Continuing Ministerial Development

CMD is the way the Diocese accompanies and supports:

• those licensed ordained ministers once they have moved into a first post of responsibility and
• Self Supporting Ministers (SSMs) once they have completed the programme of training run by the Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Initial Ministerial Education.
• Licensed Lay Workers

There are a variety of ways in which this accompaniment and support is offered:

• Through a range of events which are publicised through emailing and put onto the CMD section of the Diocesan website.
• Through a number of ‘stages in ministry’ opportunities which take place within the Diocese or within East Anglia (the Eastern Region) for example:

Incumbency Skills course (Regional)
Rural Deans’ Conference (Regional)
Training of Training Incumbents (Diocese)
Pre-retirement courses (Diocese and Regional)

• Through an allowance of £500 over 3 years for licensed clergy (2025-2027) and licensed lay workers which is held in the CMD budget – this can be used for retreats or other areas of professional development.
• CMD-Allowance-Guidelines
• CMD-Allowance-Application-Form

• Through grants available after consultation and application for Sabbaticals and Study Leave.  Please see separate guidelines.
• Sabbaticals and study leave guidance 2023 
• Sabbatical Application Form privacy notice added 
• Through the opportunity to work with a Coach or Ministry Mentor.

This accompaniment and support is offered to complement the taking of regular holidays, days off and a good personal support structure (for example, spiritual director, peer cell group, parish/benefice support group) to enable a healthy approach to the ministerial life and the flourishing of the vocation and gifts of each person.

Our overall aim is to make real in this Diocese, the recommendation of the Church of England report Mind the Gap which was issued by the Archbishops’ Council in 2001:

“The fundamental purpose of Continuing Ministerial Education is to equip and develop the Church’s ministers in order that they may stimulate and enable the whole Church to participate more fully in the mission of God in the world”.

Please pray with us that by God’s grace we may be able to fulfil this.