What are Pastoral Workers?
Pastoral Workers are licensed lay people who exercise a vital ministry in the church. They are licensed on a voluntary basis to serve the church community in pastoral ministry, particularly during significant times in their lives.
That usually means involvement in pastoral care, visiting the sick and housebound, and walking alongside those preparing for baptism and weddings, as well as illness and bereavement. The training equips individuals for ministry in supporting others and enabling others to serve in these areas alongside them.
To equip people for that ministry, the Diocese of Chester provides a course of initial training in pastoral knowledge and skills, designed to develop you in this important Christian ministry.
Pastoral Workers are licensed by the Bishop to an area of ministry determined in that parish and agreed with the incumbent and PCC. Pastoral Workers’ ministries will vary, depending on their gifts and the needs in the parish. However, the training is designed to give a grounding in a variety of pastoral skills of use in different contexts.
Exploring Pastoral Worker Ministry
Pray that God will help you to know whether you are being called to this ministry.
Talk with your incumbent to explore your calling further.
Discuss your ideas and feelings with your family, friends, other members of your church fellowship and if possible with a Pastoral Worker.
Consider the demands on your life and the training involved.
Undertake the Foundations for Ministry course to support this discernment process.
Applying for Pastoral Worker Training
You will need the support and agreement of your incumbent and your PCC to proceed. Your incumbent will then contact the Ministry Team at Church House for an application pack, which must be submitted by the end of June in any given year. Your call from God will be discerned through a diocesan selection process in July, to start training that autumn.
How long is the training course?
The course comes in two parts — the one-year Foundations for Ministry course and two years of Pastoral Worker training.
The Foundations for Ministry (FfM) course forms the first year of training for Readers and Pastoral Workers and is also open to anyone wanting to develop their ministry for God. You’ll be training together with others in a way which helps you learn from people with different callings and gifts.
Link to the Foundations for Ministry Course
Some Christian learning is helpful ahead of training as a Pastoral Worker, but you don’t need to have a theology degree or to be a great academic. More important are your Christian faith and maturity, together with skills and experience in listening to and working with people. The course will stretch you but is designed to be practical as well as theoretical, open to all those fitted for Pastoral Worker ministry.
Please contact us for clarification of this.
What's involved in training?
After the grounding of Foundations, learning with people in a broad variety of roles, you then spend two years training and integrating knowledge with the practical skills and spiritual growth needed for the specifics of Pastoral Worker ministry.
The six modules are taught over two years on a rolling programme; contact the Ministry Team for details of which modules are being taught in the next academic year. ministry@chester.anglican.org
TH4120 Presence; listening to God and others
Developing skills in pastoral listening and in understanding the link between prayer and listening to others.
TH4121 Endings; pastoral care in bereavement
Developing an understanding of, and reflecting theologically on, loss, ageing, dying, death, bereavement and grief; considering different models of support for dying people and those bereaved.
TH4122 Toolkit; developing skills in pastoral care
Reflecting theologically on health, sickness and disability; learning practical skills in pastoral care. Considering approaches to working with volunteers and understanding policies and procedures that support safe, ethical working.
TH4123 Awareness; listening to self, listening to others
Developing skills in pastoral listening, including self-awareness and an understanding of its importance in listening to others; considering different models of supervision for pastoral practice.
TH4124 Beginnings; pastoral care for families
Developing understanding of child development and contemporary family life, reflecting on the place of children and families within church and considering care around baptism.
TH4125 Stages; pastoral care and the human life cycle
Developing understanding of human growth and development and reflecting on appropriate pastoral responses to life events; considering marriage and other relationships, in a Christian context.
In addition, you will undertake a parish project and at the end of your training submit a learning portfolio.
Parish Project
Pastoral ministry involves people and the parish project offers an opportunity to develop your pastoral skills practically, within your context whilst under supervision. It enables you to explore how you might apply the teaching to your church context in a practical and supported way.
What next?
Upon successful completion of the three years of initial training, you are licensed by the Bishop as a Pastoral Worker to serve in your parish context, continuing to develop and deepen your skills and knowledge. The Diocese offers a range of courses and resources to support further training via an annual grant.
Where can I find out more?
If you would like to chat to someone informally about vocation please complete the Vocational Conversation - Initial Enquiry Form and then send it to jane.gerrard@chester.anglican.org who will then arrange the initial contact with a Vocations Adviser.
For further information on Pastoral Worker ministry and training you can contact the Bishop's Advisers for Licensed Lay Ministers:
Jeanette Howe jeanette.howe@chester.anglican.org 07549 214283
Karen MacMillan karen.macmillan@chester.anglican.org 07549 214284
Pastoral Worker training application packs are now available. Incumbents putting forward candidates for Pastoral Worker selection should contact ministry@chester.anglican.org The closing date for applications for 2025 is 20 June.