor who is responsible for monitoring their
overall progress and supporting their training pastorally.
All students are also encouraged to have a spiritual director and to con-
tinue to use their own networks of support and advice especially those
provided by their home church.
The Honorary Chaplain attends all the Residential Weekends and is avail-
able for confidential personal consultation by individual students. She has
no teaching responsibilities, and is not involved in the assessment of the
programme. Things said to her are not fed back to the tutorial staff.
Time Commitment
In addition to the contact time for teaching and learning together on the
Course, students are expected to spend the equivalent of 8 hours a week
for 32 weeks a year in study and reflection at home. This includes time
spent in the preparation of assignments for assessment.
Other Information
Location
NTMTC’s administrative offices are located in the crypt of St George in the
East Church in Cannon Street Road, London E1 OBH (very close to Shad-
well Station on the Docklands Light Railway and the East London Line).
Residential Facilities
The residential weekends and weeks (apart from annual year-group re-
treats) will be held at All Saints’ Pastoral Centre, Shenley Lane, London
Colney, St Albans, Herts, AL2 1AF. Accommodation is in single rooms with
wash-hand basins. All Saints Pastoral Centre is about three minutes drive
from junction 22 on the M25
Library
Students enjoy reading and borrowing rights from the Maughan Library of
Kings College London (located in Chancery Lane). Students attending the
Chelmsford centre also have the use of the Chelmsford Cathedral Library.
In addition, all NTMTC students now have free online access to over 100
leading theological journals through the internet service ATLA.
Timetable
Teaching and learning evenings start at 6.30with a communal meal fol-
lowed by worship and a two-hour teaching and learning session. The eve-
ning ends at 9.30 with an optional service of Compline, using the North
Thames Night Prayer rite.
Residential Weekends run from Friday evenings until late morning on
Sundays. They are normally held at All Saints Pastoral Centre, but each
year group has an off-site retreat weekend at some point during the year.
Accreditation
The North Thames Course is validated by Middlesex University for the
award an Honours BA in Contextual Theology. We can also offer, as an
alternative, a Dip HE in Contextual Theology to students who are unable
to qualify for the BA Hons, or who prefer to follow the Dip HE track for
other reasons. Since 2006 we have run a two-year Dip HE in Ministry for
those training to be Readers in the Church of England.
Students are encouraged to use any surplus credits gained under CATS
(Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) towards further learning and
study.
Admissions
We have an average entry per year of 25, and there is a strong demand
for places. We can only work on a first-come, first-served basis, but we
recognise that, so far as Anglican students are concerned, Bishops' Selec-
tion Conferences are held throughout the year until the end of July for
entry into training in September. Our policy, therefore, is to encourage
prospective students to make early application for places, even though
they may not have attended a Selection Conference yet.
Once we have received your completed application form and you have
attended for interview we may offer you a provisional place. If you accept
it we will add you to our ‘A-list' of prospective students for entry next
September, whether or not you have yet attended a Selection Conference
and been officially sponsored by your Bishop. You need to apply, and/or to
indicate your acceptance of a provisional place, as early as possible, if you
want to be sure of getting a place to train for ministry at North Thames
MTC.
Application forms and prospectuses can be obtained from our office.
Fees
The cost of training at North Thames MTC (as with all institutions ap-
proved by the House of Bishops of the Church of England) is controlled by
the Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council who must approve our
budget and fee application each year.
In the academic year 2007-2008 our fees are set at £5193 per annum.
Fees for the preliminary year of study, Exploring Vocation, are lower, re-
flecting the fact there is no residential component and students on this
part of the programme make fewer demands on North Thames resources.
In the academic year 2007-2008 this fee is set at £1700.
Full fees for students who are recommended for training by a Bishops’
Selection Conference, and sponsored by their Diocesan Bishop, are paid
by the Ministry Division from General Synod Funds. Fees for students offi-
cially sponsored by the Methodist Church are paid from Connexional funds
by the Formation in Ministry Department.
David is married to Mia, who is also an Anglican minister, and who is Head
of Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. They
live on the Isle of Dogs with their two children, Matthew and Alice. In his
spare time, David enjoys cricket, theatre, film and all sorts of music, sup-
ports Arsenal Football Club, and attempts to play the guitar.
He has maintained his interest in Rugby Union since his playing days for
Wasps RFC, Cambridge RC and Thanet Wanderers RC. He now enjoys
playing golf and spending time with his wife Yolene and three children,
while also having to find time for his doctoral studies at Kings College
London.
Jeremy teaches Doctrine, Biblical Studies, Missiology and Pastoral Theol-
ogy.
Philip's main areas of interest are adult education and theological reflec-
tion, gospel and popular culture, as well as an unhealthy obsession with
Manchester United and hitting things (which he calls drumming). His spare
time is spent enjoying the company of his wife, two young children, dog
and six chickens.
In addition to leading the Reader course, Philip teaches Adult Education
and Group Process.
Associate Staff
Associate Staff are unsalaried members of the team who have a particular
interest in what we are doing at North Thames, and who want to be in-
volved in the programme of teaching and learning, not simply as one-off
visitors but on a more permanent basis. They share not only in the teach-
ing on weekday evenings and at residentials but also in the ongoing re-
view and design of the programme, and they bring an important range of
experience and expertise to our common life. Together with the Core Staff
they make up what we refer to as ‘the Greater Staff’. They fall into two
(overlapping) categories: Associate Facilitators and Associate Tutors
Associate Facilitators
Revd John Chapman, Minister in Charge, St Hugh, Northolt, West London.
(Missiology)
Revd Sue Groom, Director, Kensington Deanery Local Ministry scheme.
(Old Testament).
Revd Dr Graham Hamborg, Bradwell Area CME Officer and Chelmsford Di-
ocesan Director of CME 1-4. (Old Testament).
Revd Tricia Hillas, Vicar of St Barnabas, Northolt Park, West London.
(Pastoral and Social Theology).
Revd Canon Andrew Knowles, Canon Theologian, Chelmsford Cathedral.
(Pastoral and Social Theology; Homiletics).
Revd Robert Wiggs, freelance theologian, formerly Team Rector of Grays
Thurrock. (Spirituality; Homiletics; Philosophy of Religion).
Revd Gordon Giles. Vicar, St Mary Magdalene, Enfield, North London. (Lit-
urgy & Pastoral Theology).
Revd Canon April Keech, Vicar, St John, Hoxton (Diocese of London).
(Pastoral Theology; Ecclesiology)
Associate Tutors
Revd Rosémia Barber-Brown, Vicar, St James, Clapton.
Revd Peter Hanaway, curate of St Matthew, Westminster.
Revd Pamela Heazell, honorary priest in charge of All Hallows, North
Greenford.
Revd Barry Hobson, Priest in Charge, St Michael and All Angels, Roxwell.
Revd Alison Kennedy, Team Vicar, North Lambeth Team Ministry.
Revd Jan Lowe, Curate, St Paul, Mill Hill and part time Chaplain, St Ann’s
Hospital, Tottenham.
Revd Dr David Peebles, Chaplain, London School of Economics.
Revd Philip Wood, Team Vicar, Becontree West Team Ministry.
www.ntmtc.org.uk