Continuing Ministerial Development (CMD)

CMD is the way the Diocese accompanies and supports:

• those licensed ordained ministers once they have moved into a first post of responsibility and
• Self-supporting ministers (NSMs) and Ordained Local Ministers (OLMs) once they have completed the programme of training run by the Bishop's Officer for Ordinands and Initial Training (BOOIT).
• Licensed Lay Workers

There are a variety of ways in which this accompaniment and support is offered:

• Through a range of courses and events which are published every two months through the Diocese's communication channels and also put onto the CMD 4+ section of the Diocesan website;
• Through a number of ‘stages in ministry' opportunities which take place within the Diocese or within East Anglia (the Eastern Region) for example:
  Newcomers' Day (Diocese)
  First Incumbents' Days (Diocese and Regional)
  New Posts Conference (Regional)
  Rural Deans' Conference (Regional)
  Multi-parish Rural Benefice Incumbents' Day (Diocese)
  Training of Training Incumbents (Diocese)
  Conflict Management Courses (Regional)
  Clergy Leadership Programme (Diocese)
  Pre-retirement courses (Regional)

• Through an allowance of £100 per annum for licensed clergy and licensed lay workers which is held in the CMD budget - this can be accrued for up to 3 years and used for retreats or other areas of professional development.  At conferences where CMD 4+ has been billed directly eg Praxis, the cost of those participating will be deducted from their annual allowance.
• Through grants available after consultation and application for Sabbaticals and Study Leave.  Please see separate guidelines.
• Through grants available after consultation and application for those wishing to study for an Award-bearing Course.  Please see separate guidelines.
• Through the opportunity to work with a Ministry Mentor or Work Consultant.
• Through the identification of vocational development needs which arise from Ministerial Development Review.

This accompaniment and support is offered to complement the taking of regular holidays, days off and a good personal support structure (for example, spiritual director, peer cell group, parish/benefice support group) to enable and promote a creative and disciplined approach to the ministerial life and the flourishing of the vocation and gifts of each person.

Our overall aim is to make real in this Diocese, the recommendation of the Church of England report Mind the Gap which was issued by the Archbishops' Council in 2001:

"The fundamental purpose of Continuing Ministerial Education is to equip and develop the Church's ministers in order that they may stimulate and enable the whole Church to participate more fully in the mission of God in the world".

Please pray with us that by God's grace we may be able to fulfil this.