Reimagining Ministerial Formation

"Arm yourself with courage before you read this book and find yourself filled with hope. In the third of his ‘trilogy’ – Reimagining Ministry, Kingdom Learning and now Reimagining Ministerial Formation – Heywood takes up recent initiatives in the life of the Church of England and questions what taking each of them seriously might really mean. Who are the ministers and what do we mean by formation? Working his way through these questions in relation to clericalism, theological education, everyday discipleship, life-long learning, collaborative ministry and missional discipleship, Heywood tackles these with a fearless clarity of thought combined with the empathy of someone who brings a life time of experience and reflection about these areas of the Church’s life. In prophetic style, Heywood offers sharp analysis and critique together with the wisdom of Christ-centred faith and the phronesis of a practitioner. Whether you are a theological educator, a bishop, clergy person, a lay church leader or a follower of Jesus who longs to see God’s church flourish, this book offers a hopeful and practical vision. I hope that many will read it and have the courage to act on it."

Eeva John, Enabling Officer – Living in Love and Faith

This is a magnificent book which is a timely, imaginative, grounded and prophetic contribution to re-imagining ministerial formation. It is timely because it speaks directly into a church which is committed to placing discipleship at the heart of its life and especially at the heart of its ministerial formation. It is imaginative in painting a picture of what good lifelong formation might look like and the kinds of structures which might enable it. It is grounded through the rich experience of the author who has devoted a lifetime to this kingdom learning from within the context of his ministry in parish, Diocesan and ministerial formation contexts. It is prophetic in drawing in much overlooked capacities such as emotional intelligence into the centre of the formational process and giving real substance to what that might look like in a formational curriculum. This is the distillation of a lifetime’s work and passionate commitment which longs for a church to be shaped by the mission of God and where local church communities enable the people of God to be kingdom disciples.

Ian McIntosh, Ministry Division, Church of England

The processes by which women and men are prepared for ordained Christian ministry have changed dramatically over recent decades, but there is so much further to travel, away from training that focused too heavily upon the acquisition of academic knowledge and towards the whole of life discipleship that forms people after the character of Christ. Even further to travel is that journey which sees the importance of shaping every member of the Church for service and witness to Christ. Central to this are the creating of communities of practice and the forming of godly habits, and David Heywood shows with clarity and imagination how this can be developed further in his own Church of England. It is, however, an ecumenical task, vital for each church that forms women and men for participation in the mission of the church and this book will have wide appeal for many traditions.

Paul Goodliff, General Secretary, Churches Together in England

David Heywood’s book is timely. The effect of Covid on theological education is to move the teaching and learning online, like many other educational institutions. Online learning is potentially more flexible and makes geography irrelevant (even national boundaries). Why be fixed on a primary model of a residential (quasi monastic) community and a secondary one that tries to do a scaled down version of this? The cracks in the system and its effectiveness, let alone its cost are showing. At this point David Heywood’s book speaks to many issues: the need to make theological reflection a core discipline and practice, training together of lay and people for licensed ministries, the danger of training an elite, centring on Christian practices rather than intellectual subjects, questioning the efficacy of frontloading of education, training as timely rather than all at the beginning. These are some of the issues delved into and examined in the book. As such it opens up a rather closed debate about the current provision of theological education and suggests a new path for the future. There is much to be considered here.

Phillip Tovey, Principal, Oxford Local Ministry Pathway

As someone who has worked in the field of ministerial formation, predominantly with lay people, for over thirty five years I welcome David’s timely and prescient contribution to the debate. In the challenging climate we face as we seek to reframe ministry and mission with the opportunities and constraints that exist, the four key principles that David outlines in this book of ministerial formation as a life long, collaborative, experiential learning and reflective practice focused for a varied and diverse ministry seem apt. This is a well researched book which draws on a wide range of contexts to root the discussion in practice and the footnotes show the breadth and depth of sources engaged with allowing follow up for those who wish to delve more deeply into particular aspects. I particularly appreciate the suggestion of incorporating emotional intelligence competencies into the formation curriculum and the associated grade descriptors, equipping emotionally intelligent ministers (using that term inclusively) would help make much of the current work in formation more explicit and measurable. I commend this book to anyone wanting to reflect on formation and training for mission, ministry and whole life discipleship.

Sally Nash, Director, Insitute for Children, Youth and Mission

This book raises vital questions about collaborative ministry and what needs to be addressed, not least in how the formation of clergy needs to be strongly focused from the outset on enabling all baptised followers of Christ of every age to be formed and transformed as everyday disciples, Sunday to Saturday. The question of how to address the destructive and pervasive ethos of clericalism is highlighted. I found this book refreshing and heartening, yet it is not for the faint-hearted or those who do not want to participate in kingdom-shaped transformation in the Church, rather than reorganisation which simply focuses on rearranging the chairs on the deck with a few tweaks to the way clergy are trained and deployed.

Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, UK

David Heywood unfolds with lucidity and wisdom a new paradigm for ministerial formation. In doing so he provides a clear and informed assessment of the current situation and problems associated with the prevailing academic and skills-based approach to theological education. Heywood offers a more integrative, practical and mission focussed approach to formation for the local church. His emphasis is on life-long learning and a collaborative ethos. In Heywood’s account discipleship and ministry are interrelated and lay and ordained ministries are properly integrated. Heywood is surely right when he notes that ‘at heart’ formation is about the ‘redirection of the affections …. in the company of others’. Heywood’s concrete proposals for ministry formation nudge the Church deeper into the new paradigm. This book will be of immense value for those involved in the development of ministry formation programs and all who seek to serve the mission of God as disciples of Christ. This is an important and timely book from a seasoned theologian full of practical wisdom.

Stephen Pickard, Executive Director, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture

I have long believed, with David Heywood that ministerial formation in the Church of England (and by extension much more widely) is not fit for purpose. I hope this book, drawing as it does on years of experience, real world research and extensive literature, will act like a ‘good virus’ to infect our Churches with a vision of what is possible in the formation of the whole people of God so that they can participate in the mission of God. I trust that it will be read, reflected and acted on by Church leaders and theological educators right across this land and many others.

Nigel Rooms, Leader, Partnership for Missional Church

A central part of David’s calling is to help the Church think through the interwoven questions of discipleship and ministry and the relationship between lay and ordained in the Body of Christ. Kingdom Learning is another powerful contribution to that process. David’s deep, clear and incisive reflections will, I hope, be a vital resource to the whole Church as we seek fruitful ways forward in the midst of and beyond the COVID pandemic.

Stephen Croft, Bishop of Oxford, UK

I welcome David Heywood’s vision of a new theoretical and practical paradigm for ministerial formation. There can be few authors as well qualified to write on this topic, not only by the depth of their study and reflection, but also through their practical experience of teaching and ministry. David’s book deserves to be taken seriously by all those in the churches who are concerned with ‘theological education’, with reuniting discipleship and ministry, or with the connection that lies at the heart of true Christian learning between our human experience and the resources of the gospel.

Jeff Astley, Alister Hardy Professor of Religious and Spiritual Experience, Bishop Grosseteste University, UK

"In this excellent and challenging book, David Heywood builds on his earlier studies that examined how ministry might be reimagined and shaped by the learning dynamic of the Kingdom of God. Reimagining Ministerial Formation offers hope in its call for a life-long holistic engagement with reflective learning. It doesn’t just offer the Church hope, it has potential to transform the landscape of higher education too and a richer dialogue between these and diverse sectors of society. Wide-ranging, rich in its Scriptural and historical interaction, and up-to-date in its referencing of the changing landscape of COVID_19 RMF is a thoughtful and accessible study that can help each of us create and curate the space to grow our collaborative and diverse ministries for the 21st century and beyond".

Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon

How do we organise formation so that the whole of a disciple is permeable to every learning opportunity in every area of their life, able to become mature in Christ and encourage and equip others to do the same? In this book David presents a vision of ministerial formation that makes my heart sing. It is, as he states, already emerging: aimed at the discipling of the whole church in a variety of ministries for the sake of God’s kingdom, and following the missio Dei, it is local, contextual, accessible to all, holistic, non-hierarchical, and gloriously every-day. With a cornerstone of theological reflection, collaborative and individual, and keeping the goal of emotionally intelligent, pastorally imaginative and wise practitioners in mind, his vision presents a coherent argument and a compelling call to all involved in shaping the future of learning in the church. As an accidental training provider for missioners across a diocese, I will be regularly referring to this as an inspiration, checklist and guide.

Tina Hodgett, Evangelism and Pioneer Team Leader, Diocese of Bath and Wells

David has written a wise, nuanced and thoughtful book which will enrich the debate about ministerial formation in the next season of the life of the Church of England. His deep analysis of the current reality should provoke radical heart searching among those who have responsibility for the design and funding of ministerial formation, particularly as it involves the priesthood of all believers. This should be the blue print for the future of ministerial education!

Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol

If we are to shape a future for flourishing communities of faith engaged in the mission of God then reframing ministry roles as gifts that enable the mission and ministry of the whole people of God is an urgent task. Built on the firm foundation of decades of teaching and research this book identifies barriers and blocks to formation of the whole people of God and offers generative solutions for transforming our paradigm and practices in this. I thoroughly recommend it to all who are concerned with being a church of missionary disciples.

Nick Shepherd, Programme Director, Setting God’s People Free

Reimagining Ministerial Formation

David Heywood

© David Heywood 2021

Published in 2021 by SCM Press

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Contents

Preface

Introduction: Ministerial Formation for the Whole Church

1. An Emerging New Paradigm

2. Moving on from the Academic Model

3. Adopting the New Paradigm

4. A Different World

Appendices

Preface

In many ways, Reimagining Ministerial Formation is the third in a series. It builds directly on two of my previous books, Reimagining Ministry (2011) and Kingdom Learning (2017).¹

Over the last 30 years or more, the Holy Spirit has been calling the church in Britain to a renewed emphasis on mission as an integral part of its life. In a variety of ways, the policies of the Churches at national level and the life of the churches locally are being shaped by mission. In Reimagining Ministry, I explored the ways in which the church’s understanding and practice of ministry might respond to its changing understanding and practice of mission. I suggested that it is possible to discern a number of stages by which mission has gradually taken root in the church’s life and that each strategic step has laid a foundation for the next, not only in the church’s practice but in its ‘operant’ or ‘enacted’ theology. I joined many other writers in suggesting that the theological heart of our rediscovery of mission lies in a vision of the missio Dei or mission of God and of God’s coming rule or kingdom. I explored the idea of the church as koinonia or communion, a ‘foretaste’ of the kingdom, and concluded that the pattern of ministry that best serves God’s mission is collaborative, rooted in loving relationship. In practical terms, this means that, instead of understanding ordained ministry as the standard form of ministry and all other forms as auxiliary optional extras, the standard form of ministry is collaborative local ministry. The function of ordained ministry is to ‘animate’ the ministry of the whole people of God, to enable, equip and connect local ministry.²

In a church shaped for mission, which understands ‘ministry’ as the ministry of the whole church, discipleship becomes a vital element. It requires local churches to become learning communities, where God’s people grow in discipleship and are equipped for ministry. Kingdom Learning grew out of my conviction that two elements are required to make this a reality: good practice in adult education and skills of theological reflection. Since theological reflection is grounded in the cycle of experiential learning, these two requirements are closely related. As I write later in this book, theological reflection is good pedagogy and good pedagogy is reflective. Kingdom Learning is an exploration of theological reflection and its role in learning for discipleship and ministry. It draws on an earlier book, Divine Revelation and Human Learning, the fruit of my doctoral thesis, in which, by charting the connections between the psychology of learning and the theology of revelation, I endeavoured to show how the natural ways in which people learn play an integral part in the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.³ Since Kingdom Learning sets out the foundation of a theory of learning to resource discipleship and ministry, Reimagining Ministerial Formation repeats a few sections of the earlier book. I hope that readers of both will not find this overly tedious. On the other hand, some aspects of the argument of this book are dealt with in greater detail in Kingdom Learning. In particular, it includes a fuller account of good practice in adult education, which I take to be essential to ministerial formation.

In Reimagining Ministry, I expressed the hope that the next significant step forward in the church’s practice of mission and ministry would be the recognition and encouragement of ‘whole-life discipleship’, now coming to be called ‘everyday faith’. As Kingdom Learning was in publication, the Church of England published a report entitled ‘Setting God’s People Free’ calling for exactly that. Although by no means the first report urging the Church of England to put into practice its theoretical commitment to the ministry of the whole church, ‘Setting God’s People Free’ went further in at least three respects:

It pointed out that the ministry of lay people and their leadership in the life of the Church required a foundation in ‘whole-life discipleship’: ‘fruitful, faithful mission and ministry, influence, leadership and, most importantly, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ in all of life’.⁴

It challenged the Church to accept a process through which to change its structures to enable whole-life discipleship.

It named ‘clericalism’ as a key factor preventing the Church from embracing the discipleship and ministry of all.

Since I too believe that ministry arises from discipleship and is an integral part of it, ‘everyday faith’ occupies an important place in this study of ministerial formation. In the first place, in the life-long learning model of formation that I advocate everyday faith is the indispensable foundation. Second, because the enabling of whole-life discipleship and the building of communities where God’s people learn together are vital tasks of church leadership.

However, as Peter Senge writes, ‘New insights fail to get put into practice because they conflict with deeply held internal images of how the world works, images that limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting.’⁵ ‘Setting God’s People Free’ also calls attention to the ‘deeply held internal image’, entrenched for centuries in the church’s theology and structures of power, which has prevented it from recognizing the vital importance of lay discipleship. At the heart of clericalism lies the assumption that ministry is the prerogative of the clergy, so that ministry comes to be defined as ‘what the clergy do’. As I noted in Kingdom Learning, the consequences of clericalism are many:

many clergy are reluctant to devolve responsibility and involve others in ministry

many congregations are reluctant to share in ministry with the clergy

the church devotes a disproportionate share of its resources to the training of the clergy, to the relative neglect of formation for lay discipleship and ministry

because of their training the clergy come to be thought of as an elite, while the laity come to believe