The number of people training for ordination, one of Lichfield Diocese’s indicators crucial to its journey towards its goals for 2025-2030, is already showing encouraging signs. At the same time, the number of licensed lay ministers (Readers) is also rising with seven licensed on 6 September (above), and nine starting training this year. Five were licensed last year.
Core to achieving the ten ‘Seeking the Kingdom’ goals is building up and eventually securing a pipeline of home-grown vocations to priesthood and lay ministry. A new approach to nurturing and testing ordained vocations, adopted at the start of this year, has led to eighteen ordinands going into training this autumn. This is the highest number for a decade.
Training takes two to three years, so it is a little time yet before our new ordinands will impact parishes, but this will be well within the current five-year programme. It is anticipated that our new approach will continue to deliver enhanced numbers for that whole time - and beyond.
Offering for any kind of ministry, lay or ordained, is a journey that begins with curiosity and questioning, with spiritual hunger and a yearning to serve and pray for others. Sometimes people set out on a long learning journey with only that nagging sense of wanting to know and do more: to attend to the things of God and love and serve those around them and their needs. That urge is catered for in the Chad Foundations course, open to all, which this year has 39 people embarking on it: three times the number last year.
Director of Ministry, The Revd Prebendary Dr Jeanette Hartwell said: “These figures stand testament to the incredible efforts of our vocations team over the last year.” Strategy Programme Director, The Revd Canon Nick Smeeton said “I hope that everyone in Lichfield Diocese will be encouraged by these figures. I know I am. They show how God is working to equip and shape our diocese for the years ahead.”
Over the coming five years to 2030, Lichfield Diocese is journeying towards its strategic goals by means of feeding the faith of all the people of the diocese, supporting the ministry of clergy and lay leaders and building up the parishes and the communities they serve.
Some of this weekend's newly-licensed Readers talked about their experience of beginning to think about their own vocations and their experience taking part in the Chad Foundations programme - see YouTube playlist - including:
Candidates admitted to office of Reader:
Wolverhampton Episcopal Area
- Angela Bernard licensed as a Reader in benefice of West Bromwich The Good Shepherd with S.John
- Mary Rose licensed as a Reader in the benefice of The Penkridge Team Ministry
- Stephen Wallace licensed as a Reader in the benefice of Streetly
Stafford Episcopal Area
- Benjamin Drewnicki licensed as a Reader in the benefice of Adbaston, High Offley, Knightley, Norbury, Woodseaves, Gnosall and Moreton
- Deborah Scragg licensed as a Reader in the benefice of Kingsley and Foxt-with-Whiston and Oakamoor with Cotton
- Gary Williams licensed as a Reader in the benefice ofStone Christ Church and Oulton-with-Moddershall
- Nnaeto Onwuzurumba licensed as a Reader in the benefice of Sneyd Green