In the Diocese of Newcastle we are committed to lifelong formation in our vocations as deacons and priests serving God’s mission in our world.
This commitment requires an openness to new learning and acquiring new skills. It requires continual reflection on our practice. Above all it is rooted in a desire to be a church that is outward facing and responsive to the needs of the world around us.
IME2 is a programme of formation and learning of three to four years for those at the beginning of their ordained ministry. This programme has two focal points.
The first focal point:
Each newly ordained deacon and priest serves in a formation context with the oversight of an experienced priest. This context provides:
- a primary place of learning and formation that is practice-led
- theological reflection on practice
- regular supervision and ongoing assessment
- time for deepening formation of the whole person into diaconal and priestly ministry (Philippians 2.5)
The second focal point:
In addition we come together as a formation community regularly for a programme of theological reflection and learning. This programme of reflection and study is entitled: Participating in God’s Mission – Engaged with the World. We take as our template the Ordinal of the Church of England as we seek to become evermore the deacons and priests God calls us to be each in our particular context and ministry. Our objectives are
- to engage in critical theological reflection on our ministerial practice
- to acquire new learning and skills
- to encourage, support and learn from one another
- to deepen our roots in the faith of the Church in order to interpret that faith anew in the 21st century (Matthew 13.52)
We are a diverse community serving in a variety of contexts, preparing for ministries of varying degrees of responsibility as
- parish ministers
- pioneer ministers,
- resourcing ministers
- planting ministers
This diversity is a great richness and we share our formation at IME2 with deacons and priests of Durham Diocese.
The Director of IME2 for the Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham is the Revd Canon Dr Jennifer Cooper.
j.cooper@newcastle.anglican.org.
Revd Jennifer Cooper
Director of Initial Ministerial Education
Church House
St John's Terrace
North Shields
NE29 6HS