This year Chester Diocese has launched a new scheme for the Ministerial Development Review for clergy.
Many clergy have already had MDR interviews with bishops under the new scheme and we are now rolling out the next phase of the scheme, where clergy can meet with a trained consultant.
25 experienced clergy and lay mentors have recently been trained as Bishop’s Consultants to work with clergy in their Ministerial Development Reviews (MDR). Some of them are pictured here together with +Julie on a training day at Foxhill, which was led by an expert in clergy support from 3D Coaching.
MDRs are an annual opportunity for clergy to reflect with a consultant or a bishop on the shape and direction of their ministry. At the heart of this process is the well-being of clergy, and the developing sense of how and where God is calling them. Consultants will use their training and their experience to aid those reflections and to help clergy shape their own plans for adjustment, training or development in their ministries.
The priorities set in MDRs will help the Ministry Team at Church House to develop the resources and training that clergy need in the years ahead.
The Rev’d Ian Arch, Bishop’s Adviser for Ministerial Development, said, “We are so blessed to have such a wealth of experience and diversity of talent in our team of Bishop’s Consultants. They will be a transformative resource for our clergy for years to come.”