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PR07/07 26 January 2007

CHRISTIAN DEMONIMATIONS COME TOGETHER TO TRAIN

All those involved in Christian Ministry across the West Midlands will now have access to a wider range of high-quality training opportunities thanks to a new agreement signed yesterday in Birmingham. The Regional Training Partnership will enable training resources to be shared so that they better support both ordained and lay Ministers.

The Bishop of Worcester, the Right Revd Dr. Peter Selby, chaired yesterday’s meeting. He commented: “This new agreement will enable us to work across denominational and diocesan boundaries to nurture and encourage high-quality ministerial training. There will be new opportunities for personal and professional development for both our clergy and their congregations, which can only benefit all the churches across our region.”

The partnership will cover preparation for ordained and authorised ministries as well as continuing ministerial education. It is also concerned with helping all Christians to explore how they can become better equipped for mission and the life of faith.

The agreement was signed by the six Church of England dioceses in the West Midlands, two Methodist Districts and the West Midlands Province of the United Reformed Church, as well as the two Ministerial Training Schools in the region (the Queens Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and the West of England Ministerial Training Course based in Cheltenham). The Heart of England Baptist Association and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham are also involved in the partnership as observers.

Yesterday’s official launch of the partnership took place at the Carrs Lane United Reformed Church in Birmingham during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It featured an inaugural lecture from Professor John Hull, Honorary Professor of Practical Theology in the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and Emeritus Professor of Religious Education at the University of Birmingham.

Issued by Samantha Setchell, Press Officer for the Diocese of Worcester and the Bishop of Worcester

Email: ssetchell@cofe-worcester.org.uk

The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.

Diocesan Office, The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester WR1 2JE

Tel: 01905 20537   Fax: 01905 612302