Lent 2016
NEWS from
www.ridley.cam.ac.uk
In this issue: ON THE NEWBIGIN TRAIL TO INDIA Paul Weston writes about time spent with the Church of South India p 3
NEW BURSAR TAKES UP ROLE We welcome Jo Kibble, who in her spare time swaps the calculator for the sketchbook p 4
MISSIONARIES TO THE NORTH EAST Responding to the need for ministers in deprived areas of the North East p 4
TEACHING IN NIGERIA Old Testament tutor Philip Jenson on his sabbatical visit to Africa p 5
GOOD DISAGREEMENT Ridley's Vice-Principal on growing together in authentic, costly love p 6
Anglican Bishop of Egypt to deliver Moule Lecture
THE MINISTER AS ENTREPRENEUR Interview with Michael Volland, Director of ContextBased Ministry, about his recent book p 7 MY TIME AT RIDLEY Director of Pastoral Studies Ali Walton looks back as she prepares to return to parish ministry p 8
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Characteristics of a Renewed and Reformed Church
the Church, our Vice-Principal speaks about ‘good disagreement’. Looking outwards, our newest tutor speaks of the ‘minister as entrepreneur’, someone ‘creating and innovating in order to shape something Last week I was back in the gallery at Church House. of Kingdom value’. An ordinand prays that ‘many will Below, General Synod members were debating rerespond to the call to serve God in every corner of vised proposals for Resourcing Ministerial Education. our nation’. Our Tutor in mission reports on inspiring encounters with Christians in India who cherish Substantial changes had been made to the original the memory of Lesslie Newbigin, missionary bishop: proposals presented a year ago. But much of the ‘he learned our language’. Our Old Testament Tutor detail had yet to be worked out. In the end, Synod reflects on his sabbatical visit to Crowther Graduate members ‘welcomed’ the reworked proposSeminary in Nigeria. As he reviewed als, with an amendment proposed by College the students’ dissertation proposals, Ultimately, a Principals. There would be ‘full involvehe was struck by ‘extraordinary stories renewed Church ment’ of theological education institutions of their Christian journey and minismust be propelled as unresolved issues were addressed, with a try’. As staff come and go at Ridley, our progress report to Synod in July 2017. Director of Pastoral Studies reminds forward by God’s These proposals are part of the Church us of the privilege of working with ‘an purposes for his of England’s ‘Renewal and Reform’ proamazing and gifted group of people towhole creation gramme. A 50% increase in vocations to tally committed to the ministries that ordination is what they are intended to God is calling them to’. support, enabling dioceses to respond flexibly to All these sound-bites help us to imagine what a training needs under new financial arrangements. renewed and reformed church can be like. It is about But, apart from training arrangements, what else so much more than proposals for funding training, might be characteristics of a Church being renewed however important those may be. Ultimately, a reand reformed? This edition of News from Ridley pronewed Church must be propelled forward by God’s vides some pointers. purposes for his whole creation. According to St A student writes with gratitude for ‘space to pray’ Paul, this is ‘to bring all things in heaven and on on our annual prayer weekend. A shared experience earth together under one head, even Christ’ (Epheof prayer during Christian Unity week is described as sians 1.10). ‘an example of what prayerful should be in any tradiAndrew Norman Principal tion’. Acknowledging the painful differences within
Alumni Gathering 2016 This year’s Moule Memorial Lecture, an annual Ridley event since 2008 commemorating our former Vice-Principal C.F.D. ‘Charlie’ Moule, will take place on 8th June. We are delighted to announce that the Most Revd Dr Mouneer Anis, Anglican Bishop of Egypt and Presiding Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East, will address the topic of Christian and Muslim relations in Egypt. Having served as Bishop in Cairo for over fifteen years, he speaks from considerable experience—including shepherding his churches during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Bishop Mouneer has been a friend of Ridley for many years, spending a sabbatical with us and enabling interfaith exchanges with Egyptian Muslims. We look forward to welcoming him back again! 2
If you would like to attend his lecture, booking forms are being posted or emailed out to Ridley alumni and supporters. Alternatively, you can register to attend through our website.
On the Newbigin Trail to India Paul and Ginny Weston, together with the Area Dean of Harlow, Martin Harris, and his wife Mandy, recently spent two weeks as guests of the Church of South India in Tamil Nadu. Amidst the traffic fumes and brilliantly coloured saris, the strongest impression was the overwhelmingly generous welcome we received in the various church congregations and organisations that we visited. Wherever we went we were draped with beautifully woven shawls, and treated to Tamil dances, enthusiastic drums, and—in one case—a very noisy firecracker display. All demonstrating an exuberant joy in the gospel: a profound challenge to complacent Western Christianity coming from Christians who possess so little in material terms. We had embarked upon what was really a Lesslie Newbigin ‘trail’, visiting places where he had worked during his thirty-six years of missionary experience in South India, and trying to find out more about his legacy there. This took us to Kanchipuram, where he arrived as a young Church of Scotland missionary in 1936; to Madurai, where he served as one of the founding bishops of the newly formed Church of South India (1947–56); and to Madras (or Chennai as it is now known) where he was bishop (1965–74). I didn’t know quite what we might discover, but it was clear from early on that there is a rich and vibrant legacy still in place. I knew that his Tamil language skills were legendary, and this figured strongly amongst the testimonies of those who remembered him when they were starting out as Christian believers, and had been baptized or confirmed by him. ‘He learned our language’, said one of the first women we met, and this was a repeated refrain contributing to an ‘aura’ about him that characterized so many shared memories. There was real love too, and a profound respect for someone who lived as part of the Tamil Christian community, exhibiting a richly rounded ministry of care, social concern, and spoken proclamation.
We came away feeling that we had touched something deep, a sharing in the spiritual vitality of many small, but growing, church congregations responding to human need with a gospel full of deeds as well as words. We also came away with possibilities for future partnership between the Newbigin Centre and the Church in South India. There is so much to learn from Christians in God’s wider world. Do pray as plans are developed. For more details of this July’s ‘Lesslie Newbigin Summer Institute’ run by the Newbigin Centre, see: http://bit.ly/1U3wHsW
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New Bursar Takes up Post This term we have been delighted to welcome our new Bursar Jo Kibble, who formally joined the staff team in January. I am grateful to Andrew for arranging an induction before my official start date, where I had the opportunity to meet my Self-portrait by Jo, who team, colleagues and students, in her spare time swaps attend both a College Lecture the calculator for the by MP Caroline Spelman and sketchpad. a Life & Service lecture on the history of the Church in England. It was a wonderful all-round introduction to life at Ridley which set me in good stead for taking on this role of Bursar. As a Chartered Accountant I gained wide experience from working at Deloitte, three major charities and most recently the Law Society, where as Head of Group Risk and Assurance I was a member of the executive team of the shared services function. My interests revolve around going to the theatre, visiting art galleries and attending a local art class. It’s been a privilege already to participate in the student-led Stations of the Cross Lent art installation in the college chapel.
Missionaries to the North East Ridley Hall ordinands were delighted to play host to the Rt Revd Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow, and the Revd Richard Collins, DDO, on Monday 18 January.
Bishop Mark addressed a group, gathered in the Simeon Lounge, of about fifteen Ridleians eager to learn more about how they might serve in some of the United Kingdom’s most socially deprived areas. Bishop Mark spoke with passion about the issues facing clergy in County Durham, highlighting the lack of 4
Giving God Room In his opening talk at the Prayer Weekend, Andrew Norman stated that the weekend was a ‘gift’ from Ridley to its students. Looking around the room while he spoke, I knew this was true. The community that made up the Prayer Weekend was the key to its success and enjoyment. A freedom of choice over workshops to attend, or not, combined with brilliant talks from lecturers, beautiful scenery, friends—and let’s not forget the bar—made up a fantastic weekend. Having the space to pray, laugh and eat with one’s spouse as well as involving them within the fabric of the Ridley community was such good fun. Being able to have a sustained period of time with friends, in contrast to the normal dispersed conversation across a busy common room, led to further relationships being established; forged in a space where God’s presence could be felt throughout the entire weekend. Giving God room to move among us as a community through rest, reflection, great food and a well-stocked bar has sown fond memories for my wife and me that we will treasure for many years to come—a true ‘gift’. Paul Pavlou First-Year Ordinand
resources and, in many cases, the lack of hope. However, Bishop Mark was also able to offer a challenge to us. He outlined an exciting opportunity for ministry on the frontline. He asked us to consider helping the Church of England to address this challenge and he also encouraged us to see it as an exciting opportunity, rather than thinking of it as somebody else’s problem. The lack of incumbents in County Durham and across the North East more broadly is common knowledge in the Church of England, and Bishop Mark’s address gave food for thought for those at Ridley who hope to help shape the future of the Church of England. There was a real excitement following Bishop Mark’s address and I know firsthand that a number of ordinands were inspired to consider a future in the North East. It is an exciting and challenging time to be training for ordained ministry and Bishop Mark’s talk brought this home clearly. Our hope and prayer now is that many will respond to the call to serve God in every corner of our nation. Rory Balfour First-Year Ordinand
Teaching in Nigeria In May 2015 I visited Crowther Graduate Theological College in Abeokuta, Nigeria, for two and a half weeks as part of my sabbatical.
It was my first time in Africa and I felt I learnt much more than I taught. It was a special pleasure to be welcomed by one of their Old Testament teachers, George Njoku, whom I had got to know when he spent time at Ridley earliI returned with a er in the year. Given a free choice, I taught a range of deep appreciation topics: different critical of what unites the approaches to the OT, the Anglican Church Psalms, the OT and the Ancient Near East, and Hebrew. It was often back to the basics, especially since my laptop died—just the Bible is enough! It was a particular privilege to review dissertation proposals with students, since many had extraordinary stories of their Christian journey and ministry. I enjoyed so many aspects of the visit: the positive Nigerian approach to life, even in great poverty; the
colour and variety of the street markets; the ability of traffic to flow in a large city with just three traffic lights and innumerable potholes; the close corporate sense of identity; lively Anglican worship that
combines hymns ancient (robed choir) and songs modern (band with soloist), fervent preaching and all-age Bible study as part of the service; the costly personal commitment of the students. And so on. Deep problems and challenges are also evident. The church and its leadership, reflecting African tribal structures, is highly authoritarian, with all the dangers this brings. Clergy are all men, although in one conversation I found a majority in favour of women’s ordination. The Anglican church is also having problems with holding onto its young people, not because they cease to believe, but mainly because they transfer to more lively Pentecostal churches. I returned with a deep appreciation of what unites the Anglican Church, but also a vision of wholeness if only the African and British churches might learn from each other’s strengths. Philip Jenson Tutor in Old Testament
From the Congo to Ridley This term, Ridley Hall is fortunate to welcome Bishop Titre Ande Georges into our community. Bishop Ande is Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Aru in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the author of Leadership and Authority: Bula Matari and Life-Community Ecclesiology in Congo. His journey to Cambridge was a gruelling twenty-nine hours long, moving from 35˚C weather at home to a freezing British winter. He attributes his survival to drinking tea; as the motto on his first cup in Cambridge read, ‘Where there is tea, there is hope’! As a sabbatical guest, Bishop Ande is using this time to reflect on his episcopal ministry, whilst also researching the ‘culture of fear’ in African Christianity. Please keep him and his research in your prayers. Aru diocese, situated right in the north-east corner of the DR Congo covers an area of about 600km by 300km: larger than the area of England and Wales. The diocese is mainly very rural and the population, who belong to a variety of different tribes, are mostly involved with agriculture and raising small animals.
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Good Disagreement Eighteen months ago I was invited by Andrew Atherstone and Andrew Goddard to contribute to a day-long consultation in Oxford on the subject of Archbishop Justin’s notion of ‘Good Disagreement’.
“We are strongest, most united, as Jesus’ people at prayer, together"
Christian Unity in Cambridge One of the great strengths of our community life in Ridley Hall is our wider Christian family in the Cambridge Theological Federation. This comes into its own through shared teaching and worship, and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity each January is a real highlight. All the houses throw open their ‘chapel doors’ and we are invited to move around, experiencing and being blessed by the joys and diversity of prayer in many Christian traditions. In one of those great ‘God-incidences’, one of our Pioneer ordinands led Morning Prayer in an experimental and more fluid way on the morning that three Principals from other Federation houses popped in to Ridley to pray with us. One of them wrote to Andrew Norman later to say that he had ‘found it very inspiring’ and imaginative, and that ‘the atmosphere was an example of what prayerful should be in any tradition’. It’s a salutary reminder amidst our many divisions that we are strongest, most united, as Jesus’ people at prayer, together. Adrian Chatfield, Director of the Simeon Centre for Prayer and the Spiritual Life
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Out of that meeting came an invitation for me to contribute a chapter to a book which has now been edited by the two Andrews and published as Good Disagreement? Grace and Truth in a Divided Church (Lion, 2015). Among the eleven other contributors are Tom Wright, Ian Paul, Lis Goddard and Clare Hendry. My chapter, ‘Division and Discipline in the New Testament’ considers texts related to schism and church discipline and includes some material from a Grove booklet that I wrote a number of years ago when churches began to break away from The Episcopal Church in America (When Should We Divide? Cambridge: Grove Books, 2004). The aim of Good Disagreement? is to provide a variety of resources and questions to consider to help to prevent further splits between committed Christians. Surveying the relevant passages in the New Testament, I was and remain convinced that although allegiance to Jesus does inevitably bring some division between believers and unbelievers, Christians are bound to maintain the unity of faith. Collective, caring discipline of individuals whose persistence in sinful behaviour leads to schism in the Body of Christ is necessary, but biblical warrant for separating from groups of Christians who hold different views is lacking; generally it is the heretics who separate. Ultimately judgment and removal of ‘tares’ is God’s business. If we are to grow in authentic, costly love, our calling is to build and maintain relationships with those with whom we share the declaration that Jesus is Lord. Michael Thompson, Vice-Principal
Good Disagreement: Grace and Truth in a Divided Church is available through our Amazon link. The scheme currently brings in around £70–£100 a month to support Ridley's work. To participate, go to: www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/giving-to-ridley/getting-involved
The Minister as Entrepreneur Richard Higginson interviews Michael Volland on his new book which explores what it means to be an entrepreneur in the Church. Michael, you’ve written a book called The Minister as Entrepreneur. These are two words that people don’t normally associate with each other. What made you write it? MV: Those with entrepreneurial gifts have always been found among the people of God. As the Church seeks to serve God faithfully in a rapidly changing culture, entrepreneurs are an important resource; they help us to see things differently and they are energised by uncertainty and change. The book is an attempt to contribute towards the emergence of a culture in which entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship are properly understood and recognised as gifts of God to his church.
Top: Richard Higginson is Director of Faith in Business Left: Michael Volland is Director of Context-Based Training
Tell us about the research on which your book was based.
How can the church develop more ministers and lay people who are entrepreneurial?
MV: In the early stages of my interest in entrepreneurship I interviewed a large number of entrepreneurial clergy, including Archbishop Justin Welby and Bishop Steven Croft. As my research progressed, I narrowed this to twenty ordained ministers and eventually focused on seven highly entrepreneurial parish priests in the Diocese of Durham. The smaller number meant that I was able to spend plenty of time exploring how these individuals worked with others to realise fruitful outcomes.
MV: The simplest answer has got something to do with giving permission, encouragement and support to the entrepreneurs in our midst. If we celebrate trying things out and having a go, entrepreneurs will begin to emerge. We don’t all have to try to be entrepreneurs but we can all help to create a culture in which entrepreneurs can emerge and flourish and be a blessing to the rest of us.
What do you see as the key characteristics of an entrepreneur?
MV: The definition of an entrepreneur that I propose in the book is, ‘A visionary who, in partnership with God and others, challenges the status quo by energetically creating and innovating in order to shape something of Kingdom value’. Entrepreneurs in every sphere of life have a way of being in the world that is characterised by a relentless and energetic pursuit of opportunities to do things in new ways in order to bring about improvements for everyone involved.
‘The role of entrepreneurs in the Church is shooting up the agenda. Volland argues that entrepreneurs are a gift from God in times of discontinuous change. He supports this with ground-breaking research. His book will help the Church to welcome this very special gift.’
Michael Moynagh, author of Church for Every Context and Being Church, Doing Life
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My Time at Ridley ‘Ridley Time’ is an interesting phenomenon. At the end of each term I find myself thinking both ‘Where did that eleven weeks go?’ and ‘It feels as if this term has gone on for ever’! Looking back over my nine years at Ridley has the same feeling. It’s passed incredibly quickly. It also feels as I’ve always been here. It will be a real wrench to leave. People who visit often say that Ridley is a special place. I agree with that wholeheartedly. What makes it special is the beautiful environment which is so wonderfully cared for by the Premises and Domestic teams. More than that, though, it is the people who make Ridley special—the students, who are an amazing and gifted group of people totally committed to the ministries that God is calling them to; all the support staff—Admin, Domestic, Premises, Kitchen, Development who work tirelessly behind the scenes; and the Academic, Tutorial and Chaplaincy Team. The conversation, banter and laughter over staff coffee each morning will stay in my memory for many years. The commitment to prayer and worship is also such that the sense of God’s presence has sustained me even in hard times.
When we send a new group of ordinands out to begin their curacies, what I see is a vibrant future full of hope and gospel ministry
Above all, though, is the huge privilege it has been to play a small part in helping to train and form generations of women and men for ministry in the Church of England. A lot is said in the press about falling numbers and declining hope in the Church of England. At the Leavers’ Service each June, when we send a new group of ordinands out to begin their curacies, what I see is a vibrant future full of hope and gospel ministry. I’m really excited to be returning to parish ministry with the lovely people of All Saints, Isleworth in West London. However, I will be forever grateful for my years of ministry at Ridley and all that I’ve learned from staff and from generations of ordinands. Ali Walton Director of Pastoral Studies
Interested in applying for the post of Director of Pastoral Studies? Check the college website for our upcoming vacancy advert: www.ridley.cam.ac.uk
We are seeking to appoint a
Director and Tutor/Associate Chaplain
Simeon Centre for Prayer and the Spiritual Life Lay or ordained Salary £35k (lay) or Lichfield scale (clergy) The Simeon Centre promotes growth in prayer and Christian discipleship. Embedded within Ridley Hall Theological College, it enriches Ridley’s formational community while contributing in imaginative ways to the wider church, locally and nationally.
A Director is sought who will develop its teaching and theological engagement, through conferences, retreats, working groups, writing and on-line resources. He or she will contribute to the wider life/teaching of Ridley Hall and the Cambridge Theological Federation according to expertise, including serving as Pastoral Tutor or Associate Chaplain. The current post-holder retires in July 2016. Ridley Hall is a vibrant learning, worshipping and praying community. It combines training for ordained and youth ministry with integrated programmes for business leaders, international scholars, missional theologians and experienced church leaders. The successful candidate will be:
• A gifted teacher and experienced contributor to retreats and conferences
• Able to generate theologically informed reflection in a wide range of settings, on issues relating to spirituality, worship and Christian discipleship • A person who leads insightfully and works collaboratively
• Someone with expertise in mentoring, spiritual direction or pastoral care • Able to thrive within an enterprise committed to building leaders who are biblical in faith, growing in grace, generous in attitude and pioneering in outlook
Please visit www.ridley.cam.ac.uk for application details. The deadline for applications is 12noon on Monday 11 April 2016 and the interview date is Friday 22 April 2016.
Building Christian Leaders for the 21st Century