Pathways

Here are some examples of different pathways through training, based on programmes we have agreed with ministers in training. Do any of them sound like you?

A is in his early forties, with teenage children, living in the West Midlands. He works full-time and it is envisaged that he will exercise a self-supporting ministry at least initially. He is therefore only available at evenings and weekends, so he is training for three years part-time: this means he attends on Tuesday evenings during term time, plus 6 weekends through the year. In addition, he comes for a week-long Residential at Easter each year. He finds he has a growing desire to study more, so he is negotiating with his employers to be released for Tuesday afternoons, so that he can attend another taught module each term.

P lives locally, and has young children and her husband has a job in the area. Because the children are at school studying during the day-time is a good option, but she does not wish to move on-site and instead ‘commutes’ for an hour each way. She attends for four days each week, with a 9.15 start on Wednesday and Thursday. On Monday and Tuesday she can come in later, and Friday is set apart for private study. Her biggest difficulty is that she has a lecture on Tuesday evenings and another on Wednesday mornings: she is thinking about staying overnight on Tuesdays to reduce her travelling time.

C lives in London, where his parents also live and need some care. Full-time ministry is envisaged, but instead of moving away from home at this point he has decided to stay at Queen’s during the week and return to London at weekends. He is training for 2 years full-time, but because he did some formal theological study several years ago he will gain a BA at the end of his training.

W is 26, and recently engaged. He is excited by the provision of three years of training, as he will be able in his third year to study for an MA. In addition he hopes he can spend a term in South India on an exchange programme. In his first year he will live in a study bedroom, but will be joined in his second year by his partner when they will move to a flat on the campus.

B is offering for self-supporting ministry and sees her place of work as the focus of this. She has a degree in theology and health care qualifications. Because of this, she is training for two years part-time, sharing the residential weekend and Easter school programme. She has been able to negotiate a day a week with her employer so she is taking an MA to extend her theological understanding. She is looking forward to the placement and dissertation which will be related to her place of work.

C is a single parent with school age children. She originally intended to train part-time on the programme using Tuesday evenings and weekends. However, on reflection she realised that these were the times when she most needed to be at home with the children: instead, she is training part-time over three years on a daytime programme. In a typical week, she is at Queen’s for two full days and a morning. Because the day doesn’t start until 9.15, she has time to drop the children at school on the way to College; on two afternoons she has them picked up by a childminder before she gets home.