to Ordained Ministry

Is God calling YOU?

We need to inspire and train many more ordinands to build the Church and God’s kingdomJames, Bishop of Rochester

What is Ordained Ministry?

The Church in the 21st century needs a wide range of ministers to serve the mission of God. As Christians we are all called through our baptism to be witnesses to Christ but some are specifically called through ordination to serve in the threefold order of bishops, priests and deacons. Although priests continue to be deacons, and bishops continue to be both priests and deacons, each order of ministry also has its own proper focus. Ordination is a life-long calling.

When someone is first ordained they will be a deacon, normally for a year before being ordained priest although some are called to be distinctive deacons. The diaconate is a go-between ministry, working within the church but also reaching out to the whole community and encapsulates the servant nature of all Christian ministry. A priest’s work is to build up the Body of Christ through the celebration of the sacraments, teaching, preaching and pastoral care. It is a ministry of leadership and mission. Many will work in a parish but others will be chaplains in schools or hospitals, prisons or the armed forces, or pioneer ministers working in Fresh Expressions of church.

Some priests and deacons while ministering in a parish will earn their living in a secular job and are described as Self-Supporting Ministers (SSM).

As a minority ethnic woman who said 'yes' to God and persisted in saying 'yes', I experience the joy and privilege of serving in the Church of God.

Could God be calling me to be ordained?

Throughout history God has called people of all ages, ethnic groups and educational backgrounds, to play their part in building his kingdom. We are all given uniquely precious gifts - not to be stored up but to be shared for blessing others. Discerning your gifts and choosing to nurture and develop them in God’s service could be the beginning of a lifelong journey of ministry.

The Church of England is keen to encourage young adults and those from black and ethnic minorities to explore their call to ordination and has set up dedicated websites to encourage this,

www.callwaiting.org.uk and www.amenanglican.org

Ade, parish priest

If I waited until I felt ‘good enough’ to respond to God’s call, it would be a very long wait!For me, the challenge was to follow and see what God would do.

Discernment and training

In the Rochester Diocese, if you feel called to ordained ministry you must first attend an It’s Your Calling day and then meet with one of our Diocesan Vocations Advisers for perhaps three to six months. If it is agreed that ordination may be the right ministry for you then you will meet with the Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO) or one of the Assistant DDOs. At this point a reference will be required from your parish priest. You might be asked to do some written work, further reading or visit other churches. Throughout this time of discernment a set of nine criteria is used to explore whether you have the necessary gifts and potential to fulfil an ordained ministry.

This process will normally take at least 15 months after which you may be invited to attend a Bishops’ Advisory Panel (BAP) organised nationally by the Church of England. If you are recommended for training you might attend a full-time or part-time course. Some ordinands will train at a residential college; others will train locally continuing in employment or while working as a lay worker in a local church. Throughout this process God will be forming and transforming you for his service.

What can I do next?

Pray… With an open mind and an open heart, ask God how you might become all that he intends you to be and how best you can serve him.

Get some advice… Talk about your sense of calling to your parish clergy and to people whose opinions you trust. Find out more about ordination and the variety of roles in which you might serve. Alternatively explore Licensed Lay Ministry and see whether that might be God’s calling at this stage in your life.

It’s your calling… Come to an It’s Your Calling day. These are run by our team of vocations advisers in different venues throughout the year. You’ll have a chance to meet people on a similar quest and have time and space to reflect on what exciting plans God might have in store for you.

Jessica, ordinand

Who can I contact?

If you would like to discuss this further, speak to a member of the vocations team at an It’s Your Calling day or contact:

Email vocations@rochester.anglican.org Phone 01634 560000Web http://www.rochester.anglican.org/

ministry/ordained-ministry/

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands

but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes

through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to

the world. Yours are the feet by which he is to go

about doing good and yours are the hands by which

he is to bless us now. Teresa of Avila