Memorandum 34
Submission from the The Rt Revd Graham James[45], Lord Bishop of Norwich and Chairman of the Ministry Division of the Archbishops Council
"FUNDING FOR
THE EQUIVALENT
OR LOWER
QUALIFICATIONS"
The Ministry Division of the Archbishops Council
is responsible to the House of Bishops and the General Synod of
the Church of England for the theological education and training
of ordinands for the Church of England. Currently there are approximately
1,500 students in training in its associated training institutions
pursuing academic study validated by Higher Education Institutions.
The cost of this training is approximately £14.5 million
per annum raised entirely from the voluntary donations of parishioners.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
— The House of Bishops has expressed
its concern about the adverse impact these proposals will have
upon lifelong learning, professional development, and the acquisition
of new skills by many people in our fast changing society.
— The House of Bishops is especially
concerned about the effect that the change will have upon the
education and training of ordinands and the relationships built
up with the Higher Education Institutions over recent decades.
— Clergy and other ministers of religion
contribute massively to civil society and community life and we
believe those in training for such ministry should be included
among those given exemption.
— The Church of England therefore asks
that an exemption from the proposed changes should include those
studying for ordained ministry in the Church of England and other
recognised denominations and faiths.
Submission
1. The Church of England supports a network
of 16,000 parishes across the country led by an ordained minister
specifically trained for community ministry. In some parishes
(especially in the inner city or outer housing estates) these
ministers are often the only professional person working in the
community also resident within it. They provide an important social
and religious focus through pastoral care and community leadership.
2. The Government has increasingly sought
partnerships and cooperation from faith communities and their
leaders to share in the challenges of community development and
community cohesion. Government sees faith communities as increasingly
crucial to welfare provision, able to reach individuals and groups
not reached by other agencies, especially in inner city and rural
areas. Lord Griffiths of Burry Port made the point in debate in
the House of Lords that the clergy are often `the cheapest and
most effective social workers and contributors to social cohesion
in the country.'
3. Those training for ordination in the
Church of England generally follow either a two or three year
residential full-time route in a theological college or three
years on a part time course. The great majority of these routes
are either university degree courses or validated by a partner
higher education institution.
4. The great achievement of recent decades
has been the development of a much stronger partnership between
the training provision of the Church of England and the Higher
Education Institutions. This is now under threat. The partnership
between the Church and the HEIs has helped to provide quality
assurance to our training. More than that, the engagement of those
in training for ordination with others of all faiths and none
is significant for the character of their future work. Our clergy
have frequently taken a lead in inter-faith work locally and regionally.
Isolating our clergy in training from wider learning communities
would do no service to social inclusion.
5. The ability of those studying for theological
degrees to learn within the Higher Education Institutions benefits
both themselves and other students by exposing both to a range
of opinion and learning that they might not otherwise encounter.
This enriches the experience of both communities of learning.
6. The Government has recognised the value
of theological and faith based studies through the exemption given
to Islamic Studies. The Church of England supports this and hopes
to see the Christian, Jewish, Hindu and major faith studies also
included within the list of exemptions. We need equally trained
and educated leaders in a multi-faith society if a constructive
exchange of ideas is to take place.
7. The Church of England currently pays
£14.5 million per annum to train its ordinands. For the year
ended 31st December 2007 £435,000 was paid directly to the
Universities for tuition and validation fees. Substantial additional
amounts are given through shared teaching and other support.
8. The Church of England is particularly
concerned that universities would seek to charge significantly
higher fees for our students. It is therefore concerned that the
proposed changes by HEFCE will have a detrimental effect on the
provision that it makes to train its future ministers. The present
£14.5 million per annum for training comes entirely from
the voluntary donations of parishioners.
9. If Universities seek to charge the equivalent
of the overseas student rate for UK students as reflecting the
full cost of university study for our ordinands. the increased
cost would be prohibitive. Some HEI suffering from a reduction
in income may well also look to charge higher fees for validation
work and the use of University facilities as a way of recouping
lost revenue. The overall impact of this change could alter the
whole provision of theological education.
10. If all universities were to seek to
charge the full cost for Church of England ordinands we estimate
that the Church would need to find around a further £1.5
million from its parishioners. This may not be easy to achieve
whilst maintaining the provision of clergy in inner city and rural
areas.
11. Many students for the ordained ministry
enter into training as mature students having already pursued
other careers. Approximately 75% of those in training hold equivalent
or higher degrees already. The proposals put forward by HEFCE
to restrict the funding of equivalent or lower degrees would have
an adverse effect upon our ablest students, but also more generally.
12. The withdrawal into faith based seminary
type education could result. This would weaken the long tradition
of university-educated clergy, and narrow their experience at
a formative time.
13. The Church of England asks that the
exemptions from the proposed changes should include those studying
for ordained ministry in the Church of England and other recognised
denominations and faiths.
January 2008
45 The Rt Revd Graham James is Lord Bishop of Norwich.
After ordination in 1975 he served in parish ministry until 1983
when he was appointed Senior Selection Secretary for the Advisory
Council for Church's Ministry. He served as Chaplain to the Archbishop
of Canterbury from 1987 to 1993 when he was consecrated Bishop
of St Germans becoming Bishop of Norwich in 1999. In 2006 he was
elected to the Archbishops' Council and became Chairman of the
Ministry Division. Back
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