Vocations - pathways
God calls all Christians to be faithful. However, God can call us to express our faithfulness in many different ways.
For most people their part in God's mission will be lived through their employment or voluntary work and through their relationships with family, friends, and wider community. Some people are called to full time ministry within the church and whilst many others combine ministry in a voluntary capacity with employment elsewhere.
Some of the more public roles in the Church of England require training programmes after which you receive a licence for ministry. These include:
Ordained Ministry - Someone who is ‘ordained' in the understanding of the Church of England is someone whose ministry represents the worldwide church. That is why priests often wear dog collars and robes when they take services. The clothing is symbolic of a role that crosses the boundaries of time and geography. Not all ordained ministers work full time for the church - some combine their ministry with employment or family commitments. Nor do all ordained ministers work in parishes - many work in hospitals, schools, prisons, universities, city centres and workplaces as chaplains. For more details
Readers - people who are called to serve the Church by preaching, teaching, leading worship and pastoral care . Anyone wanting to be a reader must have the backing of their vicar and PCC and then they must be selected by the Diocese. Training is normally for 3 years (of which the 1st year in this Diocese is the Bishop's Certificate or equivalent course. For more details
Church Army Evangelists - lay (not ordained) ministers who share the Christian faith through words and actions and help others do the same. For more details
- Church Army Website
Ministry is increasingly shared in teams, in which Ordained Ministers and Readers are joined by those who have undertaken the Authorised Lay Ministry training course[ALM] to provide pastoral care and community outreach, on behalf of their church. The Worcester ALM scheme opens up a wide variety of ministries including amongst others pastoral care, evangelists, worship leaders, administrators. For more details
The Religious Life - some men and women are called to live what is known as the ‘Religious Life', as a monk or a nun, a Franciscan friar or a sister. This way of life is diverse and ranges from the enclosed contemplative life through to the contemplative life in action. There are many religious, both lay and ordained, living in community throughout the world. Some invited people who are married or cannot physically live in community to be associates or members of a Third Order. For more details
To explore your sense of calling or for more information about ministry it is best to speak first of all to your own Vicar or minister, but you can also contact Canon Georgina Byrne, Canon Robert Jones or Canon Sheila Banyard at the Diocesan Office
