1. Growing Vocations
Summary

2. Content Renewal & Reform Research Good practice
Under-represented groups
Discernment model for vocational culture
Questions
Statistics
Discussion

4. Renewing Discipleship and Ministry for a growing church and a flourishing ministry
Developing Discipleship
Lay Leadership
Growing Vocations to ministry
Lay Ministries
Future Clergy
Resourcing Ministerial Education

5. Growing Vocations to ministry
Ordained vocations aspiration:
to increase by 50%
to shift the emphasis of the characteristics and skills
to encourage underrepresented groups
Lay Vocations:
Every Christian on a vocational journey
Lay ministries as part of the overall increase in ministry
In paid and voluntary roles, supporting new forms of church

7. Barriers and encouragements
How I perceive myself
How I perceive ministry
Structural/process problems
Encouragements
Opportunities for experience; small steps.
People – role models, seed planters, supporters, mentors

8. Good practice research - informal
Attention
Normalising vocational conversations
Vocations are infectious!
Accurate information – online and for parish leaders
Mobilise role models
Tell stories of vocation
Experience
Opportunity to ‘have a go’
Open-access local courses, formal learning opportunities
Facilitate peer discussion
Multiple access points

9. Good practice in parishes and dioceses research - informal
Attention
Normalising vocational conversations
Vocations are infectious!
Accurate information – online and for parish leaders
Mobilise role models
Telling stories of vocation
Experience
Opportunity to ‘have a go’
Open-access local courses, formal learning opportunities
Facilitate peer discussions
Multiple access points
Attention
Normalising vocational conversations
Vocations are infectious!
Accurate information – online and for parish leaders
Mobilise role models
Tell stories of vocation
Experience
Opportunity to ‘have a go’
Open-access local courses, formal learning opportunities
Facilitate peer discussion
Multiple access points

10. Peter walking on water – disciples watching?

13. Good practice research - formal
Multiple access points to discernment process
Don’t assume clergy support at the beginning
Make the process transparent
Reduce bottlenecks
Use group work and peer groups
Portfolio of exercises
Separate the role of ‘judge’ from that of ‘supporter’
Two meanings – don’t assume someone has the support of the incumbent (young women, sexuality), don’t assume someone has an incumbent supporting and guiding them through the process (geographical moves, church fluidity)

14. Thinking about vocational journeys
Awareness
Articulation
Confidence
Decision
Prayer
Experience
Mentoring
Information
Gatekeepers
Perception
Prayer
Experience
Mentoring
Discussion
Detailed information
Gatekeepers
Misinformation
Prayer
Experience
Preaching
Role models
Seed sowers
Advertising
Prayer
Mentors
Discussion
Detailed information
Testing
Role confusion

15. Young Vocations - Research
Young people’s attitudes to work/vocation
Young Christians’ approach to thinking about their futures
Young Christians’ attitudes to and perceptions of ordained ministry
Specific obstacles that young women encounter

16. Strategy
Discernment model
Research
State of play

17. Under-represented groups
Young Vocations
Actively manage geographical moves
Increase breadth of experience
Move quickly
Provide a champion
Young women
Mobilise role models
Provide open access outside parish
Provide practical information early (online, focused events)
Social Diversity
Provide and certificate lots of small steps
Offer context-based learning
Grow indigenous ministry
BAME
Focus on BAME majority churches
Hold BAME specific events

18. Statistics on Ordained Vocations

19. Total number of candidates 2010-2014

20. Proportional number of candidates 2010-2014

21. Ethnicity

23. Recommended Candidates

24. Recommended Candidates, Stipendiary/NSM

25. Gender

26. Average Age

27. Age and gender

28. Ethnicity (2010-2014) 3% 16% 6% 72% 84% 94% 24% 0%
Ethnicity of candidates in Diocese
Ethnicity of the population in the diocese
Ethnicity of Church of England congregations in the Diocese
Black, Asian and Minority ethnic 3%
16% 6%
White
72%
84%
94%
Undeclared
24% 0%

29. Gender
Recommended candidates in the Diocese
National average of recommended candidates
Ratio of male to female candidates
59%, 41%
44:31
54%, 46%
7:6
Ratio of male to female candidates under 32
69%, 31%
20:9
75%, 25%
3:1

30. Other (2010-2014) In Diocese National average
In Diocese
National average
Percentage without a first degree
25%
26%
Number of candidates as a proportion of Sunday attendance (Candidates per Church attenders) 25
Number of candidates as a proportion of Sunday attendance of year olds (Candidates per Church attenders) 83 80
Percentage not recommended
23%
18%
Percentage set aside 1% 3%
Percentage recommended for incumbent ministry
81%
68%

31. Age ( )
Percentage of recommended candidates in diocese under 32
National average of recommended candidates under 32
39%
26%
Estimated percentage age in Church of England congregations in diocese
Estimated percentage age in Church of England congregations nationally 5% 7%

32. 10 quick ideas Develop and grow your vocations’ team
Hold a training day for clergy on developing a culture of vocations
Book onto the Growing Vocations’ Conference
25th and 26th January 2017
Kings’ Park, Northampton

33. 10 quick ideas Think through proactive approaches to vocations
Feed in good practice - including what you've discussed over the past 24 hours to
Throw a party for the clergy who’ve seen the most licensed and authorised vocations come through in the past 5 or 10 years.
Ask ordinands to preach on vocations

34. 10 quick ideas
Talk to your bishops and diocesan secretaries about growing the curacy budget
Keep in touch with national developments on vocations’ work – and get your team on our ing list:
Get feedback from those who have been recently called to ordained or lay ministry.
Order prayer postcards or leaflets through

35. A call to prayer Why an increase in vocations?
Call to prayer – asking but also allowing God to move – not presupposing the vocations that might be needed or might appear.
Twitter, printed prayer resources

36. Sharing good practice Vocations resources website
Research on good practice in dioceses, parishes, Chaplains, etc
Sharing knowledge between vocations advisers on discerning vocations to religious life, pioneer ministry, Church Army evangelists, missionaries, children’s and youth workers, and others.
Consulting on good practice in discernment process