Context-Based Learning

We welcome enquiries from ordinands who wish to explore context based learning on our Parish College Partnership pathway.

• This is a full time pathway for three years (for those under 32) or two years;
• It incorporates a minimum of three days a week learning and practice in a Parish and generally two days a week learning in College;
• Learning in college is shared with other full and part time ordinands, experiencing and learning from the vibrant diversity of the college community;
• Learning in the parish is fully integrated with college learning, with one quarter of accredited learning each year devoted to this to deepen contextual and reflective skills;
• Parish Supervisors are full partners in this learning.

We especially welcome enquiries from those who want to learn in a context such as an inner city parish or on an outer urban estate. We are working with partner dioceses to establish suitable training parishes to which an ordinand could move. In some circumstances an ordinand could live in college and work in a nearby parish (suitable contexts can be found close by).

We also welcome enquiries from those in the Midlands whose Diocese agrees that their current parish (or another parish in the diocese) is a suitable learning context and who therefore will remain in their family home during their training.

Whatever the parish context this pathway will aim:

• To sharpen and enhance local, mission-minded theology in practice
• To hold together the rigours of academic theology and local church demands in an authentic process of reflection
• To build cohorts of clergy eqipped to deal with the diversity of Anglicanism and the broader church in their reflective practice

Structure

1. Three year (BA) or two-year (Diploma) full time ordination training programme

2. Study in college (during term time) two days per week (typically Tuesday/Wednesday with overnight accommodation provided); personal study in Parish one day a week; annual Easter school (6 days)

3. Termly cohort reflection with Parish Supervisors and Queen’s context-based tutor

4. Scope for a placement within the training to another context or tradition Scope

Frequently asked questions:

a. Can a candidate take the context-based route in their current parish?
Yes, as long as the diocese regards this as a suitable training context.

b. Can a candidate take the context based route in a new parish setting?
Yes, as long as a diocese can identify a suitable training context, especially to enhance under-resourced ministerial contexts.

c. Would the candidate always live in the parish?
Not necessarily. For example, where parishes do not have the resources for housing.

d. Can I begin this pathway in September 2017?
Yes.