There is much work going on to design Reader Training that will be relevant and useful in coming years. The current cohorts of trainees are in different stages of the Truro Course amalgamating with SWMTC and the links with training ordinands. The draft outline of the new course looks very exciting and is sure to appeal to those who feel a sense of calling to ministry of one sort or another.
It is envisaged that there will be a new Foundations in Christian Ministry course run locally for all interested that may well serve as the first year of the Reader Course. During that course students will discern whether they want to go on to Reader Ministry, ordination or do something else.
The Reader course itself has seven residential weekends in Plymouth with the ordinands. Readers would finish on Friday tea time and the ordainees would stay another night and have an extra session on Sunday.
There are other local seminars, online modules, blog writing and so on which have all to be agreed and slotted in but huge progress has been made and I am sure that new Readers are going to benefit significantly along with their sponsoring churches.
The course is closely tied in with the Durham University requirements for ratification so the position as Reader as LAy Theologian in underpinned.
Watch this space for more news……
