Apprenticeship training course

Church minister (integrated degree) (level 6)

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Information about Church minister (integrated degree) (level 6)

Offering leadership to local churches and supporting and supervising other practitioners in areas such as leading worship, preaching, pastoral care, facilitating faith development and community action.

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • Theories and practices of leadership and management in voluntary organisations and especially in the church, including theological perspectives on this.
  • Change and conflict and creative approaches to handling them.
  • The identity, policies and practices of the relevant denomination, with awareness of the character and practices of other denominations.
  • Principles and practices relating to the safeguarding of all people, especially children and vulnerable adults. This will include the respective roles of the church and other agencies and authorities in responding to issues.
  • The Bible and ways of engaging with it creatively, critically and responsibly in the practice of faith and ministry.
  • Theological topics, their relationship to underpinning theological methods, and the implications of these for contemporary faith and practice in different contexts.
  • A wide variety of Christian practices (including practices of worship and prayer) and their relevance in relationship to contemporary faiths, cultures and worldviews.
  • The theory and practice of pastoral care relating to a wide range of people and circumstances, with attention to both psychological and religious understandings of these.
  • Theological and psychological understandings of human personhood and human development, and how these understandings interact.
  • Resources for pastoral care from the Christian tradition and beyond.
  • Models of and strategies for mission and community engagement.

  Skills

  • Exercise effective collaborative leadership and management in one or more churches, including in relation to both paid staff and volunteers, deploying and refining a range of strategies as required by the situation and evaluating their results and implications.
  • Handle appropriately the power and authority resulting from their leadership position in the church.
  • Effectively participate in and/or lead meetings relating to tasks and governance in the church and, where appropriate, wider community.
  • Participate in and build teams to sustain existing activities or undertake new activities in the church or wider community.
  • Promote, enable and encourage the mission and ministry of the whole church.
  • Promote the growth of the church and its witness to the gospel.
  • Interpret complex situations within both church and wider community settings in light of their cultural, historical, economic, social, political and religious characteristics.
  • Ensure their own practice, and that of other people and activities for which they are responsible, is safe and in accordance with statutory and denominational expectations, working where necessary with other agencies and authorities to ensure issues are reported and investigated appropriately.
  • Communicate effectively using a variety of media, identifying the appropriate strategy for the intended audience.
  • Apply advanced theological and pastoral understanding to lead worship appropriately and to preach with creativity and insight at a wide range of services, responding to the needs of different congregations (for example, the size of the congregation, whether or not children are present, whether or not the congregation are regular worshippers).
  • Provide appropriate pastoral care to anyone who requests it, within or outside the church, in any circumstance.
  • Identify relevant issues and respond with empathy, integrity and insight, respecting the autonomy of the person.
  • Effectively employ varied strategies to help both individuals and groups develop their understanding and practice of spirituality and faith.
  • Assess their needs, plan and implement appropriate responses, deploying knowledge of the Christian tradition and denominational perspectives, and where necessary refining existing approaches.
  • Evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of those responses.
  • Create and take up opportunities to represent their faith community in a range of public settings (such as schools, civic occasions, community groups, interfaith groups), and work for the common good.
  • Make personal use of a range of spiritual practices, evaluating their implications.
  • Engage with the Bible creatively, critically and responsibly in their own prayer and to nurture their own faith.
  • Identify their own personal and professional development needs and effective strategies to address them.
  • Apply reflective practice skills to develop their faith and ministry, drawing on their biblical and theological understanding to inform their reflection.

  Behaviours

  • Comply with the policies of the relevant denomination, with expectations for good practice and with relevant legal frameworks in all matters, and especially in dealing with children, young people and vulnerable adults, working where necessary in partnership with other agencies and authorities.
  • Maintain and develop relationships of accountability with openness and integrity.
  • Act as an ambassador for their church, their denomination and the Christian faith in both their professional life and their personal life.
  • Relate well to a wide range of people in the church and the local community of any faith or none, treating all people with dignity and in such a way as to maintain and build mutual respect, maintaining appropriate boundaries and handling conflict well.
  • Work effectively and responsibly without close supervision, manage their time appropriately, and take initiatives.
  • Attend to personal, professional and vocational development, continually developing their ministerial role and competence through advanced skills as a reflective practitioner.
  • Maintain a healthy and sustaining pattern of spirituality, faith-inspired practice, self-management and self-care.
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Care services
• Qualification level: 6; Equal to degree
• Course duration: 36 months
• Maximum funding: £13,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.

View more information about Church minister (integrated degree) (level 6) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.