Year 3
The final year of the programme applies the foundational work of Year 1 and the interdisciplinary studies undertaken in Year 2 to the practical issues, challenges and demands of local church ministry and mission.
The key elements of Year 3 are as follows:
CP7 – HUMAN IDENTITY
This module explores the role of human identity and community within the creative purposes of God. Students are encouraged to investigate the resources of the Christian spiritual tradition and to discern what they might contribute to an understanding of the complexity of human life, activity and community in the contemporary social context. Sessions on personhood, gender and family interact with discussions on work, urbanization, pluralism, power, economics and ecology.
CP8 – EVIL AND SUFFERING
In this module students explore the main scriptural, theological and philosophical accounts of evil as they have emerged in the Christian tradition, and relate them to how this is particularly experienced in the modern context. This exploration is developed with reference to pertinent non-Christian worldviews, particularly from other religions. Students examine the environmental and social context of the human condition in relation to societal institutions and ecological concerns, and the module also considers the way in which Christian pastoral ministry encounters and addresses the personal experience of a disordered world and its consequences for human beings.
CP9 – SALVATION AND TRANSFORMATION
Christians make the claim that a solution to what is wrong with the world can only be found through the rule of God, which is focused in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. His life, death, and resurrection effect a transformation of the human condition, which Christians have usually described in terms of redemption, salvation, transformation, renewal, re-birth and resurrection. This change affects not just individuals but the human community and the whole cosmos, but it has an “already but not yet” quality about it, which means that it is to be perceived by faith as an anticipation of what is yet to be. This module sets out to explore these claims, and to discover what sort of meaningful change might take place as a result of commitment to Christian faith. More specifically, since the majority of those who take it will be approaching ordination in the Church of England, this module seeks to relate these broader themes of salvation and transformation to the practicalities of parish ministry and outreach, with sessions on topics ranging from Christian nurture and discipleship through wholeness and healing to pastoral boundaries, inter-faith relations and community action.
MM3 MODELS OF MINISTRY 3 – External Church Placement
In the final year, all students undertake a placement of four months' duration in a church other than their home church. The normal expectation is that placement churches are different in significant respects (e.g. social matrix, theological tradition and spirituality) from students' home churches.
BS2 - BIBLE IN DEPTH 2
Luke and John
Students write an extended essay over the course of their Third Year on the Gospels of Luke and/or John. The emphasis is on close critical and analytical study of the gospel text/s, with students encouraged to evaluate interpretations offered by a variety of commentators, and to expound the meaning of the set texts for their original readers and for readers today.
RW3 RESIDENTIAL WEEK
Themes covered...
- Pastoral Theology & Practice
- Personal spirituality and spiritual direction, including how to lead quiet days and retreats (students reflect on their own spiritual journey and listen with discernment to the experience of others)
- Anglicanism in Practice
PD3 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT 3
A process of continuous self-appraisal and self-review monitored by tutors at regular meetings with students at least once each term. This continues throughout the three years of the programme. It is not credit-rated for academic assessment, but is subject to informal and formational assessment.
The Bishop of London Richard Chartres
“At a time when fragmentation and partisanship can appear to threaten the credibility and effectiveness of our ministry, St Mellitus represents a bold step of faith and trust. We believe that as we pursue the harder path of unity in diversity, the College will prove to be an instrument of the Spirit in equipping the whole people of God to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Bishop of Chelmsford Stephen Cottrell
“As we seek to train men and women for ministry and mission in a rapidly changing context, St Mellitus College offers the Chelmsford Diocese a flexible and inclusive approach for theological and ministerial education and formation. It is very exciting to be part of this pioneering initiative.”
The Dean Revd Dr Graham Tomlin
“St Mellitus College is a very exciting place to work. It brings together students from across the spectrum of the church to learn about and prepare for mission in the contemporary world, in a way that tries to be open to the Spirit of God and learning from each other. We have a fantastic group of students, a great staff team and it is a privilege to be part of it.”
Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University, David Ford
"One of the most important experiments to have happened in British theology and church theological education for a long time. The way it is bringing together academy and church, including church at the grass roots - that collaboration is just full of potential for the future and I feel everyone should watch this space. What it can do is something that really no other theological institution in the country can achieve at the moment."