Ministerial Development Review (MDR) is available to all beneficed and licensed clergy and stipendiary lay workers in the Diocese of Worcester who hold the Bishop's Licence.
This includes stipendiary, non-stipendiary, ministers in secular employment along with those who are employees of the Diocesan Board of Finance or bodies such as HM Prison Service, National Health Service, and Independent Schools.
This paper, and the accompanying MDR Scheme Guidance, summarises the MDR Scheme made by the Bishop of Worcester following guidance approved by the Archbishops’ Council in January 2010 under the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations 2009. While mandatory under Common Tenure, the expectation, however, is that all clergy, including those with freehold, will wish to participate fully in it.
The purpose of MDR is to affirm people in their ministry, to identify successes to be celebrated and areas where further reflection or a change of emphasis may be appropriate. It seeks to pick up the main priorities for two years ahead and to identify any associated or general training and development needs. The contents of MDR reports may be drawn upon by the Bishop when producing references for those who are seeking a move.
The Bishop of Worcester assigns each office holder to a Reviewer - either the Bishop of Dudley, the Director of Mission & Ministry, the Archdeacon of Dudley, or the Archdeacon of Worcester. A Reviewer and Reviewee meet every two years and the same Reviewer is usually kept for six years. The Reviewee is encouraged to reflect upon the Baptismal liturgy and, where appropriate, the Ordinal and to complete a Reflection Aid in advance of their meeting with their Reviewer. These are pastoral meetings during which priorities for both personal and ministerial development are agreed and recorded on a Priorities Form.
Reviewees are asked to arrange conversations with three people who are willing to act as ‘critical friends’. Advice is given about this role and the questions to explore in the appendix to the MDR Scheme Guidance.
All Reviewees are also assigned a Review Consultant. The pool of Review Consultants includes both lay and ordained people who have been selected for their experience and trained for this role. The Review Consultant sees the Reviewee in the intermediate year for an Interim Consultation. The Interim Consultation looks specifically at the priorities agreed at the last Ministerial Development Review. Some priorities will have been completed, some forgotten, and for others there may have been a change of direction or more pressing things that will have emerged during the year. The Interim Consultation should help to take stock of this and bring renewed clarity of vision and identify sources of support.
After each MDR and Interim Consultation office holders are encouraged to complete a Feedback Form which will help those tasked with oversight of the Scheme in their on-going review.
All of the documents needed for the Ministerial Development Review are linked here:
- MDR 1 - Ministerial Development Review Scheme Guidance
- MDR 2 - Ministerial Development Review Reflection Aid
- MDR 3 - Priorities Form
- MDR 4 - Feedback Form following MDR and Interim Consultation
The contents on this page was formerly section A2 of the Diocesan Compendium.