Exploring Ordination

Lindisfarne trains people for a range of different expressions of ordained ministry. Some people are ordained to stipendiary ministry; once trained they stop their present work to engage in full-time parish ministry. After an initial period as a curate they will become vicars or chaplains or will exercise their ministry in some other way. Other people are ordained to non-stipendiary / self-supporting ministry in which they give their time voluntarily and may continue to earn a living alongside their ministry if they wish to do so. For some of these the main focus will be their parish, for others it will be their place of work.

A call to public ministry is often recognised first by the individual concerned, but it’s sometimes another person – their vicar, a member of the congregation, a friend or family member – who first mentions the possibility that someone might be being called by God to this ministry.

If you think that God might be calling you to ordained ministry, or if others are suggesting this, pray, think and talk about it with a few close and trusted people, and talk with your parish clergy. When exploring any perceived call to public ministry there is a balance to be achieved between keeping it secret and telling all and sundry from the outset, – and it can be tempting to want to hurry things along. It is important that you let the discernment process happen at its own pace and that you entrust the timing of it to those appointed by the Church to accompany you on this journey. Your vicar will be able to refer you to the appropriate person to discuss with you the process of discernment and selection.