August 2025 - Diocese of Derby

Resources for Treasurers

Budgets
See More
Fees
See More
Giving and Generosity
See More
Parish Buying Website
See More
Your Living Generously adviser
See More
Common Fund
See More
On the money
See More
PCC Treasurer basics
See More

1

Facebook is the biggest social media network with millions of people worldwide using it. It offers a brilliant opportunity for your church to link into the local community, share events, photos or discussions.

If you would like more tips on making the most of your Facebook page, click here to download our guide.

All about Twitter

Twitter is a remarkable social media platform. It's a way to connect with new people, keep in touch with those you know, find out what's going on in your world and get your message out there...all in 140 characters!

Confused about where to start? Click here to download our quick guide

Our Diocese – August 2015

Ministry for Mission

I have recently been re-reading the Venerable Bede – monk and church historian in the eighth century. His Latin text was part of my syllabus as a student! I have been reminded of some important principles about ministry to deliver God’s mission in our time.

Principles for Today

In July the General Synod discussed the Reform and Renewal Programme being pursued by the Church of England in order to mobilise our resources to be most effective for God’s mission in the twenty-first century. There is the challenge of maintaining our inheritance of a parochial system that embraces every community in the country. Further, there is a challenge to find new and appropriate ways of being ‘church’ in our times. Both challenges depend upon the leadership and witness our church can offer.

Key proposals include:

Doubling the number of candidates for ordination.
Discipleship being our key priority – equipping the people of God.
Creating a learning community to shape and support the leadership of the Church.

Bede and His Wisdom

In the eighth century, as the parish system was developing, there seemed to be a huge gap between the resources of the church for mission, and the needs of disparate communities not easy to reach (then because of poor roads; today because of cultural confusions about Christianity).

Bede wrote to the Archbishop of York making some suggestions:

More priests to preach in the villages, celebrate the holy mysteries and baptise – we would call this traditional church today.
The need to employ ‘adequate leaders of salutary life’, who could ‘teach the truth of the faith, and the difference between good and evil’. We would call this discipleship – focused on the two great issues that perplex our time: truth, and an understanding of good and evil.

Ministry for Mission

How should these resources be best deployed? Bede believed in the importance of minsters – we might use the term Resource Churches. Centres where priests and lay ministers were gathered for prayer, support and strategic deployment. We would call such arrangements ‘learning communities’. Locally in the Diocese we are using the term ‘School of Formation’.

Bede was content for each minster to ‘develop its own system of regulation’. Resources need to be marshalled appropriately. We see this as the potential role of the new Deaneries.

He concludes his advice with the observation that Bishops should ‘ordain priests, and institute leaders’. I am up for that – how many of you are ready to offer yourselves for such service?!

Training

Diocesan Training

Readers' Handbook and Training and Events Programme

Reader Training

This section will soon be updated.

In the meantime, for more information about reader training, see here.

Contact our Lay ministries Team

For all initial enquires about Reader Ministry in the Diocese of Derby, please contact:

Lay Ministries Officer
Ben Martin 01332 278139 ben.martin@derby.anglican.org
Director of Studies
Revd Dawn Glen 01332 388674 dawn.glen@derby.anglican.org
PA to Warden of Readers
Fiona Bennett 01332 388670 fiona.bennett@derby.anglican.org

1

Becoming a reader

Reader Licensing 2023 at Derby Cathedral

If someone feels like God is calling them to something, however distant it may feel, the first port of call is to speak to their vicar (if you don’t have a vicar, you could speak to a supportive ordained or lay minister, for example the Area Dean or somebody who is helping lead services in your benefice). They will be able to have some initial conversations and help them work out the next steps. This may be to contact the Director of Ordinands and Vocations or it could be to try a module on the Certificate in Theology of Mission, and Ministry course (CTMM) which is run by the Director of Studies (DoS). If they are interested in Licensed Lay Ministry, there will be an option to explore this on their initial application to the course. However, this isn’t their only opportunity, as they are very welcome to contact the DoS at any point during their studies and express this interest.

The Diocese of Derby runs a flexible course which is delivered primarily online, with 3 in-person shared learning mornings per year. There is a helpful infographic in Appendix 3. The course runs annually, though modules can be applied for mid-year if applicable.

When someone begins studying on the CTMM course, they will receive their pathway document which will show them the journey they are currently on. If they have expressed an interest in becoming a Licensed Lay Minister (Reader) this will include a Vocations Advisor (VA). This is someone who will journey with them, helping them work out in some more detail what God might be calling them to.

The training for Licensed Lay (Reader) ministry also has a discernment pathway, and so meetings with the VA are essential and counted as part of the course. Students will meet at least 3 times with a VA in the appropriate year of study, typically the second. The vocations process will culminate with an in-person interview with a discernment panel usually at the start of Term 3 (Autumn Term) of the year indicated on the pathway document. The panel then make a recommendation. This may be to continue into the final year of training, possibly with some areas to work on, or to complete the CTMM in a different kind of locally recognised ministry.

Neither is a success or a failure - it is just about helping you to fulfil God’s calling on your life at this time.

The qualities required for Licensed Lay (Reader) ministry can be found in Appendix 4. These are what the VA and the discernment panel, alongside the incumbent and course team will be exploring with the student. The final decision as to whether or not a candidate will be licensed rests solely with the Bishop of Derby.

A call to be an LLM(R) is distinctive and generally characterised by those three strands: Teaching the Faith, Enabling Mission in the Everyday, and Leading in Church and Society. This public and representative leadership, theologically literate teaching, and enabling of others does not have just one expression. Some LLM(R)s will have specialisms, or ‘shapes’ such as pioneering, chaplaincy, youth, children and families, all-age worship, or preaching to name a few. This breadth of ministry helps to encourage a genuine mixed ecology of church, and LLM(R)s are encouraged to share their specialist knowledge and practice with other churches if the opportunity arises.

Rachel Williams

I was born in Retford in Nottinghamshire, but moved to Kettering in Northamptonshire aged 5. I worked for may years in the newspaper industry in Northamptonshire and then in Suffolk, before moving to Nottinghamshire 10 years ago. Since then I have completed a degree, masters degree and trained to become a secondary school teacher and I now work at Queen Elizabeth's Academy in Mansfield where I teach Health and Social Care, Child Development, Sociology and RE. I will be continuing to work full time following ordination.

I will be serving at St Mary and St Laurence in Bolsover. 'I am looking forward to my new role as curate and working with Rev Rachel Gouldthorpe and immersing myself into the life and work of the church.

In my spare time I enjoy long walks with my black labrador, Basil.

Carla Prior

I’m Carla Vicencio Prior. I’m 44, I’m married to Nick and we have two children. I’m Portuguese, but moved to the UK in 1985 and have lived here (on and off) ever since. Before training for ministry, most of my working life was spent in a business context, mostly marketing and market research and running my own small business.