St Padarn’s Institute trains people for a variety of ministries, full and part time, lay and ordained. Candidates will need to be sponsored by a bishop, and normally have undergone a discernment process at diocesan and provincial level before starting to train with us. Please do contact your Diocesan Director of Vocations for more information about this.
The ministries we train for include:
Reader
Pioneer
Evangelist
Youth and Children’s Minister
Pastoral Chaplain
Deacon
Priest
We believe in integrated formation. Training for ministry is not just learning skills but about developing as a person, in spiritual and emotional maturity. (This is why we use the term ‘formation’). We also believe that the best training is ‘integrated’ in that all our learning whether it is academic theology, ministerial skills or spiritual and emotional growth, all feed into and inform each other.
Training is normally for two or three years, full or part time. Part time candidates are based at home and do a placement and their theological learning locally. Full time candidates come to St Padarn’s Cardiff on a Wednesday – Friday programme and do a 2 day placement either in the Cardiff area or in their home area, which can be anywhere in Wales.
The four building blocks of our training are:
Residentials
Learning how to work well in groups, with others, is vital for ministry. Full time candidates live in community Wednesday – Friday for 30 weeks per year in St Padarns Cardiff. All candidates attend 4 residentials a year, normally held in locations all over Wales – a week long summer school and three weekends per year. They all have a particular theological theme and candidates meet in ‘ministry strands’ to gain important skills and theoretical knowledge about the different ministries they are preparing for.
Theological Learning
Everyone follows a theology course. Most people study on our BTh (degree) programme which is validated by the University of Wales Trinity St David. This course is informally called ‘Theology for Life’ and it is possible to exit with a certificate or diploma. Many people follow this course in their diocese before starting training and it is a great way of preparing for the discernment process and getting used to studying theology. The more credits candidates achieve before training, the further they are able to progress during training and gain the qualification they will need. For more information please do look at our Theology for Life pages.Those already with degrees in theology are able to follow a postgraduate course with one of our partner universities Cardiff University and the University of Wales Trinity St David.
Formational Cells
All candidates also belong to a cell where they will meet with others in training, led by an experienced guide, to reflect on their formation. It is an important space to hold all aspects of training together, to share issues, gain advice and insight, and learn further skills in listening to and supporting others.
Placements
All candidates become part of a ministry team in a placement that we organize and support. Normally this will be in a church or group of churches. Here candidates gain practical experience in ministry and be supported by an experienced minister. Full time candidates do a 2 day placement each week, and part time candidates do at least 4 hours each week.
Course Costs
Do I have to pay for this course?
No. The Church in Wales also provides grants for people training for ministry. For part time candidates this is currently £435 per year and expenses are provided for travel. For full time candidates see the answer below
I would like to train full time for ministry but worry that I won’t be able to afford it.
See the question above. There is no charge, and grants are available, for full time candidates, to cover basic living costs. This grant is calculated individually dependent on housing, household income and other living costs. Once St Padarn’s receives a candidate’s sponsor form from their sending Diocese the information is passed on to the Church in Wales Finance department. They will send out more information about grant entitlements and forms to be completed in order to apply for grants. You can view information regarding Training Support Grants here:
If you are starting full-time training from 2021 onwards then use this grant calculator to get estimation of what you might get in grants.
As each person’s circumstances is different, please contact Kathryn Delderfield, our Director of Operations who handles grants, and she will be very happy to help.
In short, yes! We have had experience of all kinds of people starting to train for ministry with us, even those who have left school decades ago with no qualifications. All you need is a willingness to learn. We will support you every step of the way, and we also have learning needs support if you need it from a dedicated tutor.
Part time training takes around 15 hours per week. This includes placement, theological learning, residentials and formational cells. It is very important that you consider very carefully if you are able to make this sort of a time commitment before starting the discernment process and training. We will however work with you to help you prioritise your time if you are sponsored for training by your bishop. You will also need to consider whether you are able to devote the time to a week long residential and three residential weekends per year. Training for ministry is an important commitment to make, and do we are always happy to discuss with you what the training involves.
See the question above. There is no charge, and grants are available, for full time candidates, to cover basic living costs. This grant is calculated individually dependent on housing, household income and other living costs. Once St Padarn’s receives a candidate’s sponsor form from their sending Diocese the information is passed on to the Church in Wales Finance department. They will send out more information about grant entitlements and forms to be completed in order to apply for grants. You can view information regarding Training Support Grants here: Information about Support Grants
As each person’s circumstances is different, please contact Kathryn Delderfield, our Director of Operations who handles grants, and she will be very happy to help.
Each candidate will have their own tutor who will work with them on their formation in regular meetings. There is also support for those with learning needs, and all of the tutors are approachable and friendly and very happy to help. The wider team at St Padarn’s are also very happy to help with all kinds of practical queries from financial questions to help with accessing our library and other resources.
It is our responsibility to help you flourish as a lay or ordained minister and serve God’s people to the very best of your ability and to grow into the person God is calling you to be. There is always something new we can learn – in fact at St Padarn’s we see lifelong learning as a normal part of discipleship. In certain circumstances we can develop bespoke programmes for those with a very unique set of experiences. Many of our candidates have trained already with us for lay ministries and are training for an ordained ministry. In those circumstances we will help you develop further and build on the training you have already received. However, openness to learning, and to continuing to grow and develop in faith is crucial in ministry.
If you are new to studying theology, look out for our taster courses which are advertised in the winter and run early spiring. Each year we run open days and evenings in the spring so please do book on to these. All these will be advertised in our social media so we would recommend that you friend / follow us there, though we also send the information to DDOs and dioceses. Read all the information here carefully and familiarise yourself with the course. Each winter we also produce and upload a new leaflet called Help I’ve been accepted for training. There is useful information there and more importantly the dates for the coming year. We also have a Preparing for St Padarn’s sheet online in this section.
After each round of provincial discernment panels, DDOs send us the names of those accepted for training. A tutor will then contact you for a conversation about your training. There is no need for you to contact us, we will contact you. Please read the information on this website carefully before the conversation and think about any questions you want to ask.
You can view more about Preparation for St Padarn's below:
