The SyllabusThe syllabus for clergy training has four main elements and most students can complete the full course in four years, ordination to the diaconate taking place after three years or six semesters of work.
First Element: Eight semesters of study
• Completion of all reading
• Ithaca based students: Attendance at the weekly Thursday evening School at Lindisfarne. (No more than three sessions of the school missed in any one semester). This ended in 2008.
• Distance students: A monthly writing assignment (response, reflection upon reading) by e-mail. We have also used on-line chat rooms and video conference.
Second Element: Monthly mentoring (by the abbot or abbess or other ordained ministers) during semesters (by phone, e-mail, AOL IM, Skype etc)
Third Element: Practical ministry during training (in consultation with the abbot or abbess)
• An existing ministry
• A new ministry
• A ministry placement
• Not only “pastors” but other ministry functions: prison,
college, hospital, elderly care chaplaincy; intercessory ministry; music and worship; evangelism etc
Fourth Element: final written reflection before ordination
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