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Appendix 7
Reports
from Colleges Mansfield College
1.1 The academic year began
with both good and bad news. In July 1999 General Assembly voted to
maintain four URC colleges, which meant that ministerial training would
continue at Mansfield College. Unfortunately, Revd Dr Catherine Middleton
was unable to continue as Acting Director of Ministerial Training and
Chaplain due to the effects of another cancer. Thus the new academic year
began with both hope and sadness.
1.2 Because of the
unexpected vote by General Assembly we have been busy planning for the
future. We are currently discussing the possibility of forming a
relationship with Regents Park College that would enable the sharing of
ministerial training and the worship lives of our communities. The
development of a more formal association would increase the quality of our
programme and community. We are also beginning the search for a permanent
Director and Chaplain. It is hoped an appropriate person can be found to
begin a seven-year appointment in September 2000. If plans to share
ministerial training go forward with Regent’s Park, the Director of
Training at Mansfield will also have teaching responsibilities at
Regent’s Park.
1.3 Such an arrangement
would continue a long relationship between Mansfield College and
Regent’s Park. Regent’s was originally founded in Oxford precisely
because Mansfield College was here. At one point the two colleges actually
discussed merging into one institution. And during the war years,
Mansfield College moved its operations to Regents Park.
1.4 We are very grateful to
our ecumenical friends in the other Oxford Colleges for their help in
teaching our students in the various degree programmes available. Of
course, much of ministerial training takes place at Mansfield College and
will continue to do so in the future. The Revd Betsy Gray-King teaches
Spirituality and Liturgy and has brought new life to these subjects. Dale
Rominger is acting Director of Training and Chaplain and is responsible
for Preaching Class. Betsy and Dale have co-ordinated the teaching of
preaching, liturgy and spirituality to offer a more holistic and realistic
experience. Students have placements in local churches, hospitals, and in
“Living the Kingdom” they explore their faith and theology in a
variety of societal settings. Revd Dr Susan Durber continues as Chaplain
to the ordinands for which we are very thankful.
1.5 Despite the fact that
we have no first year students due to last year’s assumption that
ministerial training would be withdrawn from Mansfield College, the URC
community of ordinands is thriving. The ordinands themselves have some
responsibility for the ethos of the community and direction of the
training programme. They assess the quality of the Mansfield experience
with integrity and intelligence. Wednesday evening and Friday morning
services are led by both students and staff. The spirit is good, the
journey of faith exciting and the educational opportunities strong.
1.6 Mansfield College is a
community that includes some 300 students, including graduates,
undergraduates, and visiting students, reading in English, Geography,
History, Mathematics, Engineering, PPE (Philosophy, Politics and
Economics), Physics, Jurisprudence, Human Sciences, Theology and more. The
Ministerial Training Programme is a part of this larger community and has
little chance and no desire to become a religious ghetto.
1.7 Mansfield College is
looking to the future with imagination and hope. It is innovating changes
in the Oxford University system. We plan to be a part of the College’s
future through the possible forming of new relationships, the welcoming of
a permanent Director-Chaplain and creatively keeping alive the Reformed
tradition in Oxford, not by living in the past, but by making that
tradition relevant to the College and to the world in which we live.
Northern College
2.1 At the start of the
1999-2000 session the profile of the student body was as follows:
2.2 In order to respond to
the needs of our NSM and CRCW candidates we have appointed Alison Micklem
as CRCW Course Co-Ordinator and the Revds Paul Brewerton, Norman Riley and
Margaret Tait as part-time pastoral Tutors. Meanwhile, the Revd Bob Day
completed his tenure of the Mona Powell Fellowship, and for the next three
years the Mona Powell legacy will be used to fund three people to study
for Masters degrees, the first of whom is the Revd Stuart Scott.
2.3 The Revd Dr John Parry
and the Revd Dr David Peel have been offered, and have accepted,
invitations to serve the College for further periods.
2.4 The Faith in Living
Course is used by all our students to prepare for their ministries. The
number of participants on the course continues to grow, with the part-time
mode now having been expanded from six to twelve weekends. New modules
continue to be devised to meet the needs of the churches, and many of them
are ideal for Continuing Ministerial Education (CME). Last year’s
results produced two First Class and four Upper Second Class honours
graduates, some of whom had little by way of educational qualifications
when they came to Luther King House.
2.5 In collaboration with
the URC and adjacent Synods we are setting up Research Fellowships in
certain appropriate URC pastorates. The purpose is to study the mission of
congregations in urban, suburban, and rural areas and thus provide the
churches with analysis and proposals, which will enable us to be more
effective in mission. The holders of the Fellowships will work with the
missiologists who are already teaching at Luther King House, and
consequently the seeds have been sown for the creation of a School of
Contextual Missiology here in Manchester.
2.6 The Partnership for
Theological Education, Manchester, to which the College and the URC are
very committed, has continued to develop. It now includes ten
denominations and seven colleges who network together to provide a wide
spectrum of theological education. We are learning from one another and
valuing our distinctive experience. Visitors to Luther King House witness
dramatic changes to the building. Increasingly, we are moving away from
the traditional image of a college and university hall of residence as we
seek to become a theological resource for the whole church. We now provide
a full range of services including accommodation, conference facilities,
catering and theological learning resources.
2.7 The importance of the
world church is never far from view at Northern College. We have been
pleased to welcome the Revd Li Hau-Tiong from the Presbyterian Church in
Taiwan as our overseas guest this session. Meanwhile some of our students
have been away in such diverse places as South India, Israel, and Taiwan.
Three Northern College students were selected for the PTEM educational
visit to El Salvador in March, when they shared in the events to mark the
twentieth anniversary of the murder of Archbishop Romero.
2.8 During this year all
the colleges and courses based at Luther King House will be seeking
Ecumenical Validation. This will be followed by an Ecumenical Inspection
based on the aims and objectives established during the validation
process. It will provide a further challenge to effect even greater
ecumenical collaboration and to developing further innovative patterns of
provision in theological education.
2.9 This year all those who
use the Faith in Living course will have been involved in a joint
ecumenical Valedictory Service. Scheduled for June 10th and hosted by the
Roman Catholic Salford Cathedral, this will have been one of the many
occasions organised by the churches to display our oneness in Christ, and
it powerfully reflects the ecumenical spirit within PTEM.
2.10 There will be the
usual opportunity for former students, and ongoing friends, of the College
to meet informally during Assembly at the College lunch, details of which
appear in the Assembly Programme.
Queen’s College
3.1
Queen’s and the URC
3.1.1 Two developments in
the current academic year (1999-2000) have helped to strengthen the mutual
involved of Queen’s with the URC in the task of theological education
and ministerial training. First, the Charity Commission have agreed that
The United Reformed Church (in common with the Church of England and the
Methodist Church) should have right of nomination to a Governorship of the
Foundation. Mr Howard Bridge has accepted nomination and will serve on the
Governing Body alongside the Revd Elizabeth Welch, Moderator of the West
Midlands Synod. The Revd Pat Nimmo, a URC minister with experience of
inner-city ministry, of teaching and theological education, has been
appointed as a full-time tutor (specialising in missiology). The Revd Dr
Neil Messer remains the Foundation’s staff member responsible for care
and oversight of URC ministers in training and for liaison with the
Church’s other ministerial training agencies. Meanwhile, the
understanding reached in the light of the Training Review - that a small
number (normally 2/3) of candidates for the ministry of Word and Sacrament
should enter training here each year - was maintained this year. The
result is that the number of URC students continues to increase gradually:
there are now 10 in the Foundation as a whole, eight ordinands and two
training for continuing lay ministry.
3.2 Other
Developments
3.2.1 There have been three
other appointments to the academic staff of the Foundation. The Revd Dr
Adam Hood (Church of Scotland) is the new Deputy Director of Research; the
Revd Rod Burton (Methodist Church of South Africa) is Pastoral Theology
tutor, in succession to Helen Cameron; Mr Anthony Reddie (a Methodist Lay
Person) is a Research Fellow with special concern for Christian Education.
Anthony Reddie has already done pioneering work in relation to the
religious education of black young people.
3.2.2 The total number of
students of the Foundation is now 125, of whom 57 are full time; this
represents another slight increase over previous years.
3.2.3 The College Old
Building has now been completely re-furbished Study/bedrooms, kitchens and
bathrooms have been transformed and some new facilities, including an IT
room equipped for use by students, have been introduced. The Chapel now
has excellent new lighting as a result of the first phase of the Chapel
refurbishment scheme.
3.2.4 Changes in the
College’s daily timetable for teaching and worship have been welcomed by
students and staff : the changes encourage more integration between
part-time and full-time members and also make it easier for non-residents
to participate fully in our common life.
3.3
Courses of Study
3.3.1 The University of Birmingham has approved our proposal for a new Doctoral programme - the ThD - planned primarily for part-time and work-related study. The first intake on this programme is expected in September 2000. Candidates for the doctorate will usually begin by undertaking an MA course with the Foundation. The combined MA/ThD will normally take six years of part-time study. The programme aims to serve ministers and lay Christians wanting to undertake serious continuing theological study and research and to relate the study to their own sphere of work.
3.3.2 The Foundation also
offers Certificate, Diploma and BA programmes for full-time and part-time
study.
3.4 Guests
3.4.1 The annual visits of
the Moderator of the General Assembly and the President of the Methodist
Conference are both major events in the Foundation year. Last Spring it
was a particular pleasure to welcome Mrs Wilma Frew as Moderator: she also
serves as a member of the Oversight Committee, which assists the
Foundation in the guidance and care of URC candidates. In addition to the
visit of the Revd Peter McIntosh as Moderator, this term we are also
welcoming the Revd Marjorie Lewis-Cooper to lead worship and preach.
Scottish Congregational and United Reformed
College
4.1 The history of the
College and its role in the education and training of ministers may be
traced back to 1811 and the foundation of the Glasgow Theological Academy,
later to be the Theological Hall of the Scottish Congregational Churches
and in due course the Scottish Congregational College.
4.2 The life of College and Union has been a close one throughout their common history. In 1897, the affairs of the College have been reported to the Union’s Annual Assembly - indeed before they were submitted to the College’s own annual meeting! Since 1917, the College has been in “as close association with the Union as possible”1
4.3 This long-standing
development continued with the formation of the Scottish Congregational
Church in 1993 which brought together the Congregational Union of
Scotland, its Women’s Union and the College in a voluntary association.
4.4 The United Reformed
Church Act 2000 has now made provision in relation to the College’s
undertaking of ministerial training with the new URC and the Unifying
Assembly has afforded the necessary recognition to the College.
4.5 The pattern of
education, training and formation for stipendiary ministry in the
Congregational Union of Scotland has been that candidates undertake
full-time studies within the Faculty of Divinity of one of the Scottish
Universities (most commonly Edinburgh and Glasgow) and concurrently follow
a professional, practical and denominationally-related programme at the
College as well as receiving guidance and support from the College.
4.6 Non-stipendiary
candidates (e.g. those who were seeking accreditation has pastors or who
are now transferring from the CUS pastorate to NSM) follow a part-time
modular programme with the College, which involves academic and applied
studies and placement.
4.7 There is currently one
member of staff, the Revd John W Dyce, BA LLB MA(Ed) MSc, whose background
was previously in community based adult learning. The College is in the
process of appointing a number of part-time staff tutors. The Principal
also has acted in an honorary capacity as Education Secretary of the
Scottish Congregational Church and the new synod organisation continues
this arrangement.
4.8 There are currently no
full-time stipendiary ministry candidates, but four CUS pastors are in the
course of additional training with a view to accreditation as ministers.
4.9 The College, through
the Scottish Congregational Church, is in membership of Scottish
Churches’ Open College, an agency of ACTS.
4.10 The College, with the
Scottish Synod continues to be in conversation with other denominations in
relation to the ecumenical dimension of ministerial education, training
and formation within this nation.
4.11 The College looks
forward eagerly to continuing the close relationship it has had with the
Congregational Union of Scotland in a new relationship with the synod and
with the wider URC.
1 Escott H(1960) A History of Scottish Congregationalism Glasgow, Congregational Union of Scotland
Westminster College
5.1 The
Centenary
5.1.1 This has been a year
of great blessing. Centenaries can sometimes be triggers of introversion
and nostalgia. Ours wasn’t. Due honour was paid to the past and rich and
varied memories were the occasion of thanksgiving, but the dominant note
was of to-day and to-morrow. So, the student led event for young people of
the church took the opportunity to explore the nature of God’s call,
with Christian rock groups, Kathy Galloway and a series of speakers from a
variety of Christian aid and mission agencies. Professor Walter
Brueggemann’s Reid lectures were given to packed audiences who revelled
in his unique ability to fuse the themes of Old Testament theology and
post-modern culture. Professor Graham Stanton’s Commemoration Day sermon
was a symbol of fruition, for it was the Lewis and Gibson scholarship that
first brought Professor Stanton to England from New Zealand as a young
post-graduate student. He left us with stirring words which should be our
inspiration for the 21st century - ‘The gospel Paul proclaimed and the
Gospel proclaimed by the College’s benefactors cannot simply be repeated
word for word. The Gospel must be grasped, lived, obeyed, and articulated
afresh for each new generation.’
5.2 ‘The
future of Reformed theology’
5.2.1 The first week in
September saw the College taking Professor Stanton seriously as the
Cheshunt Institute for Reformed Studies within the College launched at its
first international conference on the theme ‘The future of Reformed
theology’. Our dream had been to bring together professional
theologians, ministers and lay people and students, and that dream became
reality over three days of papers, discussion and conversation. Jürgen
Moltmann set the dominant theme of the conference, challenging us to
explore what the Reformed contribution might be ‘to a universal theology
for the common future of the Christian Churches, the world religions, the
groaning creation and the coming of God’. Other speakers responded by
analysing specific Reformed emphases, the nature of tradition,
faithfulness, heterodoxy, and the nature of community. We look forward to
the eventual publication of the conference papers, and express our thanks
to Dr Peter McEnhill for all the administrative work which makes such an
event possible.
5.3
Comings and goings…
5.3.1 During the year we
said ‘Congratulations’ and a sad farewell to our Bursar, Mrs PA
Shuler, as she moved on to become the Domestic Bursar of Girton College.
We have been delighted to welcome Mrs Maureen Barrett-Small as her
replacement, and Mrs Margaret Thompson as Principal’s PA and
Administrator of the Cheshunt Institute for Reformed Studies. A college is
a place of continual movement, for preparing people for ministry is at the
heart of our work. This year’s leavers were Ruth Allen to Congleton and
Haslington and Crewe, Catherine Hare to St Neots, David Rees to Rayleigh,
David Simpson to Saffron Walden and the Stansted Group, David Downing to
the Hackney Group, Rosemary Pullen to Hindhead and Elstead, and David
Sebley to Hockley and Hawkwell. We are pleased to commend them to the
church, and offer them our prayers and good wishes.
5.4
Inspection Report
5.4.1 Inspections, if
carried out properly, should be constructive but not comfortable
experiences. They should ask the difficult questions and probe weaknesses,
yet at the same time offer encouragement and suggests paths that might be
travelled. The Cambridge Theological Federation and Westminster have
reason to be thankful to their 1998 ecumenical inspectorate for their
rigour and far-sightedness. They paid tribute to the Federation’s
‘remarkable’ progress over the past decade, noted the evident momentum
for further development, and drew attention to their opinion that ‘a
critical stage has now been reached’. By that they means that it would
be easy to rest and re-trench rather than move forward to grasp
tomorrow’s opportunities. Their report is intended to help the
Federation move beyond that ‘critical’ stage by finding new ways of
resource sharing and co-operation in a climate where funding is more
likely to diminish than increase. They also encouraged the devolution of
financial responsibility to the College, in accordance with the 1996
Assembly resolution.
5.4.2 The Federation
Council and the Westminster Board of Governors are both responding
actively to the Inspectorate’s recommendations. We are pleased, however,
to draw Assembly’s attention to their conclusion, that the
Federation’s ‘ecumenically planned and taught educational programme
provides a unique and excellent opportunity for the training of men and
women for ministry’.
5.5 The
future
5.5.1 The Board of
Governors remain mindful of the need to strike a balance between the
college’s main contribution to the church through initial ministerial
education, and the desire to support other essential programmes, both in
their stewardship of the building and in the deployment of staff time. To
this end the College are seeking to respond both to new directions in
continuing ministerial education, and the Inspector’s recommendation
that more be done to provide opportunities for lay persons and ordinands
to learn together. We hope to report on our progress next year.
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