Memorandum 83
Submission from the Oxford Partnership
for Theological Education and Training
This submission is made to the Committee on
behalf of the institutions associated with the University of Oxford
which constitute the Oxford Partnership for Theological Education
and Training. The submission sets out the significance of theological
education and training in Oxford, and presents evidence for the
number of students who will be affected by the proposed removal
of funding for ELQs.
ORDINATION TRAINING
AND THEOLOGY
AT OXFORD
The University of Oxford has maintained an institutional
commitment to the support of ordination training in the Church
of England since the University reforms of the mid nineteenth
century. This commitment began with the establishment of the Regius
chair of Pastoral Theology at Christ Church in 1842, and continued
with the foundation of four independent theological colleges in
and near Oxford in the latter part of the century. More recently,
these colleges have come into a closer formal relationship with
the University and with the non-Anglican theological institutions
in Oxford, co-ordinated by the Oxford Partnership for Theological
Education and Training (OPTET).
Since the 1970s the University has allowed these
colleges to enter candidates for the Honour School of Theology
and has validated Certificates in Theology which fulfil the academic
requirements for ordination. In the 1990s the degrees of Bachelor
of Theology and Master of Theology were introduced to provide
vocational courses which are suitable in particular for ordination
training and ministerial formation. Following the establishment
of these degrees two of the three remaining Anglican theological
colleges became Permanent Private Halls (PPHs) of the University:
Wycliffe Hall in 1996 and St Stephen's House in 2003. The third
college, Ripon College Cuddesdon, maintains its recognised status
as an "Anglican Theological College" in the University
Calendar with the right to present candidates for theology degrees
and certificates.
The Free Churches established training institutions
for their ministers in Oxford during the same period. These institutions
have subsequently expanded considerably and in the case of Mansfield
College (United Reformed Church) and Harris Manchester College
(Unitarian) are full colleges of the University. Harris Manchester
continues to train a small number of candidates for the ministry,
but Mansfield will cease to do so this year. Regent's Park College
is the largest Permanent Private Hall and has a significant cohort
of candidates for the Baptist ministry.
Four Roman Catholic Religious Orders established
Permanent Private Halls in Oxford during the same period, which
have evolved in different ways. Generally speaking, these Halls
do not prepare candidates for ordination using University of Oxford
qualifications. However, members of these Halls both ordained
and lay study for Oxford University degrees, including undergraduate
and graduate courses in theology.
COURSES AFFECTED
BY THE
WITHDRAWAL OF
FUNDING FOR
ELQS
A significant number of students will be adversely
affected by the proposed withdrawal of funding for ELQs, in particular
but not exclusively in the Anglican institutions. These fall into
the following categories:
Honour School of Theology (BA)
Senior Student Status
1. Church of England ordination candidates
under thirty with first or good upper second class honours in
a first degree.
2. Some mature students in colleges and
PPHs.
There are currently 17 ordination candidates
and six other candidates with this status, all of whom are studying
for an ELQ.
Bachelor of Theology (BTh)
1. Church of England ordination candidates,
either:
(a) Three-year full time under 30.
(b) Two-year full time and two-year part
time over 30.
2. Baptist ordination candidates without
a theology degree.
3. A small number of non-ordinand students
in PPHs.
There are currently 91 full time and part time
candidates studying for this degree: 86 are ordination candidates
or clergy completing the qualification after ordination. Of these,
71 ordination/clergy candidates and five other candidates are
studying for an ELQ.
Master of Theology (MTh)
1. Church of England ordination candidates
who are graduates in theology with first or upper second class
honours.
2. Baptist ordination candidates with a
theology degree.
3. A small number of non-ordinand students
in the PPHs and former PPHs.
There are currently 34 full time and part time
candidates studying for this degree: 26 are ordination candidates
or clergy completing the qualification after ordination. Of these,
10 ordination/clergy candidates and one other candidate are studying
for an ELQ.
Diploma in Biblical and Theological Studies (DBTS)
This programme is validated by the Oxford University
Department for Continuing Education and is for part time candidates
only.
1. Some Baptist ordination candidates at
Regent's Park College.
2. Some non-ordained students at Wycliffe
Hall.
There are currently 86 candidates studying for
this diploma. Eighteen are Baptist ordination candidates of whom
12 are studying for an ELQ; no figure is available for the proportion
of non-ordained candidates at Wycliffe Hall who are studying for
an ELQ.
Other Graduate Degrees
Some students for the degrees of Master of Studies,
Master of Philosophy, Master of Letters and Doctor of Philosophy
are studying for an ELQ.
At Wycliffe Hall there are 14 students studying
for higher degrees in theology, of whom 13 are studying for an
ELQ.
Argument for Exemption
The proposed withdrawal of ELQ funding affects
two categories of student currently studying theology at the University
of Oxford:
1. A larger cohort of principally Anglican
and Baptist candidates for ordination. For these candidates it
is argued that an exemption is appropriate because:
(a) The social utility of ordination training
merits inclusion within the exempted categories of professional
training.
(b) There is a statutory requirement for
a chaplaincy service in the armed forces and the prison service,
and extensive chaplaincy provision in the NHS and in various parts
of the education system. Those undertaking this work need to be
trained.
(c) Parity of vocational training in theology
with Islamic studies as a SIVS.
2. A smaller cohort of students who are not
ordination candidates studying theology at undergraduate and post-graduate
level. For these candidates it is argued that the withdrawal of
ELQ funding will result in a disproportionate increase in the
University fee especially for the BTh and MTh, which are exclusively
taught within the PPHs and so receive no tutorial support from
the staff holding official posts within the faculty.
The following individuals and institutions were
consulted in the preparation of this submission:
The Revd Canon Professor George Pattison
Chairman of the Theology Faculty Board
Colleges
| Mansfield College |
United Reformed Church
|
| Harris Manchester College | Unitarian Church
|
Permanent Private Halls
| Blackfriars |
Order of Preachers |
| Campion Hall | Society of Jesus
|
| Regent's Park College | Baptist Church
|
| St Benet's Hall | English Benedictine Congregation
|
| St Stephen's House | Church of England
|
| Wycliffe Hall | Church of England
|
Anglican Theological College
| Ripon College Cuddesdon |
Church of England |
January 2008
|
|
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