‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…’ Romans 12:2
Rooted in Christ, Nourished by Learning, Branching out in Practice.
An amazing opportunity to do ministry while training and gaining from both.
Our Context Based Pathway is a way to train as an ordinand at Cranmer Hall in a way that allows you to continue ministering while training. This pathway enables you to access world-class theological training while rooted in your church context for your ministry and formation.
This pathway involves a mixture of training where for some days you will be based at Cranmer Hall for lectures, worship and fellowship, and for the rest of the week you will be based in your church context in order to engage on a deep level with practical mission, ministry and reflection.
We believe the North East of England provides a unique, varied, challenging and inspiring context for this pathway, where we have parishes that are passionate about mission and about equipping and encouraging vocation. This, together with Cranmer Hall’s passion for enabling students to engage with excellent theological education, means that ordinands on this pathway would have the opportunity for a rich training experience, where they have both the opportunity to learn much and give much back to their church context.
Here are some reflections on the Context Based Pathway from past ordinands.
Each ordinand on this pathway would live in the parish or area close to their context church throughout the week and would learn and serve in this context church. This can be either your current church, or a new church specifically found for you for your training. Ordinands will then travel to Durham city for their college days to take part with other Cranmer Hall students in teaching, reflecting, worship and fellowship. Each of these ordinands would have a Tutor based at college who would support them pastorally, spiritually, academically and formationally. These ordinands will also have the option of accessing some of the college programmes online.
The church context would normally stay the same for the whole of the ordinand’s training. However, during the summer, you will be offered the option to take up to four weeks placement in another context.
Ordinands on this pathway will take theological and context-based modules; some of these will be taught on site at Cranmer Hall, and other modules will be based in their context church. The modules are geared towards equipping the ordinand for the different types of practical ministry and leadership they may experience on placement.
Within this pathway, ordinands can study towards a diploma, BA, MA or DThM. The time spent in college and in context will depend on the pathway requirements as well as the ordinand’s previous training and their formational needs.
Ordinands will have 6 weeks annual leave.
Whenever possible, in discussion with your DDO (or sponsoring Bishop), and if appropriate for your formation, your current church will remain your context church for the duration of your training.
If for one reason or another, this option is not available, a new context church will be found for you. We have many relationships with churches across the North East, a number of which are designated as ‘Resourcing Churches’. We will work with your DDO (or sponsoring Bishop) and the local Diocese(s) and church leaders to find a new church with the necessary ministerial and supervision capacity to serve as your new context church for the duration of your training.
Scroll down to read our FAQs and please do contact Steve Muneza, our Director of Contextual Learning, if you have any more questions or would like to discuss this further. You can contact him at:
Or contact Revd Dr Nick Moore, our Warden at:
The best way however to explore this further is to come and visit us! Please click here to contact us and arrange a visit.
What kind of things would I be taught?
Besides having the opportunity to explore the Scriptures more deeply, you would also have the opportunity to take classes that explore practical ministry, such as leadership and training others to be leaders, mission entrepreneurship, preaching, evangelism, conflict transformation, pastoral care, digital communication, poverty and the mission of God and school’s ministry.
I’m really interested in the Resourcing Church contexts. Does this mean that I would be trained to be a Resource Church Curate?
Our Context Based Pathway is carefully designed so that you could then be a curate in any and all contexts. Whilst this pathway is intentional about giving students more time to learn and serve practically in context and intentional about training students for entrepreneurial mission and leadership, it is also concerned about enabling each ordinand to experience a range of contexts and ministries so that they can flourish in any context.
I’d be moving from my home to train here: what kind of accommodation would I be given?
We would work with the church to find you accommodation near your placement church. If you are single and you are the only ordinand placed in that parish then we would endeavour to find you a 2 bedroom apartment or house. If you are single and you are part of a small group of ordinands in that placement church, then we would find a house for you to share together. If you are married then we would look for a suitable home for you.
I’m married to someone else who is hoping to train as a residential ordinand. Can I still train on the Context Based Pathway?
Yes! There are quite a few options that we could talk about to see which one would be best for you both. For example, one option is to find a church placement for you that is close to Durham City – you could then both live in that parish and travel into Cranmer Hall when you need to do so, or you could live in Durham City but then travel out on the days when you would be based in your church.
I don’t drive – can I still do this pathway?
Yes! We would consider this when finding your church context, and there is also very good public transport.
Can you offer a variety of church contexts?
Yes! We are passionate about providing training contexts in all sorts of churches with different traditions, different styles of leadership, different sizes of congregations, and different ministries.
“It is exciting to see Cranmer Hall developing this pathway. We are delighted to be partnering them in this through our Resourcing Churches around the diocese. I believe this is a really valuable new route to help grow, train and then deploy a fresh generation of leaders.”
The Bishop of Durham
“With exciting examples of exponential growth and social engagement across the North East I am delighted to see this training at Cranmer Hall launched. In the Durham diocese we have developed one of the most dynamic resourcing church projects in the country with five sites launching in 2019 and another five in 2020. Each of these will offer distinctive opportunities for unparalleled training on the frontline of the work of God in this region.”
Revd Canon David Tomlinson, Vicar of Shildon and Senior Resourcing Church Leader, Durham Diocese