On 23rd January 2020 I was "recommended for training" by a Bishops' Advisory Panel and the Bishop of Barking gave his backing for me to be trained for ministry. Here are some questions that my friends and family may have about it.
What does that mean?
It means that the Church of England has formally stated they believe I have the calling and skills to be an ordained minister. They have also noted that I am academic, and it is worthwhile for me to do academic theology now, as I may be able to use this to teach in the Anglican church in the future (training priests at seminary/college, or helping to run theology courses in churches). They will now fund me the academic fees for a theology degree, and costs of accommodation during that degree. If that goes smoothly, they will make me a Deacon. Some time later, they will make me a Priest/Presbyter (more on that below).
What happens now?
All ministers in the Church of England need to have a theology degree of some sort. As I am under 32 I will be funded for 3 years' study. Lydia and I have already been in conversation with Ridley Hall (https://www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/), a theological college in Cambridge, and we have now confirmed with them that I will be studying there. The degree will contain academic and vocational elements, but the exact course I take has not yet been decided - it may be wholly taught by the University of Cambridge, or partly taught by Uni of Cambridge and partly by the Church of England. We will regardless be moving to Cambridge in September 2020 for 3 years.
What about Coronavirus?
Of course, since my first version of this FAQ, the world has changed and it looks increasingly unlikely that we'll go back to the 'old normal'. Much of the rest of this document is provisional, or at least aspirational. For example, my course will be taught online to start with, and any church placements etc. for my training may well be delayed. But coronavirus has only heightened my sense that I should put myself forward in the service of the Church, and that now is the right time to do that.
So will you be at Cambridge University again?
Maybe. Ridley Hall is not a college of Cambridge University, but its members can still study Cambridge University degrees. If I do the full-time taught-by-Cambridge-University option, I will effectively be a Cambridge undergraduate again, but an older, shorter-haired one with more family commitments.
But I will also have a local church to work for every Sunday, and during term holidays I will be doing extended placements in other churches, potentially outside Cambridgeshire.
What will Lydia do?
Lydia will live in Cambridge, but apart from that we're not yet sure. We visited Ridley Hall and confirmed that there is a wider community she could be involved in, and some childcare-support facilities on-site as well as spouses' groups. But Lydia could well choose to do some paid work as well as looking after Irene.
Where will you live?
We'll be living on Alex Wood Road, just north of the centre of Cambridge, and will get around by bicycle. We probably won't own a car, and won't have much more space than in our current Walthamstow flat. So please don't send us lots of bulky furniture :)
What will happen to your flat?
We're hoping to rent out our flat in Walthamstow. I will be given accommodation for 3 years while studying, then will live in church properties once I start to work for parish churches. It is a common pattern for ministers to own somewhere, to pay off the mortgage through their life, then either retire into it or sell it when they retire.
When do you become a Priest/Presbyter?
It will probably happen like this: I will study for 3 years from September, then all being well, will start working in a parish church and be made a Deacon (someone with a recognised role in the church, who can take funerals and do teaching, but who isn't allowed to lead a church. They do a lot of pastoral work and probably a lot of admin!). After a year or so of that, I will then be made a Priest (also known as Presbyter). Being made a Deacon and being made a Priest/Presbyter are both called "being ordained", which is confusing.
Incidentally, I prefer the word "Presbyter" instead of "Priest" when describing an Anglican ordained minister ("Presbyter" means "elder" in Greek) - the New Testament only uses the word "Priest" for Jesus Christ, and for the whole church congregation gathered together - never for a church leader, who is normally a "Presbyter". The Church of England acknowledges that 'Presbyter' is a valid alternative title, but Priest is still the more frequent term people use.
What does a Priest/Presbyter do in the Church of England?
Each Church denomination works differently. In the Church of England, only a licensed Priest/Presbyter can lead a parish church (or chaplaincy ministry) and preside at the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper). Priests/Presbyters and Deacons can both take weddings and funerals.
There are lots of other things that Priests/Presbyters end up doing, that any baptised Christian can also do - they baptise infants and adults, preach, lead worship. They visit the elderly and the sick. Also they stack chairs, clean toilets, fill in difficult paperwork, and act as a link between church and community.
A lot of what I have been doing over the last 2 years as I have prepared for my interviews, is to read, interview other church leaders, and come to my own understanding of "Presbyteral ministry" (the work of Priests/Presbyters). For me, it is important to have a disciplined and deep prayer life so that I can share that with others. Traditionally, it was mandatory for priests to say Morning and Evening Prayer every day, with the appropriate Bible readings. While this convention is certainly less binding than it used to be, I can see the importance of a disciplined example and will be aspiring (and failing) to do this in my own life.
But there is no Priest/Presbyter in a vacuum - it is a role that needs a congregation, and I guess I will find out much more about it once in that situation.
Where will you be based?
Cambridge for 3 years. After that, probably East London / Essex somewhere. My sending Diocese (the part of the Church of England paying for my training, and the Bishop who is supporting me) is Chelmsford Diocese, which is huge and covers a vast swathe of Essex and East London. But if there were no parish vacancies in that Diocese when I finished my training, I would need to go somewhere else. There are always church vacancies in England though :)
How can we support you?
If you pray, please pray for me, Lydia and Irene as we contemplate all the moving we will do over the next few years. Michael Ramsey said you don't become a presbyter/priest until your heart is broken - it is certainly a full-on, stressful and emotionally intense job. We will appreciate your support, whether or not you are a Christian, and whether the Church of England is something you feel a part of, don't care for, or feel estranged from. We will be incredibly busy for the foreseeable years, so appreciate your forbearance as we are slow to communicate and give you updates. Our yearly pattern will completely change - Christmas and Easter are likely to be very busy for us, with some time off after each, and the summer a bit quieter.
What do all these weird words mean?
The Anglican church's jargon is a world unto itself. Feel free to email me if there are things you don't understand. But here is a quick jargon list:
Diocese: a unit of organisation in the Church of England. There are 41 in England, each with a Diocesan Bishop (head honcho) and Area Bishops. They are responsible for all the parish churches in their boundaries, and for sponsoring (funding) candidates for ordination
Bishop: A church office, someone who can ordain Deacons and Priests/Presbyters, and govern a Diocese
Parish: a local church and the geographical area that it serves, offering baptism/marriage/funerals to people within those boundaries (and sometimes outside of them) and working with local schools etc
Ordinand: Someone who is currently studying/preparing to be ordained
Ordination: being made a Deacon, or being made a Priest/Presbyter. Both must be done by a Bishop in a service, in the Anglican church
Licensing: The legal right, conferred by a Bishop, to start working in a particular parish church. Without a license, a Priest/Presbyter can't take services in an area
Assistant Curate (also called Title Post): A newly-trained Deacon's first "real job" in a parish church. Everyone has to do an assistant curacy, regardless of whether they will ultimately go into academic or chaplaincy or naval/army ministry
Sector Ministry: ministry that's not in a parish. Armed forced, prisons, hospitals, university or school chaplaincies.
Stipend: The annual pay given to a Deacon or Priest/Presbyter. It is set nationally and basically the same for all C of E religious-office-holders
How do you feel?
I feel scared. But also excited. I'm aware that this generation has immense challenges ahead. I had a long dream last night that I was trapped in a car with a crazy driver who kept doing handbrake turns and soaring across fast lanes of traffic. Yet in spite of the crazy driving, we were unharmed.
But we also feel that God is in this. As missionary Vincent Donovan wrote, we are not the lion who pursues God like our prey. "We have not searched for God. God has searched for us. God has searched us out and found us. All the time we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God." I have been exploring ministry in the Church of England since I was 19, but all this time God has been ahead of me. We are moving into a new season, and God is already there waiting.
With all my love
Matt
"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you". 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12a
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