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.
On-campus intensive option
This unit can also be taken as an intensive unit on-campus at Cliff College in Derbyshire. The dates for this are 14-16 July and the cost is £400, including accommodation and meals. Find out more using the link below.
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 online. The dates for these live sessions are Wednesday 30 April from 7:30pm-9pm and Thursday 3 July from 7pm-8:30pm.
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.
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.
On-campus intensive option
This unit can also be taken as an intensive unit on-campus at Cliff College in Derbyshire. The dates for this are 14-16 July and the cost is £400, including accommodation and meals. Find out more using the link below.
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. The closing date for applications is Monday 31 March.
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.
Part of learning on a Foundations unit is preparing and submitting assessments. These are normally a creative written assessment and a recorded presentation. There are also two sets of multiple-choice questions (one at the mid-point of the unit, one at the end) which form part of your overall grade.
For this unit, your assessments will be:
- Produce an 800-word creative resource exploring a form of Methodist ministry;
- Prepare and record a ten-minute presentation.
You will receive further information and guidance on preparing and submitting assessments when you have enrolled on your unit, both as part of the orientation course and in the unit overview materials. There are also scheduled online meetings with Cliff College staff throughout the unit, where you can ask questions about the assessments or any other element of the unit.