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Foundations: Ministry in the Methodist Tradition


Ministry in the Methodist Tradition is an online unit taken over 15 weeks, using Cliff College's online learning platform.

Beginning in eighteenth century Britain, the Methodist movement now numbers over 80 million members worldwide. Across the Methodist family of churches, a range of lay and ordained ministries have become established, rooted in developments in the very first Methodist societies. Society stewards, pastoral visitors, class leaders and preachers are just part of a rich tapestry of vocations in the Methodist movement. Both lay and ordained vocations are rooted in Methodism’s understanding of the priesthood of all believers.

Foundations: Ministry in the Methodist Tradition introduces students to the historical development of Methodist ministries and enables students to identify distinctive characteristics of ministry in the Methodist tradition today.

This unit is taught in ten sessions over ten weeks, with a further five weeks to prepare and submit your assessment. More detail of the unit structure is available under 'Dates and cost'.

This unit can be taken by itself, but can also be taken as part of the Foundations: Mission and Ministry pathway. The Foundations pathway is made up of this and five other units taken over two years. For more information on this programme, contact enquiries@cliffcollege.ac.uk.

This unit will be available from April 2025 and is taught in ten sessions over ten weeks, with a further five weeks to prepare and submit your assessment. The first and last sessions are live seminars which you will need to attend either online or onsite at Cliff College; the dates for these sessions will be available in early 2025.

The other eight sessions are designed for independent study and are made up of video content, reading, written tasks and other creative activities to help consolidate your learning. These can be done at any time in the week that suits you. We recommend that you allow two hours of learning for each session, plus time for reading and assessment preparation.

Throughout the unit you will have opportunities through scheduled online meetings to check in with Cliff College staff, discuss your learning and experience of the unit, seek guidance on assessments and ask any questions you have.

Applications for this unit will open later in 2024. This unit costs £360, including access to all teaching materials and tutorial support throughout your learning. This does not cover the cost of any meals or accommodation if you choose to attend the seminars at Cliff College rather than attending online.

Applications for this unit are open now - apply here! If you have any questions about the unit or would like to speak to someone before applying, please contact enquiries@cliffcollege.ac.uk.

Entry requirements

A Level 3 qualification (such as an A Level) or equivalent.

It is recognised that standard procedures for assessing applications may not always provide an accurate understanding of an applicant's suitability. In such cases where a Level 3 qualification is not held, qualification it is still possible to apply, and these applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with our non-standard entry process.

English language proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English shall have achieved an overall IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent in an equivalent recognised test. This must have been achieved no longer than two years before the date of enrolment on the unit.